Energy Unplugged by Aurora

In this episode, Aurora’s Managing Director in Australia, Hugo Batten speaks with Ian Learmonth, the CEO of Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC).  With vast experience in the energy sector across the globe, Ian has spent time at Macquarie Group, NatWest and Social Ventures Australia, prior to joining the CEFC in 2017.  Some of the main topics include:  •CEFC, technologies of focus and storage investment cases •Role of gas and storage in Australia’s energy transition •The evolution of policy and regulation in the Australian market Support the show

In this new episode, Aurora’s Research Director Richard Howard is joined by Duncan Clark, Head of UK Region for Ørsted.  Coming from a previous commercial role at The Crown Estate, Duncan joined Ørsted in 2012 as Programme Director for offshore wind, being responsible for delivering massive projects such as Westermost Rough and Hornsea 1 throughout the project execution phase, taking the new role of Head of Region UK in 2019.  Richard and Duncan discuss:  •Duncan’s professional journey and his plans as Head of UK for Ørsted •Offshore wind in the UK and the Government target of 40GW by 2030 •Emerging technologies: floating wind and potential for hydrogen Support the show

In this latest 2020 episode, Aurora's CEO John Feddersen is joined by Will Gardiner, Chief Executive Officer of Drax Group – the UK’s largest renewable power generator.  Will joined Drax as CFO in 2015 and was appointed CEO in January 2018, now playing one of the key roles in the decarbonisation of the British electricity system.  John and Will discuss: * Will’s role and the most important trait of a publicly listed CEO * Biomass sustainability and its role in decarbonisation * BECCS, and if we can get to Net Zero without negative emissions technologies Support the show

In this episode, Aurora’s Managing Director in Germany Manuel Köhler speaks with Marie-Luise Pörtner, Managing Director of BayWa r.e. Wind.  BayWa is one of the largest renewables developers in Europe, with projects all around the world. Marie-Luise has previously held a number of other senior roles within the energy sector including Managing Director of the wind developer Juwi and Energy Sector Manager at the Fraunhofer Society.  Manuel and Marie-Luise discuss: * BayWa’s upcoming white paper and its impact on the energy sector * Technological innovation – focusing on new technologies with disruptive potential * The latest revision of Germany’s Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) Support the show

This week, Aurora’s CEO John Feddersen speaks with Dan Monzani, Director of Energy Security, Networks & Markets at BEIS, about the UK Government’s long-awaited Energy White Paper: Powering our Net Zero Future, published this week.  The Energy White Paper follows Boris Johnson’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, and establishes a strategy to achieve Net Zero across the wider energy system.  John and Dan discuss: * Market design and carbon pricing: why a trading scheme rather than a tax? * Governance: what problems can the independent system operator (ISO) solve? * R&D and technology innovation: what are the potential roles for CCUS and hydrogen? and also: * Should we worry about buying a new internal combustion engine (ICE) car now? Support the show

In this episode, Aurora’s Head of Iberia Ana Barillas is joined by her special guest - Roger Font Garcia, Global Head of Project Finance, Asset and Specialized Lending at Sabadell.  Roger was appointed to the current role in January 2019 after several senior roles within the bank, and under his leadership, Sabadell had embraced the Spanish renewables market with a much higher degree of merchant exposure.  Ana and Roger discuss:  •Sabadell’s approach on project financing and the bank’s views of the merchant risk  •Renewable auctions in Spain and Portugal •COVID-19 implications on the Iberian power market Support the show

In this episode, Aurora’s Research Director Richard Howard discusses hydrogen’s potential in Europe with two of Aurora’s leading hydrogen experts - Alexander Esser, Senior Commercial Manager and Anise Ganbold, Project Leader.  Alexander has recently led a major hydrogen multiclient study on assessing its role in the energy systems of Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands and Anise leads our work on global commodities.  Listen in to find out:  •Hydrogen’s real potential and demand •Europe’s hottest markets and their policy support •The investment propositions for industry Support the show

In this episode, Aurora’s CEO John Feddersen speaks with Laurie Fitch, Partner in the Strategic Advisory Group at PJT Partners.  Laurie is also a Non-Executive Director of EDP (Energias de Portugal, SA) and prior to joining PJT Partners, she was Co-Head of Morgan Stanley’s Global Industrials Group in Europe.  John and Laurie discuss:  •Laurie’s journey and her roles at PJT Partners and EDP •Investment banking for women at present  •Net Zero, and big oil’s ability to pivot towards big renewables Support the show

In this week’s episode, Aurora’s Principal Ben Collie talks with David Connolly, CEO of the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA).  IWEA is Ireland's largest renewable energy association and a leader in Ireland’s fight against climate change. Prior to this role, David was an Associate Professor in Energy Planning at Aalborg University in Copenhagen, where his research focussed on the design and assessment of 100% renewable energy systems for electricity, heat and transport.  Ben and David discuss:  •David’s career path and his focus on smart energy systems  •IWEA’s role and the Irish wind sector potential for the future  •Decarbonising the Irish energy system, and what a Net Zero 2050 system might look like Support the show

In this episode, Aurora’s Managing Director in Australia, Hugo Batten is joined by Ivan Varughese, Head of Green Investment Group for Asia-Pacific at Macquarie Group.  Ivan has been with Macquarie for more than 14 years as Executive Director and Head of Infrastructure, Utilities and Renewables in Australia & New Zealand, before being appointed to the new role in 2020. Hugo and Ivan discuss:  •Green Investment Group’s mission and Ivan’s career  •Australia’s energy market and its evolution •Green energy investment and energy storage opportunity in Australia and Asia Support the show