Onshore wind - Biographies

Thomas Boehme - Senior Engineer, DNV

Thomas Boehme has twelve years of practical experience in electrical engineering. He has worked as an electronics engineer for Hewlett Packard/Agilent Technologies for five years. He then took on the position of Head of Service for Nordex’ wind farms in the P.R. China. The work included organisation of erection, service and repair of wind turbines across the country as well as planning and building of turn-key wind parks, for instance 12 x 1.3 MW.

He has a strong background in renewable energy resources - in particular onshore and offshore wind, waves and tidal currents - and their conversion into electricity. He wrote his doctoral thesis on ‘matching renewable energy generation with demand in Scotland’ before joining DNV. In his current position within Det Norske Veritas, Thomas audits onshore and offshore wind farms as well as CHP and CCGT gas power plants, provides technical advice on and develops guidelines for renewable energy projects such as offshore wind farms and test centres.

He also investigates incidents and accidents, e.g. fires and explosions or wind turbine damages, performs FMEA/FMECA analyses on existing or planned equipment and assesses management systems. Thomas is interested in power systems and large-scale energy storage concepts such as compressed air energy storage (CAES).

Thomas has a good understanding of different cultures with working experience in Germany, the P.R. China, the United Kingdom, the United States, Norway and Denmark. He speaks English, German, French, Spanish and Mandarin.

Neil Collar - Partner and Head of Planning Law, Brodies LLP

Neil Collar is Partner and Head of Planning Law at Brodies LLP, the Scotland Law Firm of the Year (Who's Who Legal Awards 2009). He is a Legal Associate of the Royal Town Planning Institute and is accredited as a specialist in planning law by the Law Society of Scotland. Readers of the Royal Town Planning Institute’s “Planning” Magazine voted Neil the top planning solicitor in Scotland. His book “Planning” is used on a regular basis by planners and lawyers, and the 3rd edition, which addresses recent planning reform, is to be published in June 2010.

Neil has wide experience of renewable energy development, including radar and aviation issues, formulation of local plan policy and supplementary guidance, environmental impact assessment, negotiation of planning and roads agreements, and public inquiries. He is a member of the Scottish Renewables Forum planning group, and was active in their responses to the planning reform proposals.

Julian De Voy - Technical Manager, Transportation (Bridges and Structures) Grontmij

Julian leads the Bridges and Civil Structures team at Grontmij Solihull. He is responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day line and financial management of the team. Relevant projects he has worked on since joining Grontmij include various wind farm infrastructure support contracts including Project Managing the design of the 60 turbine Arecleoch wind farm in South Ayrshire, and Assistant Project Manager for the central section of the 152 turbine Clyde wind farm in South Lanarkshire.

Julian is a member of the editorial panel for the Institution on Civil Engineers’ journal Bridge Engineering and is also a Reviewer for the ICE’s professional examination.

Publications:

DE VOY, J; WILLIAMS, J M. Strengthening Coalport Bridge, Structural Engineering International, IABSE, Vol. 17, Nr. 2, 2007, pg. 178-183.
Iron and Steel Bridges: Condition appraisal and remedial treatment, Chapter 6, CIRIA C664, CIRIA, 2008.

Gemma Grimes - Planning Advisor, RenewableUK

As RenewableUK's Planning Advisor 2007-2010, Gemma led on the industry's response to the Planning White Paper 2007 and the industry's input to the Planning Bill 2008, before co-coordinating the association's response to public consultation on National Policy Statements for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.

Jenny Hogan - Director of Policy, Scottish Renewables

Jenny is Director of Policy at Scottish Renewables, the voice of Scotland’s renewable energy industry, representing almost 300 member organisations. She manages the four Policy Team staff in influencing the legislative, regulatory and financial framework to deliver the best possible conditions for the growth of the renewables industry. She is also directly responsible for Scottish Renewables’ offshore wind activities.

Jenny is a member of the Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS) sub-group on offshore wind (Offshore Wind Industry Group) and the Scottish Government’s Marine Strategy Forum.

Jenny has worked in renewable energy and sustainable development since 2004. After graduating with a degree in Marketing, Jenny worked in media advertising for two years before joining Scottish Renewables as Membership Officer initially, then Development Officer (Marine and Bioenergy). Jenny broadened her policy, research and communications work as Policy Development Manager at sustainable development charity, Forward Scotland, in 2007 before returning to Scottish Renewables in 2008 to head up all wind energy work before taking on her current role in 2010.

Ray was recently appointed to the new position of marine energies manager at RES, one of the world’s leading renewable energy developers.

Ray has been with RES for 10 years previously occupying strategic technology and project development roles.

He built RES’s Scottish development team and was personally responsible for consents for five wind farms that are, or shortly will be, gracing the Scottish skyline

Before joining RES, Ray headed the renewable energy team at the National Engineering Laboratory in East Kilbride. He carried out pioneering work on wave energy in the early 1980s, helped establish the UK's National Wind Turbine Centre in the mid 1980s and played a leading role in the UK's first demonstration of marine current energy conversion in the early 1990s.

Ray is a director of Scottish Renewables, a director of the Industrial and Power Association and a past Chairman of the Scottish Branch of the British Wind Energy Association.

He chairs Scottish Renewable’s Public Engagement Working Group.

Andrew Jamieson – ScottishPower Renewables

Since joining ScottishPower in 1988, Andrew has held key roles in engineering, marketing and financial planning. From 1997 to 2004 Andrew led ScottishPower’s Investor Relations department, communicating with institutional shareholders and analysts around the globe. In 2004 he moved to ScottishPower Renewables where he is responsible for energy policy and regulation. Andrew is active in the UK’s renewable energy trade associations, being Chairman of ScottishRenewables and a board member of RenewableUK, formerly the British Wind Energy Association. In 2009 he accepted an invitation from the First Minister to join the newly established Energy Advisory Board.

Dr Neil Johnson - Head of Renewables, Health and Safety Executive

Joined HSE in 1977 as H M Inspector of Factories in Sheffield

Promoted to team leader 1998 Nottingham

Head of Chemicals and Gas Northern Unit 1998

Head of Gas, Pipelines and Explosives Unit 2000 to 2003 Introduced mains replacement programme

Head of Operations Yorkshire and North East 2003 to 2005

Major Hazard Strategic Programme 2005 to 2007

Head of Unit 3 Chemicals Division East and South 2007 to 2010

Emerging Energy technology Programme Head of Renewables work stream Jan 2010

Scott MacKenzie - Associate Director Asset Management, Natural Power

Scott Mackenzie is the Director of Natural Power’s Asset Management business. He has an honors degree in electrical engineering and has previously worked in engineering design, project management and maintenance management within the chemical and nuclear sectors before joining natural power to head up their due diligence function in 2004. The Natural Power group are a leading international renewable energy consultancy and service provider. Their Asset Management business provides operational management services on 25 wind farms throughout the UK for a variety of clients ranging from large utilities to small independent power producers.

Graham Marchbank - Principal Planner, The Scottish Government, Built Environment Directorate

Graham Marchbank is a Chartered Town Planner at the Scottish Government's Directorate for the Built Environment in Edinburgh where he has worked for the last 20 years, prior to 11 years in local government in SE England. He works on a package of measures on planning for sustainable development, climate change, minerals, waste management and energy including renewables. He is currently absorbed on a range of issues associated with public engagement on the roll-out of microgeneration permitted development rights and works closely with energy policy colleagues, politicians, environment agencies and planning authorities on policy, advice and good practice.

Brendan Turvey - Policy and Advice Manager, SNH

Brendan joined SNH in April 2007 and is engaged in renewable energy matters across the organisation. His focus is on onshore wind, but Brendan also works on hydro, offshore wind and marine renewables. Brendan leads on policy development, stakeholder engagement and our liaison with the renewables industry. Brendan manages a team of 5 staff who work on both policy, guidance and renewables casework.

Prior to joining SNH, Brendan worked for the Business Environment Partnership, providing advice to SMEs across Scotland on Sustainable Development and, latterly, on the installation of small scale renewable energy technologies. Before BEP, Brendan worked for Enviros Aspinwall, mainly on windfarm EIA, including supporting LVIA, noise assessments, ecology and transport appraisals.

Douglas Walker - Cyberhawk Innovations

After serving in the armed forces Douglas spent 10 years with the Fire and rescue service achieving the rank of Crew Manager.

Douglas has gained the highest level of Risk assessment and health and safety management training available.

Douglas also pursued a career in the oil industry gaining extensive experience of Non-Destructive testing and the use of rope access techniques.

Prior to forming Cyberhawk Innovations Douglas has been providing fire safety solutions and inspection of structural fire fighting systems to a number of major oil and gas operators.