Energy Unplugged by Aurora

EP.51 Pat O’Doherty, CEO of Electricity Supply Board (ESB)

In this episode, Our CEO John Feddersen speaks to Pat O'Doherty, CEO of the leading Irish utility Electricity Supply Board (ESB). Pat was appointed CEO of ESB in 2011 and to the ESB Board in 2013. He is Director of Energy UK and until very recently he was President of Eurelectric - the sector association which represents the common interests of the electricity industry at pan-European level. John and Pat discuss:•Pat’s journey and the job of the utility CEO now compared to 10 years ago•ESB and how the enterprise is measuring its ESG success •State-owned utilities’ role in enabling a just energy transition•Cyber security and how well is the European utility industry prepared for itSupport the show

EP.50 Julien Pouget, Senior Vice President for Renewables at Total

Welcome to our 50th official Energy Unplugged episode!Our Head of Digital Solutions Mateusz Wronski is joined by the creator of the renewables division at one of the largest energy companies in the world - Julien Pouget, Senior Vice President for Renewables at Total. Julien joined Total in 2016, after two years of service as Senior Advisor to the President of France, François Hollande where he was entrusted with the overhaul of the French nuclear industry.Mateusz and Julien discuss:•Key challenges in shifting the focus of an oil supermajor by creating the renewables division within Total •Total’s target of 100 GW by 2030 as one of the most ambitious renewables goals in the industry•Floating offshore wind and Total’s strategy in bringing the costs down•The impact of green hydrogen in enabling renewables investmentSupport the show

EP.49 Henrik Tordrup, Partner at Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners

Our CEO John Feddersen speaks to Henrik Tordrup, Partner at Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP). CIP is one of the leading clean energy investors globally, having recently raised a EUR 7 billion renewable energy investment fund. Henrik is a veteran of Europe’s offshore wind boom of the past decade and has deep expertise on the emerging energy transition in the US. John and Henrik discuss:•Henrik’s journey and his motivation to focus on the US markets•CIP’s current strategy and the main risks as a renewable investor•Current US policy and the recent federal election impact on decarbonisation •Texas’ big freeze in February and lessons for policy makersSupport the show

EP.48 Henry de Zoete, Co-founder of Look After My Bills

Our Research Director, Richard Howard speaks to Henry de Zoete, Co-founder of the energy switching service provider - Look After My Bills. Henry has a career background working as Special Adviser to the Secretary of State for Education prior to his success with Look After My Bills – which secured the best deal in the history of the UK Dragons’ Den business pitch competition. The company is now owned by industry giant Go Compare. Henry and Richard discuss:•Henry’s career and experience working for then Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove•His inspiration and motivation for establishing Look After My Bills•Raising funds in Silicon Valley and securing the investment from UK television’s notoriously tough Dragons panel•Transferring the ownership of his business to Go Compare and what’s nextSupport the show

EP.47 Dulce Mendonça, Director and Fund Manager at InfraRed Capital Partners

Our Head of Iberia, Ana Barillas is joined by Dulce Mendonça, Director and Fund Manager at InfraRed Capital Partners. Dulce joined InfraRed in 2013 and is currently focusing on business development and origination of infrastructure investments in Europe. After attaining an M.Sc in Business Administration from ISCTE Business School in Lisbon, she began her career in investment banking before moving to infrastructure investment around 16 years ago. Ana and Dulce discuss:•InfraRed’s approach to the risk-reward trade-off of investment•The energy transition and scale of investment challenges •The Iberian market and whether there is a solar bubble in the peninsula •Sustainable investment and green hydrogen incentivesSupport the show

EP.46 Dr. Brigitte Knopf, Secretary General of MCC

Our Head of Commissioned Projects in Central Europe, Hanns Koenig is joined by Dr. Brigitte Knopf, Secretary General of the Berlin-based climate research institute MCC (Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change). Brigitte is one of Germany’s leading experts on climate change and has been appointed Deputy Chair of the Council of Experts on Climate Change by the German Federal Government. The Council has recently published its first report assessing Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2020. Hanns and Brigitte discuss:•MCC’s leading role in the climate change debate •The Council of Experts on Climate Change’s report findings and lessons learned•The European Green Deal and Germany’s decarbonisation targets•COVID-19 impact and emissions reduction during lockdownSupport the show

EP.45 Greg Jackson, Founder and CEO of Octopus Energy

In this episode our CEO John Feddersen speaks to Greg Jackson, the Founder and CEO of Octopus Energy, one of the UK’s largest energy supplier businesses, and award-winning for its status as a provider of 100% sustainable energy. Octopus Energy Group recently announced the acquisition of its sister company, Octopus Renewables, bringing the retail and the generation side of energy together under one roof. Greg is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the UK with a long career leading multiple software ventures among other businesses, and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge. John and Greg discuss:•The importance of policy in the current UK energy supply market•Understanding the customer experience and meeting customer’s needs •Weathering the debris of the Texas storms and cost-pass-through tariffs•The role of prices in power generation and investmentSupport the show

EP.44 Dr. Graham Cooley, CEO of ITM Power Plc

Our Research Director Richard Howard is joined by Dr. Graham Cooley, CEO of ITM Power Plc to discuss one of the biggest players to emerge in new energy policies: green hydrogen. Graham joined ITM Power 12 years ago, previous to which he worked with National Power, and spent 11 years in the power industry developing energy storage and generation technologies. ITM Power is a leading manufacturer of hydrogen electrolysers. From early engagement on some of the UK’s earliest hydrogen mobility projects, it is currently working with the nationally significant HyDeploy energy trial – a crucial factor contributing towards the UK’s Net Zero targets. Richard and Graham discuss:•Green hydrogen’s role on the road to attaining Net Zero•Typical buyers and business models for electrolysers•Government support requirement for reaching the 40 GW targetSupport the show

EP.43 Models and their role in the energy transition: an Aurora perspective

This week on Energy Unplugged we have a special episode on modelling energy markets and the broader complexities of modelling for future scenarios. Our Head of Digital Solutions Mateusz Wronski chats with Jonathan Black, our Head of Modelling. Jonathan’s role is to set the vision and strategy for our market models and their developments. Besides managing our international team of modellers he has extensive experience in modelling for a breadth of physical systems, with a background as a Research Scientist at the National Physical Laboratory and a PhD in Applied Mathematics. Mateusz and Jonathan discuss:•Credibility of modelling outside academia•Our motivation for building our own models•Modelling role in decarbonisation of the energy sectorSupport the show

EP.42 Lisa McDermott, Executive Director Renewable Project Financing at ABN AMRO Bank

Our Nordics Lead Alexander Esser speaks with Lisa McDermott - Executive Director Renewable Project Financing at ABN AMRO Bank. Lisa started her career as a lawyer at Clifford Chance, specialising in tax, M&A and fund structuring. Since 2004 she has held a number of senior origination, structuring and management roles within various structured finance disciplines. ABN AMRO is one of the earliest project financiers for offshore wind and one of the most active debt providers for renewables and sustainable business in Europe. Alex and Lisa discuss:•ABN AMRO’s role in financing the energy transition•Changing environment for project finance of renewables•Financeability of electrolysers for green hydrogen productionSupport the show