Energy Unplugged by Aurora

In this episode, we focus on an increasingly very hot topic which is battery business models in Europe. Our Managing Director for Central Europe, Hanns Koenig is joined by Aurora’s experts Marise Westbroek and Ryan Alexander.  Ryan leads our European research team and one of their most popular reports this year has been the European Battery Markets Attractiveness, which looks into market and policy drivers for shaping the attractiveness of various markets for batteries across Europe. Marise is a Project Leader in our advisory team and specialises in flexibility markets. Over the past years she had led a massive multi-client study with focus on investing battery business cases in Germany, Netherlands and Belgium in particular.  Main topics include: •The current market conditions for batteries, the impact of supply chain constraints and the high power prices across Europe •The characteristics developers would need today to be successful in such a complex market •Revenue streams development and implications on trading strategies for batteries •Individual and co-location business cases •Regulations and market design Support the show

In this episode, our Managing Director for Europe, Middle East & Africa, Manuel Koehler is joined by Horatio Evers, Managing Director, BASF Renewable Energy.  BASF is the biggest chemical company in the world and in his current position, Horatio is responsible for the strategic direction and overall achievement of BASF’s Net Zero targets. Horatio is passionate about collecting, refurbishing and driving old racing bikes and through this reduces his CO2 output. Horatio and Manuel discuss: •BASF’s journey to decarbonisation and the company’s Net Zero targets •What kind of partnerships are important for BASF •The main changes that would need to happen at the policy level and why  •The implications of the energy crisis in Europe on BASF from a renewables perspective Support the show

In this episode, our Managing Director of Aurora in APAC & California, Hugo Batten is delighted to be joined by Sheldon Kimber, CEO and Founder of Intersect Power and our Founder and CEO, John Feddersen.  Intersect Power is one of the most successful and dynamic clean infrastructure companies in the US today. Sheldon has had a hugely impressive and diverse career in energy, spending time at Recurrent, Calpine and at Accenture before founding Intersect Power. He also lectures at the Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley. Main topics include: •Intersect’s thinking about the future of energy markets and decarbonisation •The US energy markets and the future of utilities in California •The energy crisis in Europe  Read more from Sheldon on The Nexus of Deep Decarbonization here: https://www.intersectpower.com/the-nexus-of-deep-decarbonization/ Support the show

In this episode, Nick Carter, Managing Director at Akaysha Energy and Weijie Mak, Aurora’s Head of Consulting in Australia join Hugo Batten, our Managing Director in APAC & California.  Akaysha is a battery developer that has just had a major investment from Blackrock to help fund storage developments across APAC. Prior to Akaysha, Nick has worked at Macquarie, Tesla and AGL, as well as Toyota and General Motors. The focus of the discussion is very much on the nuances of battery and hydrogen investment cases in Australia and across other key Asian markets.  Main topics include: •The evolution of battery investment cases in the next few years •Supply chain and CAPEX increases •The transaction with Akaysha and Blackrock that made news in Australia •Akaysha’s business plan when it comes to hydrogen Support the show

In this episode, our Managing Director in APAC and California, Hugo Batten and our CEO, John Feddersen are joined by Elliot Mainzer, President and CEO of the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). Elliot has had an impressive career in energy, spending time at Enron, 18 years at the Bonneville Power Administration where he rose to CEO, and over the last 3 years being the CEO of CAISO. Main topics include: •Californian energy markets - reality versus plans •Market design in CAISO evolving over the very long-term  •Innovation in storage investment cases in CAISO Support the show

This is a special podcast episode featuring one of the speakers at the Aurora Hydrogen Conference 2022, taking place on Wednesday 9th November in London. Our Co-Head of Advisory in Central Europe, Thekla von Bülow speaks to Alexander Voigt, CEO and Co-Founder of HH2E. Alexander is a serial entrepreneur and one of the pioneers of the global energy transition. He has studied physics and started his career at an engineering bureau working on solar thermal solutions. He has founded several companies in the energy sector such as Solon in the solar space, Younicos in the battery space, Lumenion in the high temperature heat storage space, and as well as STOFF2 & HH2E in the hydrogen space. Thekla and Alexander discuss: • What does HH2E do? And what role will it play in the European hydrogen space? • How can the growth of the hydrogen economy be accelerated and what are the main hurdles? • What is the right way to integrate hydrogen in the wider energy system? • What will the future of the European hydrogen landscape look like, and what will be the role of non-EU imports? This discussion will be continued at our fully booked Hydrogen Conference on Wednesday 9th November in London. We hope to see you there! Support the show

In this episode, our Research Lead in Aurora’s Australian office James Ha is delighted to be joined by Frank Jotzo, Professor at the Australian National University and our Managing Director for Australia and California, Hugo Batten.  Frank is a professor of environmental economics at the ANU’s Crawford School of Public Policy, the inaugural director at the Centre for Climate Economics and Policy, and Head of Energy at the ANU Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions. He has been a lead author of the IPCC’s 5th and 6th Assessment Reports, and is the co-editor-in-chief of the journal Climate Policy. He has advised both the Australian and Indonesian Governments, and contributed to the Garnaut Climate Change Review. Main topics include: •Australia’s NetZero commitments and whether they are squaring with the goals of the Paris Agreement •Decarbonising the Australian economy and views on carbon pricing •Energy policy and the role of economic modelling Support the show

In this episode, our Founder and CEO, John Feddersen is delighted to welcome Jimmy Glotfelty, Commissioner on the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT).  With a distinguished career in public service in the electricity sector, Jimmy has been appointed as Commissioner on the PUCT in August 2021. Previously, he had several public senior roles including Senior Policy Advisor to U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham, Energy Policy Director to Texas Governor George W. Bush and Legislative Director to Congressman Sam Johnson. He has also served as Founder and Executive Vice President of Clean Line Energy. Jimmy and John discuss: •The PUCT’s role in the US energy system •The impact of the Russian war in Europe and effects seen in the US •The Government’s role in enabling the electrification of the vehicle fleet Support the show

This episode is second in a series on global project finance, organized in partnership with SMBC Group. With a number of 4 episodes covering Europe, Australia, Asia and the US, this series is hosted by Aurora, with guests from SMBC Group, various law firms and Aurora. In this episode, we have our Managing Director in APAC & California, Hugo Batten talking to Jeremy Hasnip, Head of Energy Transition at SMBC, Elizabeth Charlesworth, Partner at Herbert Smith Freehills and Rowan von Spreckelsen, Principal at Aurora.  Main topics include: •An overview of the project finance space in Australia •The largest areas for debate and negotiation at the moment  •The impact of a higher-inflation and higher cost environment on typical project finance terms •The financing of newer technologies and the largest impediments to debt funding of storage Support the show

In this episode, our Managing Director for Australia and California, Hugo Batten is joined by Benn Barr, the Chief Executive of the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) and James Ha, Aurora’s Project Lead in our Sydney team. AEMC is the rule maker in the Australian energy markets and decides on any proposed rule changes in Australia’s electricity and gas markets. Prior to joining the AEMC, Benn was Deputy Director General in the Queensland Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy.  Main topics include: •The current priorities for the AEMC including the role of rule makers and the impact of the current crisis  •The role of market modelling when it comes to challenges around market re-design •The pros and cons of capacity markets Support the show