On this episode of Energy Unplugged, we are delighted to welcome Craig Francis, CEO of Genex Power, discussing renewables and storage development in the Australian market with our Managing Director for APAC and California, Hugo Batten, and our Research Lead for Australia, James Ha. Craig is an experienced leader with a career spanning over 15 years in financial markets as well as a deep knowledge of the energy sector. He joined Genex in 2017 to lead the commercial development of the Company’s portfolio, being appointed CFO in 2021, and CEO in 2023. Prior to Genex, Craig was part of the corporate finance team at Cantor Fitzgerald Europe in the UK, where he focused on advising clients in the energy and natural resources sectors. He also worked at RFC Ambrian and Helmsec Global Capital. Main topics include the following:• Pumped hydro in Australia and its economics• The renewable and storage development landscape in the National Electricity Market (NEM)• Policy and market frameworks in AustraliaSupport the show

On this week’s Energy Unplugged episode, Ryan Alexander, our Research Lead for European Power Markets, welcomes our colleagues Eva Zimmermann, Associate and Lead for Flexible Energy and Guillermo Ríos, Research Analytics Associate, to disclose the main insights from our European Battery Markets Attractiveness Report.Europe is an immensely promising region for investment in batteries, driven by ambitious decarbonisation targets and projected exponential growth in renewables. Make the most of this booming market with the 3rd edition of the European Battery Markets Attractiveness Report releasing next week! This highly anticipated report provides insights on investment trends, policy environments, value drivers, and project economics, helping you conduct initial market scanning to identify the most attractive European markets for investment in batteries.Key topics include the following:Identifying the top three markets in Europe, the reasons behind their prominence, and Germany's standing in comparison.What were the main regulatory changes in Europe over the last year, and what do they mean for developers and investors?Battery economics, including the consequences of participating in auctions and the costs of supply chains issues.Support the show

Ralph Johnson, Head of UK Business Development at Habitat Energy, discusses battery storage optimization, strategies of battery asset owners, and the future of the battery market. They explore the importance of a good battery optimiser, maximizing lifetime value for battery storage projects, and the advantages of building optimization software internally. They also discuss the value of a good optimizer during difficult trading periods and the impact of asset saturation and changes to the balancing market. Lastly, they compare the markets of UK, Australia, and Texas in the US and highlight the differences in trading and opportunities for battery storage.

Michael Terrell, Senior Director for Energy and Climate at Google, discusses power consumption of data centers, achieving Google's 24/7 carbon-free energy goal, upcoming policy developments, and potential carbon reduction solutions.

In this episode of Energy Unplugged, James Johnston, CEO & Co-Founder of Piclo, engages in a discussion with Matteo Coriglioni, our Head of Italy, and Eva Zimmermann, Associate at Aurora. Together, they delve into the roles that flexibility and the deployment of new flexible technologies play as two of the key enabling factors for the energy transition.James, who initiated his career with three years of microgrid research at the University of Strathclyde, co-founded Solar Sketch in 2009—a design company for the solar industry. He also gained experience at the international engineering firm Arup. In 2013, James co-founded Piclo, the leading marketplace for flexibility services. The platform has been steadily expanding its presence across the UK, Europe, and the USA. James is recognised as a sought-after expert and published author, contributing chapters to academic books on peer-to-peer energy and local flexibility trading.Main topics include the following:•Why are flexibility and flexibility analysis crucial right now?•Are grid constraints more of an opportunity or of a bottleneck for flexibility assets development?•How are Transmission System Operators (TSOs) and Distribution System Operators (DSOs) coordinating, and how can they improve their level of coordination?Support the show

In this episode of Energy Unplugged, Pascale Courcelle, Director of Real Estate and Energy Environment Financing at Bpifrance, engages in a discussion with our Head of France, Pierre Denery, and our Co-Head of Advisory for Central Europe, Thekla von Bülow. The conversation focuses on the Renewable Electricity Guarantee Fund (GER), a guarantee fund for Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) launched in France in September 2023.Pascale began her career as a business manager in Brittany and later joined the credit committee of the bank’s head office, specialising in property financing for companies in the Ile de France region. When Bpi was established in 2012, she had already joined the renewable energy project financing team, eventually being appointed Director of Real Estate and Energy Environment Financing in 2017. Additionally, she serves as the Vice-president of the Financial Lease Commission (ASF) and is behind the creation of the GER.Main topics include the following:• Which parties can benefit from the GER and what criteria are used to assess which producers and projects should receive funding?• How is the PPA price calculated, and what proportion of it is covered by the GER?• How does the GER compare with other PPA funds already established in European countries like Spain and Norway?Support the show

In this episode of Energy Unplugged, Gunter Erfurt, CEO, Meyer Burger engages in a discussion with Hanns Koenig, our Managing Director for Central Europe, with focus on the European solar industry.Before becoming the CEO of Meyer Burger, Gunter held the position of both Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer, as well as managerial positions in other companies in the solar industry. He holds a Diploma in Engineering Physics from the University of Applied Sciences Zwickau, and Degree in Physics and a PhD in Physics, both from the Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg.Main topics include the following:• Dependence of Europe’s solar industry on imports, and how is China dominating• Subsidies for solar in China• Renewables manufacturing reshoring in Europe, compared to other countries such as China, India, or the USSupport the show

In this Energy Unplugged episode, Dalia Majumder-Russell, Partner at CMS, engages in a discussion with Emma Woodward, our European Hydrogen Market Lead, focusing on key announcements made recently, that will drive forward the development of a hydrogen economy. Particularly, focusing on the recent announcements made by the Department of Net Zero & Energy Security (DESNZ).Dalia is a partner in CMS’s Energy team in London, with over 10 years’ experience advising a wide range investors, developers, utilities, lenders and governments on energy projects and infrastructure, including negotiating gas and hydrogen offtake agreements and advising on carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) projects in the UK and internationally. Dalia is also a member of a number of expert groups focused on developing hydrogen policies.Main topics include the following:• Recent hydrogen auctions in GB & Denmark• European policy support for hydrogen investment• Hydrogen transport & storage business models in GB and in comparison to other countriesSupport the show

This week on Energy Unplugged, Igor Fonseca, Head of Power, Santander Brazil Project Finance, discusses project finance in Brazil's power sector. Topics include the impact of the shift to the free market and the green transition plan on project financing and investment in Brazil, key risks for Brazilian power projects, and the role of state-funded institutions in project support and financial discipline.

In this episode of Energy Unplugged, we discuss the current status and future of the Energy Transition in Australia, with a specific focus on its regulatory landscape. We are pleased to be joined by Clare Savage, Chair, Australian Energy Regulator (AER), and James Ha, our Research Lead for Australia, in conversation with our Managing Director for APAC and California, Hugo Batten.Clare has worked with some of Australia's largest businesses, including electricity and gas producers, as well as consumers, to develop a suite of integrated energy and climate change policies. Before joining the AER, she served as Deputy Chair of the Energy Security Board and, prior to that, as the Executive Director, Policy, Energy & Climate Change at the Business Council of Australia. Clare has also held executive positions within EnergyAustralia and the Energy Supply Association of Australia.Main topics include the following:• The current challenges facing the Energy Transition in Australia• Regulatory considerations throughout the Energy Transition in Australia• The importance of supporting innovation through the Energy TransitionSupport the show