Energy Unplugged by Aurora

EP.269 – Ofgem’s Steve McMahon on Grid Investment, Faster Delivery and Net-Zero Needs

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Steve McMahon, Ofgem’s Director for Network Price Controls. He joins Dan Monzani, Aurora’s Managing Director for the UK & Ireland, to unpack Ofgem’s final determinations for RIIO-3 and what the next regulatory period means for networks, consumers and investors. The discussion explores the scale of required electricity and gas network investment, how strategic planning and new procurement approaches aim to accelerate delivery, and the challenges posed by surging demand, connection queues and rising system constraints.
 
Steve leads Ofgem’s regulation of the onshore electricity and gas networks, overseeing the current price controls and the development of the RIIO-3 settlements, as well as serving as Ofgem’s Head of Scotland. He brings deep experience from senior roles across UK and Scottish Government, including in transport infrastructure and economic analysis.
 
You will learn about:
Why RIIO-3 marks a major step-change in network investment and planning.
How Ofgem is balancing delivery speed, investment viability, and consumer protection.
The tools designed to accelerate grid upgrades - from early-stage funding to advanced procurement.
The growing cost of system constraints and why timely investment is essential.

EP.268 – Elevion’s Mariglen Nora on Europe’s Renewable, Storage & Biomethane Momentum

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Mariglen Nora, Head of the Green Energy Segment at Elevion Group, joining Casimir Lorenz, Aurora’s Market Lead for Central Europe & the Nordics, for a deep dive into how European renewable and flexibility markets are evolving across Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the UK, and beyond.
Mariglen oversees Elevion’s portfolio of specialist companies spanning PV, battery storage, biomethane, and other clean technologies, and serves on the boards of BELECTRIC, BELECTRIC GREENVEST, and EnergyShift. Drawing on extensive experience at Elevion and CEZ Group, he offers a granular, cross-market perspective on how utility-scale PV, BESS, biomethane, and grid constraints are shaping investment priorities across Europe.
You will learn about:
How Germany’s PV boom is now shifting toward co-located solar + battery projects, and how grid constraints are shaping investor behavior.
Italy’s leadership in biomethane, the role of the MACSE mechanism in making battery storage bankable, and the country’s strong mix of renewable incentives.
The complementary relationship between PV, batteries, and biomethane: batteries for fast, short-term flexibility, and biomethane for dispatchable, long-duration power, creating a more resilient energy mix.
How rising renewable penetration across Europe is driving hybrid project development, while grid access and regulatory frameworks remain key bottlenecks.

EP.267 – Matt Kean on Australia’s Energy Transition, Policy Reform & Climate Leadership

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome the Honourable Matt Kean, Chair of Australia’s Climate Change Authority and Director at Wollemi. He joins Hugo Batten, Aurora’s Managing Director for APAC, and James Ha, Aurora’s Head of Research for APAC, for a deep conversation on how Australia is reshaping its energy system - through policy reform, market design, and strategic investment - to deliver a cleaner, more secure, and more affordable power sector
Matt draws on over a decade in senior government roles - including NSW Minister for Energy & Environment, NSW Treasurer, and Deputy Leader of the NSW Liberal Party - where he led major reforms in renewable energy, grid investment, and climate legislation. Now at Wollemi, he is helping scale climate-positive investments while continuing to shape Australia’s national climate strategy through the Climate Change Authority.
You will learn about:
Australia’s path to rapid decarbonisation, including REZs, long-duration storage, grid upgrades, and state–federal coordination.
Unlocking clean industry, from green manufacturing and critical minerals to electrifying mining operations.
Reforming legacy subsidies - such as diesel fuel tax credits - to accelerate clean technology uptake.
The information ecosystem shaping climate decisions, including RenewEconomy, BNEF, and independent journalism.

EP.266 – Brookfield’s Nawal Saini on India’s Renewable & Transition Investment

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Nawal Saini, Managing Partner in Brookfield’s Renewable Power & Transition Group. He joins Dan Monzani, Aurora’s Managing Director for the UK & Ireland and India, alongside Debabrata Ghosh, Aurora’s Head of India, for a deep dive into how renewable deployment and transition investment are accelerating in India and other emerging markets.
Nawal leads Brookfield’s renewable and transition business across these regions, drawing on extensive experience in energy and infrastructure investment at CDPQ, JP Morgan, and Jacob Ballas, as well as banking roles with ABN Amro Bank and SBI Capital Markets. His perspective combines large-scale capital allocation, platform building, and first-hand insight into navigating policy, regulatory, and market complexity in fast-growing economies.
You will learn about:
How clean energy investment is scaling in India and other emerging markets - and the structural drivers behind investor momentum.
Barriers to rapid renewable deployment, including grid constraints, curtailment, and delays in long-term PPA execution.
The rising role of hybrid renewables, batteries, and firm dispatchable renewable electricity (FDRE) solutions in delivering reliable energy at scale.
How Brookfield evaluates opportunities, structures partnerships, and manages risk in high-growth emerging markets.

EP.265 – Karol Wolański & Roch Baranowski on Poland’s Power Market Transition

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Karol Wolański, Head of Flexibility & Aggregation at Respect Energy, and Roch Baranowski, Chief Strategy Officer at Respect Energy Holding. They join Piotr Dobrzynski, Aurora's Market Lead for Poland, Czechia, and Slovakia, to discuss how Poland and the wider CEE power markets are evolving in response to renewable growth, regulatory reforms, and market volatility.
Karol brings deep expertise in balancing markets and cross-border power exchange, leading the development of flexibility and aggregation services for renewables and storage assets. Roch oversees Respect Energy’s growth strategy, combining commercial and environmental value creation, with extensive experience in energy transition, consulting, and sustainable innovation.
You will learn about:
• How flexibility and balancing services are reshaping operating models and creating new revenue streams for renewable generators and storage operators.
• Strategic approaches to optimizing battery energy storage and capturing ancillary service revenues.
• Innovative PPA structures and other mechanisms that unlock additional value in evolving power markets.
• Opportunities for early movers in Poland, the CEE region, and beyond, as the power market adapts to higher renewable penetration and new regulations.

EP.264 Anna von Bremen on Green vs. Grey: Making Germany’s Energy Market Work

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Anna von Bremen, Partner and Head of Energy Innovation at Osborne Clarke. She joins Nico Leicht, Project Leader in Aurora’s Berlin Advisory Team, to discuss market design, regulatory frameworks, and innovation in the German power sector.
Anna brings deep expertise in energy regulation and co-located battery storage projects, advising on both technical and commercial aspects of the evolving market. Nico and Anna explore how Germany’s grid, regulatory processes, and market mechanisms are adapting to increasing renewable penetration and new storage technologies.
Main topics include the following:
• The role of regulators and grid operators in enabling a more flexible, digitalized, and grid-friendly energy system.• Challenges and opportunities for co-located battery storage, including the integration of green and grey power, smart homes, and virtual power plants.• Market mechanisms, including redispatch processes, capacity pricing, and dynamic variable pricing, and their implications for investment certainty.• The path forward for Germany’s energy transition, balancing efficiency, rationalization, and the technical implementation of climate and grid targets.

EP.263 Marcio Trannin and Ricardo Motoyama on Power Shift: How Brazil is Navigating Renewables and Market Transformation

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Marcio Trannin, Managing Director for LATAM at Sunco Capital and Vice-President of the Board of Administrators at ABSOLAR, and Ricardo Motoyama, Senior Vice President of Commercial & Business Development at Elera Renewables. They join Rodrigo Borges, Aurora’s Market Lead for Brazil, to explore how Brazil’s liberalising power market, rapid renewable expansion, and evolving policy landscape are reshaping the country’s energy future.
Marcio brings nearly three decades of experience across renewables, M&A, and regulatory affairs in Latin America’s electricity markets. Ricardo complements this with a strong commercial and financial background, offering insights into how trading, innovation, and risk management are driving new business models and accelerating Brazil’s transition to cleaner power. Together, they reflect on how Brazil can remain competitive in a global energy transition increasingly defined by flexibility and investment scale.
Main topics include the following:
The evolution of Brazil’s liberalised power market and what it means for generators, investors, and consumers
The rapid expansion of renewables - particularly solar and the operational challenges of integrating decentralized generation
The importance of policy and regulation in enabling long-term investment and competition
Lessons from international markets and what’s next for Brazil’s energy transition

EP.262 Tom Palmer on Powering the Grid: The Growing Role of Large-Scale Battery Storage

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Tom Palmer, Head of Business Development in Zenobē’s Network Infrastructure business. He joins Malvika Gode, Senior Associate at Aurora Energy Research, to explore how large-scale battery storage is transforming grid stability and enabling the transition to a fully renewable power system.
Tom is an economist by background and brings a wealth of experience from across the energy sector, having previously worked at RWE Renewables, Cornwall Insight, Origami Energy, Palantir Solutions, EDF Energy, and Ofgem. At Zenobē, Tom focuses on developing grid-scale battery projects that support transmission and distribution networks as they adapt to increasing renewable penetration.
Main topics include:
How large-scale batteries are stabilising renewable-heavy grids and supporting the energy transition.
Integration with transmission and distribution networks and lessons from pioneering grid-forming projects.
Technical, commercial, and market challenges, including balancing mechanism inefficiencies and evolving regulatory frameworks.
The future of grid-scale storage, from longer-duration projects to new revenue streams and system-wide flexibility.

EP.261 Martin Daronnat on Structuring the Future: How FPAs Are Powering Europe’s Battery Revolution

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Martin Daronnat, Head of Flexibility & Structured Origination at ENGIE . He joins Casimir Lorenz, Aurora’s Managing Director for Central Europe, for a deep dive into the emerging market for flexibility purchase agreements (FPAs) and their role in financing and operating large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS).
Martin has over 10 years of experience in energy, with a strong background in flexibility and renewables structuring and origination. Under his leadership, ENGIE offers flexibility offtake agreements and structured products that make energy assets bankable while optimising risk exposure, including market and credit risk. In 2024, ENGIE closed Germany’s first long-term fixed-price physical FPA, enabling a large-scale BESS project to reach financial close.
Main topics include:
How flexibility purchase agreements (FPAs) support large-scale battery storage projects and make them bankable.
Exploration of the key factors that determine FPA pricing, including technical battery parameters, market and credit risk, and contract terms.
How portfolio effects and strategic positioning influence the value of batteries for traders and asset owners.
Differences between fixed-price, partial, and merchant FPAs across European markets.

EP.260 Lawson Steele on Hydrogen, Storage Solutions and Decarbonising the UK Grid

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re joined by Lawson Steele, CEO of Haldane Energy, to explore the strategic and practical role of hydrogen in long-duration energy storage and the UK’s energy transition. Marten Ford, who leads Aurora’s work in GBN Ireland on low-carbon fuels and hydrogen, guides the conversation through the challenges and opportunities facing the UK’s power system over the next decade.
Lawson is responsible for the day-to-day management of Haldane Energy and is a founder and director of the Windward Energy group of companies. He has over a decade of experience in renewables and energy infrastructure, building wind portfolios and independent distribution networks.
Main topics include:
• The strategic rationale for hydrogen long-duration energy storage and its role in replacing aging gas-fired power plants
• How hydrogen provides high energy density and flexible dispatchable power relative to alternatives like batteries or pumped hydro
• Design and operation of closed-loop hydrogen systems, including electrolysers, salt cavern storage, and hydrogen fuel power stations
• Commercial viability and the importance of government schemes to de-risk investment in large-scale hydrogen energy storage