Renewables and Communities - Empowering Communities - Biographies

Nicholas Gubbins, Chief Executive, Community Energy Scotland

Nicholas Gubbins is Chief Executive of Community Energy Scotland, an independent Scottish Charity dedicated to sustainable energy development. Prior to taking up this position, he was Chief Executive of the Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company. Before that he was Head of Community Regeneration at Highlands and Islands Enterprise, leading HIE’s approach to community-based development and social enterprise, through programmes such as the Highlands and Islands Social Enterprise Zone (HISEZ) and Initiative at the Edge. He also set up HIE’s Community Energy Unit in 2002, which, prior to the creation of HICEC, promoted and supported community renewables projects. Originally coming from an environmental background, with degrees in Environmental Sciences, Conservation, and environmental law, he led SNH’s approach to sustainable development in the 1990s before moving to the Highlands.

 

Ann Kirby, Director, Tiree Renewable Energy Limited

Ann has been a director of TREL since 2006 and was instrumental in securing an Enercon E44 Turbine for the Tiree Community Wind Project in 2008. In the last year she has negotiated the terms and conditions to secure funding and the commercial contracts. The project is on target for commissioning in the 4th quarter of 2009.

With Steve Thomson, Ann has also advised on the first community biomass scheme in Scotland and is currently advising several other renewable energy schemes.

Ann is a Chartered Accountant, qualified for over 20 years, and a member of the ICAEW Charity and Voluntary sector special interest group. Previously a Senior Tax and Departmental Manager at KPMG, Ann was also the Group tax manager for the UK subsidiaries of Bank Austria and a member of its Credit Committee with responsibility for reviewing and approving business funding applications.

Donald Lockhart, Development Director, Albyn Housing Society

Donald Lockhart is Development Director with Albyn Housing Society, a housing association based in Invergordon. He leads a Development team with a current annual development budget of £25m for affordable housing projects across the Highlands mainland. He has more than 25 years experience of the voluntary housing movement and has been involved in several award-winning housing projects across the Highlands and has a particular interest in ensuring that affordable housing investment contributes to community and environmental sustainability and the defeat of fuel poverty. Most recently he has been behind the development of one of Scotland's largest bio-mass District Heating projects in North Dalfaber, Aviemore which is part of a large, mixed tenure sustainable housing development.'

Alex Walker, Chair, Ekopia Development Trust

Alex Walker is a consultant working in the fields of sustainability and social enterprise. His main interests are in creating community-based renewable energy and affordable housing projects. He is chairman of the Ekopia development trust, which has raised substantial investment capital for community projects in retailing, ecological accommodation and wind energy, and operates both a local currency scheme and a land trust. He lectures widely in the UK on the prospects for a low carbon economy and the philosophy of sustainability. He is also chairman of Development Trusts Association Scotland, and a director of Findhorn Wind Park Ltd. and HISEZ CIC.