UK Wind Energy Update
Wednesday 22 March 2017
5.30pm - 9.00pm
Hosted by
25 Moorgate, London EC2R 6AY
With headlines like:
“Wind farms across the UK generated more electricity in 2016 than coal power plants for the first time, according to an analyst’s estimates”;
Wind energy accounted for 51 per cent of all new EU power installations in 2016;
Offshore wind farms could provide cheaper power than Britain’s new wave of nuclear power stations;
we take a look at UK onshore and offshore wind power to see how it is competing with fossil fuels based on a levelised cost of energy, how it has evolved compared with other renewable energy sources, where the improvements have been found and the potential still exists for further improvements during both the build phase and in O&M.
From a financing perspective, wind farms have evolved considerably. Onshore wind farms were quickly standardised and the project financing packages became commoditised. Offshore wind farms were seen as much higher risk and it has taken longer for project financing margins to become tighter, but competition and an improved risk profile has resulted in keener pricing.
We are now seeing wind farm portfolios changing hands, which is ideal for the industry. The developer can take the risk he is used to managing and then sell the completed project on to primary investors who can then bundle a group of assets together and sell on again to a secondary investor who is looking for scale and an attractive yield from a reliable asset portfolio.
With increased demand for electricity likely to develop from the switch to electric vehicles from petrol and diesel, the demand for electricity is expected to triple at least, meaning that there is still plenty of capacity left in the UK for wind power to develop further, bringing incremental project costs down and thereby obviating the need for any major central funding or support as grid parity is reached.
The technological developments in energy storage which will be needed to provide a reliable power system whatever the generation make-up will also further encourage wind power investments. Any expansion of the hydrogen economy will see a larger role for wind power too.
This seminar will take a close look at where wind power has reached technologically, financially, economically and practically, and what further potential lies ahead for new projects and existing operating assets.
This event will be ideal for wind farm developers, technology providers, O&M service providers, investors, financiers, renewable energy consultants, district energy specialists, advisers, onshore and offshore wind supply chain, government departments and others interested or involved in UK wind power.
Agenda
5.30pm Registration
6.00pm Welcome – Andrew Bond, Smith & Williamson
6.10pm Introduction – Clive Hall, Rushlight Events
6.15pm Wind Energy Update - Maf Smith, Deputy Chief Executive, RenewableUK. His presentation is HERE
6.40pm Regulation and Electricity Market Dynamics - Colin Morgan, Partner Everoze. His presentation is HERE
7.00pm Financing wind energy projects - Fernando Dominguez, VP Project and Acquisition Finance Santander Global Corporate Banking. His presentation is HERE
7.20pm Panel, augmented by
Ray Thompson, Head of Business Development, Siemens Wind Power
Charlie Hodges, Director, Augusta & Co
John Puddephatt, Business Development Manager, Statkraft
8.15pm Networking
9.30pm Close
Who should attend?
This briefing is relevant for anyone who is interested or involved in any aspect of energy and power generation. In particular, attendees will have an interest in the UK wind sector, such as wind farm developers; technology providers; O&M service providers; investors; financiers; renewable energy consultants; district energy specialists; advisers; onshore and offshore wind supply chain; government departments; local authorities; sustainability consultants; analysts; media; intermediaries; other supply chain participants or UK energy sector and industry followers.
Register
To register for this event click HERE
Speakers
Colin Morgan - Everoze
Colin has worked in the power industry since 1987, is a Chartered Engineer and the founder of Everoze Partners, a specialist clean energy engineering consultancy. He previously worked for DNV GL (formerly Garrad Hassan) where he led the renewables team covering their Western Europe, African and Latin American regions. He has also, since 2013 been a non-executive director of Thrive Renewables PLC who own and operate a portfolio of renewable projects with several thousand retail shareholders. Through his career his technical work has spanned the onshore wind, offshore wind, solar and more recently battery storage and flexibility technologies. His non-management experience has included: wind turbine design and analysis; energy resource assessment; technical due diligence of projects for lenders and investors; field inspections; policy and strategy advice; and, construction management. He has sat on various industry bodies including, in the past, the Renewable UK Offshore Wind Strategy Group, Offshore Wind Delivery Group, EU Thematic Platform Member, DTI Technology Programme Assessor and he chaired the Renewable UK Onshore Wind Cost Reduction Taskforce.
Maf Smith - RenewableUK
Maf Smith is the Deputy Chief Executive of RenewableUK - the trade and professional body for the UK wind and marine renewables industries. Formed in 1978, and with 400 corporate members, RenewableUK is the leading renewable energy trade association in the UK. Prior to joining RenewableUK he worked at grid and regulatory consultancy Xero Energy, and for much of this time was seconded to the Department of Energy and Climate Change to work on Electricity Market Reform. Between 2006 and 2011, he worked as Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Scotland for the Sustainable Development Commission, acting as advisor and scrutiny body to the Scottish Government. Between 2002 and 2006 Maf was Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables.
Fernando Dominguez - Santander
Fernando Dominguez de Posada is Senior Vice President in the Santander UK Project and Acquisition Finance team. Fernando has been part of Santander Front Office team since 2008 where he has been involved in the structuring and execution of Energy, Water, Waste and Oil & Gas PF/AF Projects as well as a number of asset finance transactions throughout the UK, Europe and Australia. He accumulates 10 years of experience in the PF/AF market and has been deeply active in the financing of renewable energy projects in the UK where he has executed and led onshore and offshore wind projects in excess of 1.5GW capacity during the last years. He holds a M.Eng in Industrial Engineering and an Executive Master in Business Administration by the London Business School.
Ray Thompson - Siemens
Ray Thompson is Head of Business Development for Siemens Wind Power in the UK. This varied role includes a wide range of business development, stakeholder engagement activities and supporting the development of UK supply chain content. With over 30 years experience in the engineering and energy sectors, Ray has worked in transmission & distribution, fossil generation and renewables in both public and private sectors roles.
Charlie Hodges - Augusta & Co
Charlie has spent nine years working in renewable energy and joined Augusta & Co in January 2011 having spent three years as a senior wind analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance in London. At BNEF Charlie was responsible for the company’s offshore wind research and managed several consulting projects for utility, oil and financial clients. At Augusta Charlie has a leading role in executing M&A and capital raising transactions for a wide variety of investors across a range of different markets and technologies including onshore and offshore wind, solar PV as well as the supply chain. Charlie graduated from the London School of Economics in 2007 where he completed his BSc. (Honours) in Environmental Economics.
Previous events in this series:
Hydrogen Economy - its real potential
Thursday 20 October 2016
5.30pm - 9.00pm
Hosted by
25 Moorgate, London EC2R 6AY
If hydrogen is going to gain traction in society, then now is the time for hydrogen vehicles, fuel cell CHP systems, hydrogen injection into the gas grid and hydrogen storage systems to take off.
For cars, the likelihood of the hydrogen infrastructure being in place in time for hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion engines to be a stepping stone is low. It will therefore be hydrogen fuel cell vehicles that lead the charge. With Japan seemingly leading the way, the development of hydrogen fuel cell car models and the infrastructure to fuel them conveniently are evolving in tandem. But for cars, does the better range of hydrogen fuel cells over batteries and the much more rapid refuelling process overcome the higher cost, and more debatably, lower efficiency and safety concerns?
Hydrogen fuel cell CHP systems have been available on the market for a while. Stationary fuel cell systems, especially at the micro-CHP level, have been rolled out in numbers in Japan, South Korea and Germany. The technologies continue to improve, with particular focus being given to fuel cell degradation and cost. However, the significant improvements in gas boiler efficiency over the last decade and the drive to insulate buildings has made it more difficult for micro-CHP systems to break the stranglehold of the fossil-fuelled market incumbents.
Energy storage is undoubtedly the big topic in the energy sector currently. Small amounts of hydrogen can be stored in pressurized vessels. Alternatively, solid metal hydrides or nanotubes can store hydrogen with a very high density. Very large amounts of hydrogen can be stored in man-made underground salt caverns. In this way, long periods of excess wind / PV energy production can be levelled. Hydrogen can then be re-electrified in fuel cells with efficiencies up to 50%, or alternatively burned in combined cycle gas power plants (efficiencies as high as 60%). So will hydrogen be seen as a key form of energy storage?
Direct uses of green hydrogen are also under development, e.g. as feedstock for the chemical and the petrochemical industry or blending with natural gas of up to 5 to 15% in natural gas pipelines. Electrolytic hydrogen can also be used for the production of synthetic liquid fuels from biomass, thereby increasing significantly the efficiency of the biomass utilization.
So, will the hydrogen economy now take off in the UK and where will the strongest market opportunities lie? This Briefing will highlight the real opportunities for hydrogen now and seek to assess the remaining hurdles to the development of a fully-fledged hydrogen economy.
Agenda
5.30pm Registration
6.00pm Welcome – Andrew Bond, Smith & Williamson
6.10pm Introduction – Clive Hall, Rushlight Events
6.15pm Current status of the hydrogen economy - Ben Madden, Director, Element Energy. His presentation is HERE.
6.45pm Priorities for RD&D, innovation and commercialisation for the UK Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Sectors - Harsh Pershad, Lead Technologist Innovate UK. His presentation is HERE.
7.15pm Panel, augmented by
Bill Ireland, CEO Logan Energy
Mark Selby, CTO Ceres Power
Amanda Lyne, Managing Director ULEMCo Ltd
Dennis Hayter, Chair UKH2Mobility, former Business Development Director Intelligent Energy
8.00pm Networking
9.00pm Close
Who should attend?
This briefing is relevant for anyone who is interested or involved in any aspect of the energy, built environment or transport sectors. In particular, attendees will have an interest in the hydrogen economy; renewable energy developers; energy storage suppliers; technology developers; motor vehicle developers; in the energy system supply chain; domestic and commercial heating decision makers and suppliers; financiers; investors; local authorities; consultants; advisers; analysts; media; intermediaries; other supply chain participants or UK energy sector and industry followers.
Register
To register for this event click HERE
Speakers
Bill Ireland - Logan Energy Limited
Bill Ireland has over 30 years’ experience in engineering with specialist knowledge in energy in the built environment, alternative technologies, sustainable design and innovation in technology. He joined Logan Energy Limited in 2008 as Director of Operations and became Managing Director and CEO in 2012. Bill is responsible for driving the business of Logan Energy in the UK, Europe and further afield. This encompasses the negotiations and advising on new business contracts, relevant partnerships and overseeing the application of hydrogen and fuel cell solutions in low energy building and infrastructure designs, energy storage and hydrogen refuelling. Bill has a major role in the design and implementation of all of Logan’s recent projects; two 200kWe PAFCs one at Transport for London’s Palestra building and the other at SSE’s southern HQ at Penner Road, Havant; and two 300kWe MCFCs one at The Crown Estate’s Quadrant 3 development in Regent Street and the other at the Land Securities/Canary Wharf Group JV development at 20 Fenchurch Street, London.
Harsh Pershad - Innovate UK
Harsh is Innovation Lead (Energy) within the Infrastructure Systems Directorate at Innovate UK. His role involves working with diverse industry, government, academic and other stakeholders to support the growth of UK businesses seeking to commercialise innovations in the low carbon energy sector. His current priorities include supporting funding competitions for RD&D and First of A Kind projects in Infrastructure Systems, and to manage funded projects. Prior to joining Innovate UK, Harsh worked for Element Energy Ltd., providing advice to clients seeking cost-effective energy and carbon strategies.
Ben Madden - Element Energy
Ben is a director of Element Energy. He has extensive practical experience of a range of low-carbon energy initiatives, as well as experience of the project management of multi-partner projects (especially those involving the EC). He began his involvement with low-carbon energy engineering at Whitby Bird, acting as lead engineer and project manager for a range of photovoltaic and low-carbon building projects. Current work focuses on developing techno-economic studies to inform Government policies for energy efficiency and distributed generation, as well as strategic studies for leading industrial players in the low-carbon energy space.
Amanda Lyne - ULEMCo
Amanda Lyne is Managing Director of ULEMCo Ltd, a company she set up to commercialise hydrogen combustion technologies, particularly for transport. She has over 10 years’ experience in the hydrogen and fuel cell technology industry, having previously founded novel fuel cell company, ACAL Energy and working through her consultancy business Burgundy Gold Ltd has led a number of innovative projects to integrate hydrogen into real world applications. Her career spanning over 20 years includes various positions at ICI Chemicals and Polymers, particularly Chlor Alkali, which produces hydrogen as a bi-product of the chlorine production process. She is a Director of the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise partnership and Deputy-Chair of UK Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association.
Dennis Hayter - UKH2Mobility
Dennis chairs the UK H2Mobility Project, which is a partnership of UK industry leaders and Government, working to make hydrogen-fuelled transport a reality. He has recently been appointed Chief Commercial Officer at Controlled Power Technologies. He was, directly before that, vice-president for business development and external programmes at Intelligent Energy where he worked since its founding in 2001. Intelligent Energy works on technology implementation across the motive, stationary power and consumer electronics sectors. He has also been instrumental in establishing and maintaining a fuel cell and hydrogen industry presence to represent, promote and accelerate development of the industry within the UK, in Europe and more widely. He was previously principal and practice leader at BAH and A.T. Kearney, and partner at Berger & Partners.
Mark Selby - Ceres Power
Mark joined Ceres Power in 2006 and, as Chief Technology Officer, is responsible for leading all aspects of the strategy and delivery of the Steel Cell technology development. He was appointed to the Board in 2014 and prior to joining Ceres Power he was part of the Control & Electronics Department at Ricardo UK Limited. He has degrees in Electronics, Dynamics and Control Systems awarded by the University of Leeds.
Getting CCS in the UK to Happen
Thursday 14 May 2015
5.30pm - 9.00pm
Hosted by
25 Moorgate, London EC2R 6AY
Whether you are interested in the decarbonisation of energy generation while optimising the security of supply or the decarbonisation of heavy industry, such as steel and cement manufacture, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) would seem to have a major role to play. It has been mooted for quite some time and has been the unwitting participant, with the benefit of hindsight, in some false starts, dashed hopes and missed opportunities. The situation is now changing for the better with a raft of new initiatives, reports and regulatory and political statements seeking to get the technological solutions off the ground.
The recent Energy Technologies Institute report shows that building a 10GW scale CCS sector by 2030 in the UK is feasible and affordable. Through the use of clusters and storage hubs, around 50m tonnes of CO2 can be captured from power stations and industry by this date.
Green Alliance has highlighted that CCS is the only technology available to decarbonise heavy industry to the extent needed to meet carbon targets and protect the UK from climate change. By piggy-backing industrial CCS clusters on existing CCS demonstration plants, creating competition between the different technologies and providing new financial support, the cost of CCS can be brought down to appropriate levels.
With 3 energy projects being funded by public money at the White Rose coal plant in Yorkshire, the Peterhead gas plant in Aberdeenshire and the Caledonia Clean Energy Project at Grangemouth, some momentum is now being gained.
Furthermore, research by NERC, amongst others, is helping to provide the scientific support needed to give the necessary comfort that carbon can be stored in an environmentally safe and effective way.
Biomass CHP with CCS is both highly energy efficient and carbon negative, providing base load power, full operational flexibility and climate change benefits.
Carbon is a valuable asset as well as an environmental pariah. There are a number of uses for it in the building, chemical and agricultural sectors. CCS is not all about trapping gas underground. After all, nature had a pretty good system going trapping and storing carbon in trees, peat, coal, oil and gas before man came along and unbalanced it all.
So what will it take to get these technologies operational finally, how can they be funded and what will a CCS sector look like in 2030? This event will highlight the current key barriers and how they might be overcome so that CCS can become a reality now. We will identify the different technologies, the issues and what will enable the CCS infrastructure to be put in place.
This event is supported by the Carbon Capture & Storage Association and is an excellent opportunity to link up with the key players in the CCS space, including DECC, Innovate UK, Energy Technologies Institute, Ecofin, Anglo American, Grontmij, Poyry Management Consulting, The Crown Estate, Barclays, Marsh, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Europe, Lloyds, Greenspire Advisors, Ngage Solutions, E3G, Drax, Green Alliance, Element Energy, Low Carbon Gas Ltd, C-Capture, Amec Foster Wheeler and a range of other developers, intermediaries, consultants and advisers.
Agenda
5.30pm Registration
6.00pm Welcome – Andrew Bond, Smith & Williamson
6.10pm Introduction – Clive Hall, Rushlight Events
6.15pm The Current CCS Picture - Den Gammer, CCS Strategy Manager, Energy Technologies Institute. His presentation is HERE.
6.40pm The Regulator’s Perspective – Will Lochhead, Head of CCS Strategy, Communications & International, Office of Carbon Capture & Storage, DECC. His presentation is HERE.
7.00pm The industry perspective – Grant Budge, Managing Director, Millennium Generation Ltd. His presentation is HERE.
7.30pm Panel, augmented by
Angela Whelan, Chief Executive, Ecofin Research Foundation
Luke Warren, Chief Executive, The Carbon Capture & Storage Association
Richard Simon-Lewis, Head of Finance, White Rose CCS
8.00pm Networking
9.00pm Close
Speakers
Will Lochhead - DECC
Will is responsible for leading the CCS Strategy, Infrastructure and International Team, which includes responsibility for CCS policy including on CCS transport and storage infrastructure and oversight of the Government’s CCS R&D Programme. Will previously led on putting in place the legislative framework for the Capacity Market, a key part of Electricity Market Reform, and before joining DECC in 2013 had a number of roles in Defra, including reviewing the implementation of the Habitats Directive and leading work on adapting major infrastructure to the impacts of climate change.
Grant Budge - Millennium Generation
I graduated with a Masters in Engineering from Imperial College in 1993 and am Chartered Engineer in mineral processing. I have worked across mining, metals, utilities and power sectors in a multitude of engineering/business development related roles. Most recently, I was Chief Operating Officer of Powerfuel Power Ltd from 2007 until 2011 when it was sold; during that time I took a 900MW IGCC power project from brownfield site to fully consented and contracted status with Euro 160million of credit pre-approval in place from the European Investment Bank, a Grant for Euro 180 million from the European Commission and submitted the NER300 application for the project which was ultimately ranked best in Europe. After leaving Powerfuel, I established Millennium Generation Ltd, which is now a Joint Venture company developing a proprietary licensed carbon capture technology. Millennium secured a £5.8 million Innovation grant from DECC in 2012, has just completed an extended FEED and is about to take forward contracting and financing of a 1MW demonstration facility.
Dennis Gammer - Energy Technologies Institute
Den has been the Strategy Manager for CCS at the ETI since 2010, and is responsible for the selection and shaping of projects in the CCS area. He is experienced in technology management, having worked in major projects, joint venture formation and plant construction. He managed technology licensing teams and R&D teams in BP. He is a chemical engineer by training ,with experience in both chemicals and oil refining ,and has extensive experience in Intellectual Property management.
Luke Warren - The Carbon Capture & Storage Association
Luke Warren is the Chief Executive at the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA) and started his current position in October 2013. He joined the CCSA in 2009. He has worked on a wide range of CCS policy issues for the association, including UK Electricity Market Reform, CCS regulations, European CCS activities as well as international bodies working on CCS and climate change issues. In his role he has provided evidence to Governments, developed multiple papers and spoken widely on CCS matters. He is regularly invited to participate in various national and international activities and groups that promote CCS as a response to concerns over climate change. Prior to joining the CCSA Luke worked in a number of positions in the energy industry. He has a PhD in Biological Sciences from University College London and a Degree in Environmental Sciences from Queen Mary, University of London.
Richard Simon-Lewis - The White Rose CCS Project
Richard is a structured financier with over 20 years’ experience in leading specialised energy and infrastructure units at ‘Global Top 5’ Project Finance institutions. He has acted as financing lead/financial adviser to low carbon projects since the mid-1990s. As Head of Energy & Utilities PF at Lloyds TSB, and, latterly Senior Director, Renewable Energy, Lloyds Banking Group, he was responsible for building a £1bn+ renewable energy portfolio/market leading franchise (ranked no. 1 Lead Arranger of renewable energy projects in the UK in 2010 - 12). During 2011 - 13, he acted as principal in MLA/advisory mandates in over £2bn+ of renewable energy projects in EMEA. He joined the White Rose management team in June 2013, having acted as a financial adviser to the consortium at LBG. He is currently responsible for the structuring and fund raising for the 448MW, White Rose CCS project in Yorkshire. He has a BSC (Hons) in Financial Services (First Class) from UMIST and is ACIB and SFA (CF30) qualified.
Angela Whelan - Ecofin Research Foundation
Angela is Chief Executive of the Ecofin Research Foundation, a UK- registered charity working to accelerate the transition to a low carbon economy. The Foundation engages and collaborates with the finance community, corporates and policy makers to develop workable solutions to mitigate climate change. Mobilising private sector finance for carbon capture and storage is a major part of the Foundation’s work. Prior to setting up the Foundation Angela was a portfolio manager at Ecofin Investment Management specialising in utility funds from 2003 to 2008. From 1989 to 2003 she was a financial analyst specialising in the utility sector with several investment banks including Barclays, Credit Lyonnais Securities Europe and Cazenove. At Credit Lyonnais she was head of UK equity market research and a member of the Executive Management Committee.
Angela holds a BSc in Economics from Carleton University, Canada and an MA and DPhil in Economics from Sussex University.
Fracking Sustainably
Thursday 13 November 2014
5.30pm - 9.00pm
Hosted by
15 Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1JP
Energy security and affordability concerns have made the pursuit of shale gas an imperative for politicians. Some well-publicised poor practices in the US have caused an emotional response against fracking in the UK. However, our last event looked at the real environmental impact of shale gas fracking and it was concluded that the real risks that exist with fracking are all capable of being properly regulated, monitored and managed.
If we set aside for now the key fact that shale gas is a fossil fuel and therefore cannot be converted into usable energy sustainably without some form of CCS or alternative process, we can then focus on the extraction process itself and ascertain how this can be done sustainably. There are a number of key environmental issues that need to be considered:
1. Increased traffic associated with the drilling and extraction in the locality during the temporary facility operation.
2. Seismic effect of fracking
3. Waste water management
4. Release of gases and other toxins into the water table
5. Methane and other greenhouse gas emissions from the drilling into the atmosphere
6. Surface environmental impact
Innovate UK (the former Technology Strategy Board) is currently running a competition to provide financial support for Developing Technologies for Safe and Responsible Exploitation of Shale Gas. The UK has a rigorous set of regulations to help to preserve and protect the environment from adverse industrial processes. There is a coordinated effort to ensure that shale gas fracking can be undertaken sustainably.
This event will look at the whole process and seek to focus on the key issues which require careful management, contractual clarity, specific regulation and effective communication so as to give stakeholders the confidence that shale gas can be exploited responsibly and for the financial benefit of the local community and the UK as a whole.
Agenda
5.30pm Registration
6.00pm Welcome – Matt Bonass, Bird & Bird
6.10pm Introduction – Clive Hall, Rushlight Events
6.15pm UK Shale Gas reserves and their geology - Nick Riley, Director Carboniferous. His presentation is HERE
6.40pm Lessons to be learnt from the US - Beverley Parrish, Managing Scientist, Exponent International Ltd. Her presentation is HERE
7.00pm The industry perspective - Andrew Austin, CEO IGas plc. His presentation is not being published.
7.20pm Panel discussion and Q&A, augmented by
Mark Ellis-Jones, Project Executive – Onshore Oil & Gas Programme, Environment Agency
Christopher Rowland, Director Special Situations Ecofin Ltd, Non-Exec Director Lonestar Resources Inc
Jamie Stein, Director, Fonte Capital and Advisory Board Member, Geomec
8.00pm Networking, drinks and eats
9.00pm Close
The filmed presentations can be viewed HERE.
Speakers
Nick Riley
Nick is Director of Carboniferous Limited, providing specialist expertise on Carboniferous geology across the energy, mineral and civil engineering sectors. In 1977 he graduated in Geology and Zoology at Bristol University and then followed through with a PhD on the Worston Shales of N. England. He joined the Institute of Geological Sciences (now the British Geological Survey- BGS) in 1980. Nick has been an international expert on Carboniferous rocks throughout his 33 year career with the BGS. In the 1990’s he was a titular & voting member of the International Subcommission on Carboniferous Stratigraphy. His expertise has been utilised in a variety of ways, including surface and subsurface mapping of UK Carboniferous strata; coal, oil, gas exploration & development in the UK and Former Soviet Union; large civil engineering projects, radioactive waste storage, Carbon Capture & Storage, underground natural gas storage & mineral exploration. From 2001 -2010 Nick was an adviser to UK government on Carbon Abatement Technologies and during that period he became BGS’ first “Head of Science for Energy”, he also advised UK research councils on energy research. In the European Research Area Nick co-ordinated “CO2 GeoNet”, the European Research Network of Excellence on research into underground CO2 storage, from 2004-2009, and was the first President of the CO2GeoNet Association (2009-2011). He was Chair of the EC Support Action “CO2Geological Storage (CGS) Europe” until its completion in 2013. Nick advises national energy research programmes in Norway & The Netherlands. Nick’s last position at BGS was as “Team Leader for unconventional gas”. In this role he was a contributor and reviewer of the DECC report (published July 2013) on Carboniferous shale gas resources in northern & central England.
Beverley Parrish
Beverley is a Managing Scientist at Exponent International Ltd, a Fellow of the Geological Society of London and a Chartered Geologist with over 25 years of experience in industry and environmental consultancy. With expertise in environmental regulation, contaminated land, waste management, and environmental due diligence, she has undertaken an extensive range of projects for industrial and corporate clients, together with advising investors, developers, local authorities, and the Ministry of Defence. She has undertaken the assessment of groundwater impacts from contaminated land and landfill leachate, together with the assessment of risks associated with ground gas, particularly methane, and design of mitigation measures. She has expert witness and dispute resolution experience, primarily in relation to ground and water affected by hydrocarbons. These projects have included the preparation of expert evidence and appearance in Planning Inquiry and Civil Court. She has also directed technical due diligence in energy from waste, biomass, recycling, and anaerobic digestion projects, which have included providing direction and input on numerous transactions involving investment in waste-related schemes, for investors, developers, and banking consortia.
Andrew Austin
Andrew is a founder of IGas. He has been an Executive Director since 2004 and the Chief Executive Officer for the last five years with responsibility for the day-to-day operations and business development. He is responsible for the transformation of IGas from a non-operating partner to delivering material hydrocarbon production to Britain’s energy market.Prior to joining IGas, he has been involved in a number of ventures as principal, specialising in energy projects in the gas, electricity and renewable sectors.
Chris Rowland
Chris Rowland works for Ecofin Limited which is a specialist fund manager active in the energy supply chain, infrastructure and utility sectors, managing about $2bln of funds, primarily in equities. Chris works on the unlisted side of the portfolios and was instrumental in setting up a Texas based unconventional oil & gas business, now known as Lonestar Resources Limited (“Lonestar”) and where Chris sits on the board of directors. Lonestar was formed four years ago, initially to build up a portfolio of oil & gas mineral interests where capital was needed to unlock the value of those mineral rights by bringing reserves into production. The funds Ecofin manages invested $79 million into Lonestar and now has a controlling stake in a business that is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and has an enterprise value of about $500 million. Lonestar is now spending about $135 million per year of drilling the 30,000 net acres it has accumulated in the Eagle Ford trend in southern Texas. This level of drilling is broadly covered by its cash flows, leaving its balance sheet capacity for bolt-on acquisitions. Lonestar is the operator on all its acreage and has a team of experienced engineers, geologists and landmen based in Fort Worth
Mark Ellis-Jones
Mark has over 17 years experience working in the public and voluntary sector on environmental policy and regulation. He has worked at the Environment Agency for nearly 7 years, and is currently the Project Executive for the Environment Agency’s Onshore Oil & Gas Programme which is responsible for establishing the regulatory framework for the sector. He has previously managed programmes on hydropower, renewable energy and climate change adaptation. Previously to working in the Environment Agency, Mark worked in a number of charities and third sector organisations, including the National Trust.
Jamie Stein
Jamie chairs Geomec’s Advisory Board, and also has a relatively hands-on business development role with the company. He is working with the management team to help develop new markets, both geographically (USA and Middle East), as well as the move into the unconventional space. Outside Geomec, Jamie works with investors who are seeking particular expertise, and with technically expert entrepreneurial teams who are seeking relationships with funding partners. After studying at Oxford University, Jamie began his career in management consulting for Bain and Company before working for a number of years in financial services firstly with St. James’s Place Capital and then with Russell Investment Group. During this period he raised capital for a broad range of investments from private banks, family offices and institutions in the UK and the Middle East. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
The Role for Nuclear Energy in the UK
Thursday 17 July 2014
5.30pm - 9.00pm
Hosted by
25 Moorgate, London EC2R 6AY
The nuclear industry in the UK has been quiet for two decades. The energy trilemma, (of affordability, security and sustainability), has brought nuclear back to the fore and there has been considerable political coverage and regulatory activity to reenergise the sector. This event will seek to cover a range of issues, including how the current nuclear plant portfolio will continue, what new facilities will need to be built, how the supply chain will be re-established, what different new technologies can address some of the old problems and what the nuclear industry itself thinks and wants to do.
Agenda
5.30pm Registration
6.00pm Welcome – Andrew Bond, Smith & Williamson and Madoc Batcup, Synaps Partners LLP
6.10pm Introduction – Clive Hall, Rushlight Events
6.15pm State of play in the UK nuclear industry today – Peter Haslam, Public Policy Adviser, Nuclear Industry Association. His presentation is HERE.
6.35pm Role for new nuclear in the power industry today – Clare Bayley, Head of Industry Engagement and Programme Management in The Office for Nuclear Development. Her presentation is HERE.
6.55pm The nuclear energy industry perspective – John Taylor, Head of Safety, DBD Ltd. His presentation is HERE.
7.15pm Panel discussion and Q&A, augmented by
David Martin, Chief Executive, Weinberg Foundation
Simon Barber, UKMEA Head of Nuclear, Arup
Madoc Batcup, Managing Director, Synaps Partners LLP
8.00pm Networking, drinks and eats
9.00pm Close
Speakers
Peter Haslam, Head of Policy, Nuclear Industry Association
Peter Haslam has been the Nuclear Industry Association’s Head of Policy since 2010, responsible for formulating its approach to key policy issues affecting the nuclear industry. He also leads within the NIA on overseas issues. He has over 30 years’ experience in the energy sector and an extensive knowledge of Government and the wider parliamentary process. Immediately before joining the NIA Peter coordinated the nuclear industry’s joint submission to the UK’s Regulatory Justification process. Prior to this he was for nine years British Energy’s Director of Government Affairs responsible for developing and implementing the company’s public affairs strategy at the Scottish, Westminster and European levels. Before joining the electricity industry Peter was a career civil servant in the Department of Energy, including spells as private secretary to two Government Ministers.
John Taylor, Head of Safety, DBD Ltd
John has been in the nuclear industry for thirty years both in the UK and internationally. He has been Head of Safety at DBD for 5 years, providing senior Safety and Technical expertise and advice to a range of Clients in the Nuclear and Non-nuclear Industries. For 3 years prior to this, he was a private safety consultant advising clients on plant technical and safety issues, safety case development, safety culture and security culture. This followed careers at British Nuclear Fuels, National Nuclear Corporation and Rolls Royce. He was appointed a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Engineering at Bristol University last year.
David Martin, Chief Executive, Alvin Weinberg Foundation
David Martin has been involved with the Alvin Weinberg Foundation since November 2011. As a long-committed environmentalist, he has a wealth of experience of researching environmental and energy issues for the private, political and NGO sectors. Having witnessed the devastating effects of climate change first-hand in leading international field-research projects in Kenya and India, David is a passionate supporter of all efforts to develop technologies to rapidly reduce global greenhouse emissions. David maintains a keen interest in public communications, science policy, and sustainable development. He holds a BA from the University of York and an MSc from University College London.
Madoc Batcup, Managing Director, Synaps Partners LLP
Madoc is the Managing Director of Synaps and has been an independent consultant for many years, during which time he has been involved in a number of innovative transactions in the areas of fund management, financial structuring and property, advising large institutional investors both in Europe and Japan. For a number of years in the early nineties he was a member of the property sub committee of the National Association of Pension Funds. Madoc lived in Japan in the 1980’s, under a special EU programme where he learnt Japanese and worked for Sumitomo Bank and the Mitsubishi Research Institute. He subsequently joined Swiss Bank Corporation International (now part of UBS) and helped establish their investment banking operation in Tokyo before returning to London to specialise in structured financing. Madoc qualified as a barrister and has degrees in law from both Cambridge University and the Institut d’Etudes Européennes in Brussels.
Simon Barber, UKMEA Head of Nuclear, Arup
Simon leads the nuclear business for Arup based in London. He is a physicist and chartered engineer with specific interests in new nuclear siting and planning, EIA and design across the full civil nuclear lifecycle from new build to waste disposal. With a background in nuclear assurance, he believes that successful projects can only come from an integrated, safety-led approach, with true multi-disciplinary design collaboration and engagement from constructors and operators at an early stage. This enables all relevant design decisions to be considered to ensure a fit-for-purpose solution for the full operational lifecycle. Outside Arup, he is an active member of the Nuclear Industry Association’s New Build Group and a founder member of the Institute of Physics’ Nuclear Industry Group.
Solar Energy Round-up
Thursday 24 October 2013
5.30pm - 9.00pm
Hosted by
15 Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1JP
The total solar PV capacity in the UK has recently achieved 2.4GW of capacity, which is equivalent to just more than one of our large fossil-fueled power stations. Of course, solar power is generated only during daylight hours and the amount of power generated varies substantially with levels of sunlight and heat.
Nevertheless, the UK solar PV industry is targeting 20GW of capacity by 2020 and this would make a significant contribution to the power needed to keep the lights on and decarbonising the total generated power.
Much has happened to the solar industry in the UK over the last 18 months, with sudden and dramatic changes in feed-in tariff rates, falling solar panel costs, EU anti-dumping announcements, significant advances in technologies, greater standardisation of installation methods and better market understanding. The solar sector has proved more resilient than many had feared and as it settles down even more, the opportunities for further solar development remain.
This event is designed to bring all these variables together and give an update on where the solar market now sits, how it has evolved and where the real potential now lies. Utility scale and commercial roof roll-outs continue and the advances made in hybrid PVT technology and thin film may be able to kick-start the domestic deployment scene once more.
Agenda
5.30pm Registration
6.00pm Introduction – Matt Bonass, Bird & Bird LLP
6.05pm Welcome - Clive Hall, Rushlight Events
6.10pm Solar Market Commentary- David Owen, CEO PV-Tech.org. His preesentation is here.
6.25pm Solar technology roundup - Prof Michael Walls, Loughborough University and Solar Supergen. His presentation will follow shortly.
6.40pm Large scale solar - Conor McGuigan, Business Development Director Lightsource Renewable Energy. His presentation is here.
6.52pm Roof-mounted solar - Chris Jardine, Technical Director Joju Solar. His presentation is here.
7.10pm Panel and Q&A, augmented by:
Tom Williams, Partner WHEB Infrastructure Partners LLP
Roger Winchcombe, WH Partnership and former Director Peabody Trust
Agamemnon Otero, Founding Member and Director Repowering and Brixton Energy
7.45pm Networking
9.00pm Close
Speakers
Michael Walls
Michael Walls is Professor of Photovoltaics for Power Systems in the Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology (CREST). He is responsible for photovoltaics device research within CREST and his research focus is in thin film photovoltaics. He started his career at Loughborough University in the Physics Department before moving, in 1984, into industry in Technical Director and then Managing Director roles within VG Instruments plc (now Thermo Fisher Scientific). His team at VG was the first to develop the gallium Focused Ion Beam (FIB) technology and the world’s first Imaging Time-of-Flight SIMS. He then went on to found a series of high technology companies involved in thin film optical coating, thermal management systems and atom probe instrumentation. In 1996, one of these companies, Applied Vision Ltd, won the Queen’s Award for Technological Achievement for pioneering the use of magnetron sputtering to deposit anti-reflection coatings on ophthalmic lenses. Applied Vision Ltd was later acquired by the BOC Group in 2001. He is currently Chairman of Applied Thermal Control Ltd which he co-founded in 1995. He is also a non-executive Director of Power Vision Ltd which he co-founded in 2009. He is an active member of the Ion and Plasma Surface Interactions (IPSI) Group of the Institute of Physics and is organizer of the “Plasmas, Surfaces and Thin Films” and “Advances in Photovoltaics” meetings both of which have become annual events. In 2012 he became the Director of the £5m EPSRC Supergen Solar Hub and was awarded the 2012 Award for Research and Development by “SOLAR”. He has been responsible for more than 100 publications including 3 books and 15 patents.
David Owen
Born in Australia, David moved to London in 2005 where, in addition to his corporate duties, he is a founding member and sits on the steering committee of the Solar Power Group, a non-profit organization that is part of the Renewable Energy Association. It is “the voice” of PV in the UK. Photovoltaics International is the leading news and technical service in the B2B solar market internationally. The company employs 22 people worldwide. Since 2009 David has been actively involved in helping the emerging PV industry in the UK reach more than significant adoption rates by sharing his intimate knowledge of the PV supply chain worldwide with UK companies and governments. In 2010 he launched www.solarpowerportal.co.uk designed to inform and educate the UK market on the benefits and pitfalls surrounding the PV industry.
Paul McCartie
Paul is the Head of Structured Finance at Lightsource Renewable Energy Limited. Prior to Lightsource, he spent 6 years in the power finance team at Investec Bank. He was involved in transactions in the energy, renewable and industrial sectors and had recently worked on a number of project financings in Europe and the United States – including a wind turbine financing for Invenergy Wind, a construction financing for a 50MW geothermal project in California and term financing for a portfolio of hydro projects in Spain. Prior to Investec, he was Assistant Director of project finance at Rolls-Royce Power Ventures, an independent power developer in London.
Tom Williams
Tom has 12 years’ experience of infrastructure and project finance transactions and was previously at Macquarie Capital in London and in the United Arab Emirates. Whilst at Macquarie, Tom advised on successful principal transactions with an enterprise value of more than £13 billion in the Utilities, Communications and Transportation infrastructure sectors. These transactions included both acquisitions and disposals. Prior to focusing on advising on Macquarie’s principal transactions, Tom was a member of Matthew Hammond’s team in the project finance business, advising various third party clients on greenfield projects in the UK and Europe. Prior to joining Macquarie, Tom spent over five years at Allen & Overy solicitors in their project finance department, advising lenders and borrowers on energy, accommodation, defence, transport and leisure projects.
Roger Winchcombe
Roger is a consultant currently working for contractors and clients in all aspects of the building services industry and has over 35 years’ experience. He previously was the Director of Property Services for Peabody until July 2013 and was responsible for the maintenance of all Peabody stock (annual budget of £75m) and was heavily involved in Peabody’s 1.8 MW solar PV programme. In the last fifteen years he has worked in both private and public sector companies such as Eaga, Brent Housing Partnership and Amey.
Agamemnon Otero
Chief Executive Officer of Repowering, Agamemnon is experienced in providing finance solutions for the energy sector including business development, management and operations. He is a director and project manager for Brixton Energy Solar 1, Solar 2 & solar 3. He has previously been Director of Renewable Energy Project Finance and Social Responsibility at Better World Finance and the CFO of Energy Bank Ltd. Hi is an acting member of UK Department for Energy and Climate Change Community Energy Contact group. A speaker on sustainable low carbon economies, Agamemnon has a Master’s degree in Architecture in Advanced Environment & Energy and a Baccalaureate in pre-medicine, Literature and Fine Arts.