Energy Unplugged by Aurora

Thekla von Bülow, Principal for Commissioned Projects in our Berlin office is joined by Shaun Kingsbury, Chief Investment Officer of Just Climate.  Shaun started his career working for Shell and in 2012 he has set up the world’s first low carbon investment bank – Green Investment Bank, which was later acquired by Macquarie Group. Currently Shaun is Chairman of Renewable Power Capital, Co-founder and Board member of Climate Transition Capital, Chairman of CNG Fuels and Chief Investment Officer of Just Climate, a new business launched in the beginning of November.  The focus of the conversation is on sustainable finance and climate impact investment helping to accelerate climate action.  Thekla and Shaun discuss: •Subsidy schemes for renewables vs. merchant / PPAs  •The role of the private sector in investing into clean energy technologies  •The ESG investment movement  •Corporate PPAs as a tool for decarbonisation Support the show

In this episode, our Head of Commissioned Projects in Central Europe, Hanns Koenig is joined by Christian Thiel, CEO of EnergyNest, a high temperature energy storage company.  Christian started his career at BMW and prior to joining EnergyNest in 2014 he worked as Investment Banker at UBS and as Consultant at McKinsey and he was the Vice President for Business Development and Marketing at Senvion. Christian has a PhD in Economics and Marketing focussing on designing sales structures in foreign markets.  The focus of the discussion is around the importance of addressing industrial heat for reaching Net Zero.  Main topics include: •EnergyNest’s technology and its role in the energy transition •The challenge of addressing the emissions coming from the heat sector •The current and future gas and carbon prices  •Hydrogen vs electrification Support the show

With National Grid just announcing that the group expects profits to hit top end of range on soaring energy prices as a result of interconnectors, the focus of today's show is on interconnectors’ role in delivering NetZero and the North Sea Link project as the world’s longest subsea interconnector linking the UK and Norway.  In this episode, our Managing Director for UK and Ireland - Dan Monzani is delighted to be joined by Cordi O’Hara, President of National Grid Ventures at National Grid. Cordi has more than 20 years’ experience in the energy industry, managing key relationships with government officials, regulators and customers. She began her career trading power and gas for Centrica and between 2014 and 2017 she was Director of the UK System Operator. Prior to joining National Grid Ventures, Cordi was Chief Operating Officer for the US Gas Business for National Grid.  Dan and Cordi also discuss: •The UK’s 40GW offshore wind target by 2030 and the technical barriers to get there •COP26 and the opportunities for wider global cooperation on grids  •The most attractive business environment for investing in hydrogen at the moment Support the show

In this episode we’re talking about power exchanges as a vital part of traded power markets. Our CEO John Feddersen is joined by Georg Aasen, Vice President at Nasdaq Commodities, which runs one of Europe’s largest power exchanges. Prior to this role, Georg was Head of Marketplace at Nord Pool and built up deep experience in the economics of power exchanges.  John and Georg discuss: •The key characteristics of a successful power trader •Social contribution of markets and what would the European power market look like in the absence of power exchanges •The evolution of renewables offtake and PPAs  •The future of non-power contracts and hydrogen Support the show

This week on Energy Unplugged we have a special episode which comes right after the UK Government published its Net Zero Strategy in response to the Climate Change Committee’s recommendations for the Sixth Carbon Budget and during COP26 taking place in Glasgow. Our Managing Director for UK and Ireland - Dan Monzani is joined by Lord Deben, Chairman of the Climate Change Committee (CCC) in a conversation about Net Zero and prospects for COP26.  Lord Deben has over 50 years’ experience in public life, consistently as a deep influential voice on climate change and the environment. He was the UK’s longest-serving Secretary of State for the Environment (1993 to 1997) and he has held several other high-level ministerial posts, including Secretary of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1989 to 1993). Since 2012 he is the Chair of CCC, an independent, statutory body established under the Climate Change Act 2008 with the main purpose to advise the UK and devolved governments on emissions targets.  Dan and Lord Deben discuss: •The UK’s Net Zero Strategy - in which sectors the Government's plans are most complete and where are there the biggest holes •The investment costs of Net Zero and who pays for it •COP26 and the key ingredients in a successful climate diplomacy Support the show

In this episode, our Managing Director in Australia, Hugo Batten is joined by Rupert Maloney, Head of Hydrogen at the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) and Weijie Mak, Principal in Aurora’s office in Australia.  Before joining CEFC, Rupert was General Manager of Strategy & Corporate Development at Ampol, an Australian fuels player, as well as a banker at Macquarie and a lawyer at Baker & McKenzie. The discussion is focused on hydrogen and the opportunities for developing a hydrogen industry in Australia.  The main topics include: •Key takeaways of CEFC’s recent Australian hydrogen market study •Hydrogen as an export opportunity for Australia and prioritization of domestic opportunities  •How the Europeans are designing their markets around hydrogen  •The low electrolyzer CAPEX and the cost of capital reductions Support the show

In this episode, we continue the discussion on the role of world’s largest utilities in decarbonising society. Our CEO John Feddersen is talking to Alberto De Paoli, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Enel.  Alberto was appointed CFO in November 2014 and joined the Enel Group in 2008 as CFO for Enel Green Power, the Group's renewable power generation subsidiary, a position he held until 2012. Between 2012 – 2014 he was the Head of Group Strategy. Alberto is also Co-chair of the UN Global Compact CFO Taskforce for the sustainable development goals.  John and Alberto discuss: •Enel’s role in the energy transition and ensuring sustainability at the centre of the company’s business model •The driving force behind Enel’s internationalization  •ESG investment movement and what has enabled it to grow the way it has Support the show

In this episode, our CEO John Feddersen is joined by Peter Cramton, Professor of Economics at the University of Cologne to discuss the future of power markets.  Peter is one of the world’s foremost experts on electricity systems economics, he’s been a leading thinker in market design across energy, telecommunications and health procurements in the US, Europe and beyond. Since 1983, he has conducted research on auctions and market design, with a focus on the design of complex markets to best achieve goals. Between 2015-2021, he was an independent director of the board of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). John and Peter discuss: •Whether privatisation of parts of the power markets worked globally in the sense that enhanced human welfare  •The meaning and targets for decarbonisation in Europe vs the US •Security of supply and the impact of the recent events in ERCOT on capacity markets and energy only markets Support the show

Our Market Lead for Italy - Matteo Coriglioni speaks to Toni Volpe, CEO of Falck Renewables.  Toni has been the CEO of Falck Renewables since 2016 and he started working in the energy industry at the Enel Group in 2004, where he covered several roles such as CEO of Enel Green Power North America in 2005 and Country Manager and CEO of Enel Romania in 2014. Falck Renewables is one of the biggest “pure players” in the European renewable energy sector, the Group has an installed capacity of 1.3 GW in UK, Italy, Spain, France, the Nordics and the United States, a project pipeline of more than 4.5 GW and manages around 4 GW of plants around the world (in more than 40 countries) on behalf of third parties; mostly wind onshore and solar. Matteo and Toni discuss: •The future of the energy transition and Falck Renewables’ strategy in terms of expanding to new markets and technologies •The role of policy in decarbonisation and renewables development •The impact of the Next Generation EU fund in accelerating the energy transition in Europe Support the show

Our Research Director Richard Howard speaks to Andrew Doyle, Executive Director MUFG.  Andrew joined MUFG in March 2011 following the acquisition of a US$5bn project finance portfolio from RBS. He has over 15 years of project finance experience covering large thermal power and renewables projects across the UK, Europe and the Middle East.  This is one of a series of episodes featuring energy transition leaders who will be speaking at our Spring Forum 2021. The Forum takes place in London on Wednesday 29th September. For more information go to auroraer.com/events/spring-forum/. Richard and Andrew discuss: •Hydrogen and business models that are emerging and how and when they will become bankable •By when will green hydrogen be cheap enough to compete with grey and blue hydrogen •The most attractive markets in Europe for hydrogen •Whether the UK Hydrogen strategy is ambitious enough Support the show