Bioenergy - Biographies

Keiran Allen - Biomass Heat Accelerator Manager - The Carbon Trust

Keiran runs the Carbon Trust’s Biomass Heat Accelerator: a technology development and demonstration programme that seeks to widen the technical knowledge base for this specific bioenergy technology and demonstrate best practice in design, installation and supply chains. Keiran has also worked on low-carbon building refurbishment programmes for the Carbon Trust and on low-carbon technology investment assessments. Prior to joining the Carbon Trust, Keiran studied for a Masters in renewable energy focusing on planning and consenting for windfarms. Previously Keiran also worked in the geographical research fields focusing on glacial responses to climate change for the University of Edinburgh and the Royal Geographical Society.

John Baldwin - Managing Director - CNG Services Limited

John is Managing Director of CNG Services Limited

Worked for British Gas (and successor companies from 1983-2003), including:

• BGE&P - Armada Project Commercial Manager.
• Transco – Manager, Network Development
• Lattice Group/National Grid – MD, Lattice Energy Services

His company, CNG Services Limited (CSL) supports the development of new anaerobic digester projects including a range of utilisation options for the biogas:

• Injection of bio-methane into low pressure gas distribution networks (CSL Created the Didcot project, UK’s first biomethane injection Project)
• Compression of bio-methane for use as fuel in road vehicles
• Use of Green Gas Certificates
• Support to introduction of biomethane fuelled vehicles

CSL describes the above as “Green Gas” initiatives.

CSL also supports the development of onshore gas fields, virtual pipelines (to move stranded gas) and new CNG filling stations

John is a former President of the SBGI (Society of British Gas Industries), is Chairman of the Renewable Energy Association Biogas Group. John is also Chairman of the Smarter Working Group stream in the DEFRA AD Strategy work currently underway.

Daniel Borisewitz - Policy Manager - Scottish Renewables

Daniel is a Policy manager at Scottish Renewables covering the Heat, Bioenergy and Micro-Renewables sector. His role involves working with closely with members and key stakeholders to influence legislation, regulations and financial frameworks to help facilitate the growth of the renewable energy sector in Scotland.

Daniel has worked in renewable energy industry since 2007. After graduating with a degree in Chemical Engineering, Daniel worked as a Research and Development Engineer with Fyne Homes on the Isle of Bute to design, develop and commission a plant to process waste cooking oil to biodiesel. Daniel started work for Scottish Renewables in March 2009 as the Bioenergy Officer his role has been expanded to cover Heat and Micro-Renewables.

Daniel is a member of the Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS) sub-group on Heat, and sat on the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s Renewable Financial Incentives group and the Scottish Governments Woodfuel Taskforce.

Rebecca Carr - Renewables & Sustainability Policy Adviser - Forestry Commission Scotland

Rebecca joined Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) over 7 years ago, working on biomass policy and its implementation. She is on the Wood Fuel Task Force, putting together the recently updated report and taking forward recommendations from the previous report on mobilising wood fibre resources. As well as biomass supply and demand, she is also working on sustainability criteria and represents the Scottish Government on DECC’s Biomass & Biogas Sustainability Implementation Group. Prior to joining FCS, she worked as a carbon consultant on forestry carbon sequestration, renewable energy projects and carbon trading mechanisms.

Sandy Ferguson - Director of Marketing - BC Bioenergy Network

Sandy Ferguson has been the Director of Marketing at BC Bioenergy Network, since 2009. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the BC Bioenergy Network is a not for profit organization with a mandate to accelerate bioenergy development in British Columbia through investing in pilot and commercial scale projects, supporting mission critical research, and providing education and outreach services. Sandy has held senior business development, marketing, and strategic partnership positions in corporate, not for profit, and government organizations in Canada and the UK, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, MacDonald Dettwiler, and Manufacturers and Exporters Canada. She has also worked as an independent consultant on assignments domestically and internationally in sustainability, economic development, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, and international financial institutions. She holds a BComm from the University of Alberta and an MBA from UBC’s Sauder School of Business.

Harry Huyton - Head of Climate Change Policy and Campaigns - RSPB

Harry Huyton is Head of Climate Change Policy and Campaigns at the RSPB. He manages and leads the RSPB’s work on climate change adaptation and mitigation, and on energy. Previously, Harry worked at the Environment Agency as a Senior Advisor, where he led the development and implementation of the Agency’s renewable energy policy, and published major reports on hydropower, ground source heat and bioenergy. Prior to this, Harry worked as a Policy Officer for the RSPB, where he headed up the RSPB’s campaign on biofuels and chaired the BirdLife International taskforce on agriculture. Harry has an MSc in Environmental Technology and a BSc in Natural Sciences.

Akira Kirton - Strategy Manager for Bio Energy - Energy Technologies Institute

Akira Kirton leads the bioenergy and distributed energy strategy development at the UK Energy Technologies Institute, a public-private partnership between global industries and the UK Government. Akira is a chemical engineer by background. Prior to joining the ETI, he has held positions in engineering and commercial roles across Refining, Chemicals, Marketing, and Trading. More recently, Akira led developing world projects in bioenergy and distributed energy in Asia and Africa. Whilst at BP, Akira’s team won the prestigious 2008 Institute of Chemical Engineers’ SRG Engineering Award for Innovation based on biomass gasification technology for rural homes.

Gert Lindgreen - Area Sales Manager - AET

Gert Lindgreen has been working in the energy business since he graduated as a mechanical engineer nearly 30 years ago. He started as a young project engineer at Aalborg Boilers with industrial coal- and gas fired steam boiler plants. The last 20 years on sales during the major natural gas conversion in Danish district heating sector in the 1990s with CHP plants, and later abroad in the UK and Eastern Europe with CHP-, and tri-generation plants, and connected district heating- and cooling network, to mention Woking and Milton Keynes. Gert had a short "flirt" with anaerobic digester plant and MSW, and is now back where it all began - working with the midsize, but entirely biomass fired high performance steam boiler plants at AET (Aalborg Energie Technic a/s).

Simon Merriweather - Chief Executive - Advanced Plasma Power

Simon Merriweather is Chief Executive of Advanced Plasma Power, which has developed the internationally patented Gasplasma® advanced thermal Energy from Waste technology. Gasplasma® is based on proven sub-systems that offer an effective solution to two of the world’s most significant environmental issues: the need for low carbon renewable energy and the need for cleaner, environmentally sustainable, waste management solutions.

Previously Simon held the role of Managing Director of EDF Energy's generation assets with the commercial and operational responsibility for producing over 6% of the UK's power. Prior to this he was the Director of Finance for the Energy division of EDF Energy. He has also held senior finance roles in Allied Domecq and Barclays.

Simon is a UK chartered accountant (having qualified with Ernst and Young) and has a 1st Class Honours Degree in Applied Physics.

Professor C Paul Mitchell - Institute of Energy Technologies, University of Aberdeen

Prof Paul Mitchell has almost 30 years experience in conducting research, development and demonstration in renewable energies. He has worked closely with government departments and agencies, research institutes, international organisations and industry as programme and project manager developing biomass and bioenergy as an economically viable and sustainable source of energy. The development of wood either as co-products from the conventional forest industries or as short rotation coppice energy crops and more recently the development of biofuels has been a particular focus.

He teaches into the Energy Futures MSc programme and has supervised numerous PhD students on energy-related topics, in particular techno-economic and systems analysis of renewable energy technologies.

He is the author of over 200 scientific papers, editor of a book and 16 conference proceedings.

Professor Mitchell is the Chief Editor of the academic journal Biomass and Bioenergy published by Elsevier.

Professor Mitchell is based in the School of Engineering where he is Director of Institute of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering and leads the energy research programme. He is also Director of the Institute of Energy Technologies which brings together all the research in the University directed at energy related issues. Prime strengths are in renewables (biomass, biofuels, wave, fuel cells), Petroleum engineering, petroleum geology, storage of nuclear waste, economics & policy, supply system modelling, carbon sequestration, design of energy efficient buildings. He is a co-director of the Energy Technologies Partnership – a pan-Scotland partnership of university based researcher into all aspects of energy. He is also a founder Director of the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) and the Scottish European Green Energy Centre (SEGEC).

Steve Newlands - EIA Director - RPS Planning & Development

Steve Newlands is Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Director for RPS in Scotland involved in the delivery of major projects within the waste, minerals and renewable energy sectors. Employed by RPS for over 5 years, his experience includes project management for public and private sector clients and stakeholder engagement. He has been actively involved within Scotland in the environmental impact assessment of waste facilities encompassing a range of technologies/processes, including Energy from Waste (EfW), Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT), Materials Recovery, Composting and Anaerobic Digestion.

Prior to joining RPS Steve gained significant experience in working within the private sector, in all areas of waste management, with a particular focus on hazardous wastes. As Regional Manager (Scotland and Northern Ireland) with Biffa Waste Services Limited, he was responsible for the management of two hazardous waste treatment and transfer facilities.

Ian Shearer - Climate & Air Project Officer - ICLEI Europe

Ian Shearer is an experienced energy engineer who is responsible for technical assistance to local governments in the ICLEI European Secretariat. He provides advice to ICLEI's Sustainability NOW and Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Campaigns with technical support to cities for the development of GHG inventories and also offers support for the development and implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Ian had worked for 3 years with ICLEI's CCP councils in New Zealand and prior to that he had 10 years as an energy efficiency and renewable energy consultant. His earlier experience was as an electrical engineer on design and installation of utility systems for industry and thermal and geothermal power stations. Ian is a Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers in New Zealand for services to sustainable energy engineering, and a Life Member of the NZ Wind Energy Association.

Paul Smith - Policy Officer - Scottish Government Onshore Renewables and Heat Team

Paul is a policy Officer for the Scottish Government, with responsibility for bioenergy and hydropower policy in the Onshore Renewables and Heat team. The role involves advising Ministers on key policy decisions and working with a wide range of stakeholders to help facilitate the growth of the biomass and hydro sectors, largely through actions outlined under the Renewables Action Plan. Paul also works with UK Government to influence policy at a national level. He worked in partnership with Forestry Commission Scotland to jointly manage the delivery of the Scottish Biomass Heat Scheme and is involved in the forthcoming review of support for large scale biomass electricity plant under the Renewables Obligation Scotland.

Prior to moving to the policy environment, Paul worked for 5 years in the Energy Consents Team where he managed a case load of applications for large scale generating stations and facilitated the Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS) Subgroup on Planning and Consents.

He also represents the Scottish Government on the FREDS micro-hydro sub-group and recently led on legislative changes to the consents threshold for hydropower schemes.

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