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Microgeneration - Biographies
Jennifer Arran - Analyst - Delta Energy & Environment
Jennifer Arran co-developed Delta’s Air Source Heat Pump innovation monitor service where she was responsible for providing insights on key European heat pump markets. With a strong knowledge of research techniques, Jenifer has delivered on a number of different research and consulting assignments across the range of decentralised technologies such as UK market growth potential for the solar PV & ASHP technologies and an analysis of the role of CHP technology in EU 2050 power generation. Prior to joining Delta in June 2010, Jennifer was a business development assistant at IPA, an Edinburgh based energy consultancy. Jennifer has an MSc (Distinction) in Ecological Economics from the University of Edinburgh.
George Goudsmit - Managing Director - AES Ltd
George took over AES Solar in 1990. He has developed the company into a feasible SME that has weathered the lean years of the 90’s and early 2000. At that time the solar thermal started to take off and AES’s longevity serves the company well. The AES thermal technology is constantly increasing in efficiency and AES remains a major player in the industry. George has been on the Board of Directors of the Solar Trade Association since 1992 and he is a co-founder of the prestigious Scottish Renewable Forum. George’s passion for solar means that he is constantly searching for improvements of the AES product and to expand AES’s network of qualified installers and agents. Although export is not a prime goal, some interesting developments are under consideration with a Far Eastern development organisation.
Gaynor graduated with a first class degree in Environmental Science, from the School of Chemistry at Sussex University, in 1989. She spent a further year at Sussex, doing an MSc at the Science Policy Research Unit. She then worked for a brief spell in the water industry, before returning to Sussex University as a Research Fellow, where she worked on the impacts of environmental regulation on innovation in sectors as diverse as agrochemicals and ferrous foundries.
She left Sussex to join the British Wind Energy Association, as Technical and Policy Analyst, in 1995. She became self employed in 1998, specialising in services for renewable energy trade associations. She ran the Landfill Gas Association, which was later renamed the Biogas Association and she co-coordinated CREA an umbrella group of RE trade associations.
Gaynor was involved in the formative stages of the the Association, and became its first executive in the summer of 2001.
Gaynor lives with her husband and two children in Sussex.
Andrew Hillier – Joint Managing Director - Ice Energy Technologies
Andrew Hillier BSc (Hons) MRICS joined IET in January 2003. He is Joint Managing Director with responsibility for finance, business planning and new business development.
Prior to joining IET, Andrew has had a career in property development and consulting, having founded his own property consultancy in 1995. He also co - founded HMH Golf and Leisure, and until 2007, was the controlling shareholder of NSA Solutions, an IT consultancy which was sold to a PLC.
Andrew has a degree in Land Management from Leicester and is a qualified Chartered Surveyor.
Chetan Lad - Head of CERT & Policy - British Gas New Energy
Chetan Lad is currently Head of CERT & Policy for British Gas New Energy, with responsibility for British Gas’s CERT Obligation, and for developing the British Gas policy position in microgeneration and energy efficiency.
Prior to this, Chet worked in the Renewables Business Development team at Centrica Energy sourcing renewable electricity projects and power purchase agreements for British Gas, and has worked in low carbon energy for 7 years.
Chet has worked in the energy industry for over 10 years, beginning his career at Enron.
With nearly 30 years industry experience, initially training with British Gas Charlie has spent the last 20 years with main stream boiler manufacturers. Always looking for better product efficiency and supporting innovative delivery options Charlie headed the one of the U.K’s most successful ‘Heat Lease’ programmes overseeing several thousand heating systems installed in partnership with numerous Local Authority partners across the country. For the last four years Charlie headed up the Low Carbon sales team at one of the UK’s largest heating appliance manufacturers and is an established figure within the industry.
In recent years Charlie has worked closely with industry bodies and influensors such as Micropower Council, EST, and NEA, to ensure that ‘Low Carbon’ technologies are fairly and correctly represented with the ‘Right technology’ being promoted to the ‘Right Application’.
‘We have a duty and moral responsibility to ensure that whichever technology is used it is the most efficient and cost effective option for the end user and the property’. In todays Economic climate the challenge of reducing ‘Fuel Poverty’ and ensuring we deliver a low carbon future is our industries greatest challenge.
At Windhager we feel that Pellet and log boilers can contribute significantly to the Governments ambitious carbon reduction targets and at the same time assist in the delivery ‘Fuel Poverty’ solutions particularly in the retrofit market.
With RHI and alternative funding solutions we are confident that even with the financial challenges Local Government face today we can reduce both our CO2 emissions and fuel poverty.
Colin McNaught - Knowledge Leader - AEA Group
Colin has 20 years experience in the energy field covering economic, technical and policy studies across a wide range of energy technologies and techniques. He leads AEA’s energy consultancy business in Scotland. In this role he is responsible for business development and delivery.
Colin has led a number of high profile studies for public and private sector clients. For the Scottish Government he led a review of energy supply and demand in Scotland, creating the first consistent energy dataset for Scotland for over 10 years.
In 2010 he led an assessment of the role of energy storage to help balance supply and demand in Scotland’s electricity system.
His work includes an assessment of the economic potential for renewable energy on the Isle of Man and developing renewable energy evidence bases for several local authorities.
Colin recently developed the AEA Microgeneration Index, reviewing the impact of the Feed In Tariff across the UK. This includes a web site that shows breakdowns of installed capacity in each local authority area across the UK.
Colin is a Director of the Industrial and Power Association (IPA), a trade association whose mission is to promote the economic development of Scotland’s power sector industries. Colin has a BSc Electronic and Electrical Engineering, he is a Chartered Engineer, C Eng, MIET.
Linda McPhillie - Chief Executive - Construction Licensing Executive
Linda McPhillie is Chief Executive of Construction Licensing Executive, a Scottish based charity which promotes higher standards in construction and assists property owners to source reputable traders in the construction sector.
Linda has held this position since April 2009, during which time she has worked closely with industry bodies in Scotland to develop a Scottish based MCS certification body, and has taken CLE through the UKAS accreditation process.
Prior to this, Linda held a number of senior management posts in a variety of not-for-profit companies, delivering business and project development objectives, and previously worked in private sector consultancy concerned with economic development matters.
Vincenzo Ortisi - Senior Design Engineer - Pure Energy® Centre
Senior Engineer at Pure Energy® Centre and Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Associate at Lews Caste College. He has expertise on Hydrogen and Fuel Cell technologies. Currently he is the responsible for the integration of Fuel Cell solution into wider energy system and applications. V. Ortisi is project manager for Fuel Cell application development: he has successful developed of a CHP Fuel Cell for the Scottish Government and is under development of a (FCCCHP) Fuel cell combined cooling heat and power. Moreover he is responsible of the continue development and delivery of the Control and Monitoring services. He is involved in a strong R&D activities and development and improvement of Fuel Cell technologies: like CHP system, automotive transport and stationary power. His working experience is based on several Fuel Cell technologies as DMFC, PEM and SOFC fuel cells. He is author of Patent on electronic circuit for managing Fuel Cell System.
Gideon Richards - Chief Executive Officer - Consulting with Purpose Ltd
Gideon Richards has consulted across a wide range of industry sectors, for both large and small organisations as a change management, business development and environmental management consultant. Over the last 5 years Gideon has spent an increasing amount of time working with clients on biomass related projects such as assessing the financial viability of major projects, resource identification and fuel supply chain development, quality assurance and standards work.
Gideon sits on a number of UK and European technical committees for the development of standards for Solid Fuels and Solid Recovered fuels. He is currently the chair of the BSI's Technical Committee for Solid Biofuels and Solid Recovered Fuel Standards and will soon be involved with the start up of the CEN/ISO TC238 Solid Biofuels Standards and the Biofuels Sustainability Standards.
Gideon was the first Chair of the Steering Group for the UK’s Microgeneration Certification Scheme and has recently been appointed Interim CEO of the MCS.
David Sharman - Managing Director - Ampair
David Sharman is managing director of the UK wind turbine manufacturer Ampair. He serves on a number of small wind turbine committees including the international IEC and IEA committees; the USA NEC committee; and the UK committees of the MCS and the BWEA. He is a systems engineer with a BEng (Hons) from RNEC Manadon and an MSc from MIT. Prior to Ampair he was an officer in the Royal Navy, and an operations and project manager in Shell. He has lived and worked in many countries around the world including several years in Latin America.
Reza Shaybani - Managing Director - System Photonics
Reza Shaybani is a Serial entrepreneur with 20 years of experience in managing technology-focused companies in the optical disc manufacturing equipment and semiconductor industries in Europe and Middle East. For the past 5 years Reza has been involved in the solar PV industry as the Managing Director of Scheuten Solar Middle East and Solar Technology Centre in the UAE, founder of Solarjobs.com a global job board in the solar industry, Managing Director of System Photonics and Director of The Electric Roof Company in the UK.
In 2010, Reza and a group of companies with interest in the UK solar PV market (the founding members) formed the British Photovoltaic Association, the only trade association dedicated to solar PV. The BPVA has become the fastest growing trade association in the UK reaching over 160 members since launch in September 2010.
Dave Sowden - Managing Director - The Micropower Council
Dave Sowden is an experienced director in regulatory and public affairs with over two decades of experience in the energy industry and an outstanding track record in obtaining changes in UK and EU legislation and regulation. He is a sustainable energy expert and has had a pivotal role across a number of years in shaping key aspects of UK energy policy, especially in the energy efficiency, heating, and microgeneration sectors. He founded the Micropower Council (for which he is still Chief Executive), and Micropower Europe (for which he is Secretary General), industry bodies that bring together utilities, manufacturers, retailers, installers and trade associations with the aim of promoting microgeneration technologies, and which have been the driving force behind significant changes in the law, government policies and regulation to further the interests of the microgeneration sector in the UK and in Europe. His successful specialist consultancy business has offices in both the UK and in Brussels and provides highly tailored strategy, policy and regulatory advice to a wide range of blue chip companies and SMEs in the sustainable energy sector, helping them to understand and shape the alignment between their commercial interests and the regulatory framework. He also founded and is the non-executive Chairman of Clean Energy Cashback Ltd, a consumer-facing web-based advice business for consumers’ interested installing microgeneration.
