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Delivering a better BESS future Teresa Casacchia, Head of Storage EMEA and APAC, BayWa r.e. discusses how BESS can help establish a new era of energy resilience, and why BESS are arguably the backbone of the energy transition. She also outlines how to address the challenges of BESS, including grid access and fair tariffs, safety standards and market integration, plus policy alignment. 0:00 / 0:00

Recent Interviews

Delivering a better BESS future Teresa Casacchia, Head of Storage EMEA and APAC, BayWa r.e. discusses how BESS can help establish a new era of energy resilience, and why BESS are arguably the backbone of the energy transition. She also outlines how to address the challenges of BESS, including grid access and fair tariffs, safety standards and market integration, plus policy alignment.

AI and digitalisation power the next phase of clean energy transition Fergal Burke, Chief Revenue Officer of Siemens Grid Software, discusses the results of the Siemens Infrastructure Transition Monitor 2025, which reveals that outdated grid infrastructure poses a serious threat to the clean energy transition. Fergal explains that, by harnessing digital technologies to move towards autonomous grids, it is possible to boost grid capacity, ensuring its reliability and resilience. To that end, regulation must also keep pace with digitalization and innovation - ensuring that energy systems are equipped to meet the demands of a clean energy future.

Waste heat from data centres could heat over 3.5 million UK homes Simon Kerr, head of heat networks at EnergiRaven, discusses the recent analysis from EnergiRaven and Viegand Maagøe finds that projected growth in data centres will produce enough waste heat to warm millions of homes in the UK by 2035 – if the infrastructure is in place to take advantage of it. Simon goes on to explain how the UK risks missing out on a major source of low-cost home heating if it fails to invest in the Heat Highways needed to capture waste heat from the next generation of data centres.

Financing a sustainable, digital future Heiko Ludwig, Global Head of Structure Finance at NORD/LB, discusses the findings of the company’s recent report, ‘Power Struggle: Meeting the challenge of financing data centres and the energy transition’, that shows Europe needs a stronger capital market to plug the global $41.7 trillion data centre and net-zero funding gap. Heiko explains how Europe’s fragmented capital market and underdeveloped ABS programmes are limiting access to the funds needed to meet soaring digital and renewable energy demand by 2030, before suggesting ways in which this finding gap can be addressed: the creation of a unified Capital Markets Union to accelerate capital deployment development of ABS programmes to recycle capital and broaden the investor base and greater coordination between the data centre and energy worlds to optimise grid connections, co-financing structures and to ensure grid stability.

Powering sustainable data centre growth Rollo Maschietto, Policy Manager, Renewable Energy Association (REA), discusses the ways in which the data centre and energy sectors can work together to ensure delivery of the clean, reliable, and scalable power required to underpin the rapid expansion of the UK’s digital infrastructure. He warns that, without fast, coordinated government action, planned investment will flow to overseas markets with clearer delivery pathways. Which is why the REA has launched the Data Centre Coalition – to bring together operators, developers, energy providers and policymakers to shape the UK’s approach to powering data centre and AI growth with clean, reliable energy.

nLighten sets new sustainability benchmark Francesco Marasco, VP Energy Operations and Sustainability, nLighten, explains why the European data centre provider has published the first ICFEn (Integrated Carbon-Free Energy) scores for its facilities, marking a significant milestone in data centre sustainability measurement. The innovative scoring methodology goes beyond traditional industry standards by capturing hourly carbon-free energy matching, heat recovery, and contributions to grid stability. Developed in collaboration with the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM), the ICFEn framework represents a fundamental shift in how data centres measure and report their environmental impact. Unlike conventional metrics that rely on annual averages or focus solely on electricity consumption, ICFEn provides real-time transparency on how facilities contribute to decarbonisation through energy reuse and sector coupling.

£15 billion green data centre network planned for Scotland’s central belt Mark Wilson, CEO of ILI Group, discusses the ILI Group’s plans for three new hyperscale data centres across Scotland, creating what it calls The Stoics – a £15 billion Green Digital Network spanning the central belt. The projects, named after Stoic philosophers, are located in Fife (Cato), East Ayrshire (Rufus), and North Lanarkshire (Aurelius). The Stoics will stand among the largest hyperscale data centre clusters globally - more than double the size of many of today’s biggest recognised campuses.

Assessing the state of the energy industry Rebecca Scottorn, Partner at L.E.K. Consulting and part of the global Industrials Practice, discusses the company’s recent ‘State of the Energy Industry’ report, providing valuable insights into a range of topics, including decarbonisation and sustainability, grid modernisation, renewables, behind-the-meter gas solutions, and the impact of AI - as part of the overall energy transition landscape.

Innovation strategies for solar PV system optimisation Will White, Fluke Senior Application Specialist, DER, shares a range of valuable insights as to some of the most common issues encountered with solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and how these can be mitigated. Predictive maintenance and AI-enabled data monitoring and analytics innovation feature as key approaches to optimising both solar PV systems and the associated battery storage infrastructure. Topics covered include safety risks, fibre optics and communications, system reliability and a look at the solar energy roadmap.

Panels, planning and problem-solving – key to solar success David Mack, Everblue, shares comprehensive, thoughtful insights into the solar farm industry, based on the knowledge he has gained developing Everblue Solar into perhaps the most successful solar asset cleaning business in Europe - specialising in optimising the long-term performance of utility-scale solar plants. Mark addresses planning and land management, agrivoltaics and shared land use, solar fences, and issues around panel cleaning, before sharing is thoughts as to what more the industry needs to do to ensure true optimisation of the renewable solar energy lifecycle.

Solar science promises renewable success Chris Hewett, Chief Executive of Solar Energy UK, discusses many of the opportunities and challenges facing the UK’s solar industry as it seeks to meet the objective of 45-47GW of solar installed by 2030.

Dispatchable power redefines the data centre energy conversation Ben Pritchard, AVK CEO, discusses the findings of a joint Wartsila and AVK-SEG white paper: Data centre dispatchable capacity: a major opportunity for Europe’s energy transition, which provides new analysis on how data centre microgrids can reduce grid infrastructure spending, emissions and wasted energy, while providing a balanced path for the energy transition. The analysis finds that powering the data centres across Europe by optimised microgrids could create a significant bank of dispatchable power, supporting the entire continent’s energy transition.

BayWa r.e. secures planning consent for its largest European battery energy storage project Gemma Hamilton, Head of Development Strategy and Origination at BayWa r.e. UK, discusses the recent announcement that the company has received Section 36 planning consent for its flagship 500 MW Redshaw Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Being its largest BESS project to date, this marks a major milestone for the company, as well as for the UK, contributing to the Government’s Clean Power Action Plan in the journey towards a greener and more resilient energy future. Gemma talks through the project to date, the benefits it will deliver over time and also shares her thoughts on the current state of the renewable energy sector.

Building a sustainable solar lifecycle: From design to recycling Pia Alina Lange, EU Public Affairs & Policy Director at Trinasolar, explains how, for solar PV and energy storage to reach their full potential, sustainability must be embedded throughout the entire product lifecycle - from design and manufacturing to installation, use, and decommissioning. Combined with ongoing technological advances in terms of module efficiency and capability, this will help unlock the full potential of solar power and enable this energy source to be the driving force of the net zero transition.

Can we power AI-driven data centres without derailing Net Zero progress? Javier Cavada, President & CEO EMEA, Mitsubishi Power, discusses the many energy-related challenges facing the data centre industry as it tries to address the apparently contradictory demands of AI and the wider digital world at the same time as it continues on the path to Net Zero. He shares some brilliant insights as to the nature and the scale of the power problem and how these challenges can be addressed with technology, not ideology, as the priority.

Powering up the future of the UK solar sector Professor Michael Walls, Loughborough University, Project Leader of The Sustainable Solar Energy Systems (SES) Network Plus, explains how the project will develop an industrially facing, practical coalition for skills and workforce development, enabling widespread solar implementation and ultimately net-zero in the UK. The emphasis is very much on both a continuation of the device expertise and innovation already present in the UK, alongside developing the new skills, technologies and collaboration required to help the solar industry meet the likely fivefold expansion of this power source as part of the Government’s renewable energy focus.

Powering a cleaner future thanks to Private Wire renewables Alexander Goodall, Founder & CEO at Xela Energy, talks through the company’s rebrand from Clean Energy Capital to Xela Energy, an Enterprise Independent Power Producer (EIPP) and a leading UK provider of Private Wire renewable energy solutions. With growing customer adoption and a host of new sites in development, the decision reflects the next stage in the company’s evolution, and its mission to provide the world’s largest electricity consumers, including from IBM’s research and development data centre complex in Hursley, with secure, sustainable, and cost-effective renewable power.

Raising the roof on solar's future Dr KT Tan, Chief Technical Officer, Viridian Solar, discusses a range of solar industry issues, offering valuable insights on building integrated photovoltaics, skills and research and sustainability. He also covers various industry initiatives and legislative issues, such as the Future Homes Standards, the Microgeneration Certificate Scheme and its alignment with Trustmark and, as the Chair of the BSI Solar PV Committee, gives his thoughts as to the potential of Plug-In Solar and how legislation might impact this opportunity.

Crescendo increases power density possibilities Eric Pittana, Senior Director of Global Marketing and EMEA Sales for Empower Semiconductor, discusses the forthcoming OCP EMEA Summit, which serves as a platform where global technical leaders tackle the issues related to data centre sustainability, energy efficiency and heat reuse in the region, offering valuable insights as to how the sector is responding to both the need for more compute power and sustainability objectives. Eric also explains that Empower will be showing the latest advancements to its Crescendo vertical power delivery solution - the platform is now complete, so at OCP EMEA the company will show the full chipset and provide demos of a) thermal performance and b) transient response.

Sustainability driving change in the semiconductor industry Jim Straus, Vice President of Sales, ACM Research, explains that, as the semiconductor industry continues to play a pivotal role in powering the digital revolution, it is imperative that stakeholders prioritise sustainability to mitigate environmental impacts. Overall, sustainability is becoming a driving force in the semiconductor industry, with companies such as ACM Research actively pursuing eco-friendly practices and solutions to reduce their carbon footprint.

Successful strategies for developing sustainable, data centres for the AI era Mark Yeeles, Schneider Electric’s Vice President, Secure Power Division, UK and Ireland, discusses the challenges and opportunities for the data centre industry as AI and data fuel a new industrial revolution, explaining that this not only means finding ways to decouple AI data centre growth from energy consumption but further emphasises the need for greater efficiency and sustainability within data centre design and buildouts. Mark says that, to achieve a greener future powered by AI, the industry not only accelerate the build-out of digital infrastructure and renewable energy developments, but harness the power of the ecosystem to ensure it is done so as sustainably as possible.

Improving the renewable energy efficiency and optimisation Ivan Llaurado, Chief Revenue Officer at Diamfab, explains how the new collaboration MoWiLife is uniting 10 leading science and industry organizations including Diamfab, synthetic diamond semiconductor wafer producer. The EU-backed project explores the use of power electronics and third generation semiconductors to improve the efficiency and optimization of renewable energy. Its objective is a sustainable, secure, resilient and affordable energy supply for Europe.

Seawater cooling delivers a sustainable Start Omer Wilson, Chief Marketing Officer, Start Campus, outlines the company’s plans to develop a 1.2GW data centre campus in Sines, Portugal – an €8.5bn AI infrastructure-focused investment, the project runs on 100% renewable energy, targeting a best-in-class PUE of 1.1 and WUE of 0 by harnessing ocean cooling. Omer explains why Portugal is an increasingly attractive destination for data centres, what Start Campus is doing for the local community in SINES and how its sustainability focus is one of several differentiators when it comes to data centres in Europe and beyond.

Developing the most sustainable, scalable and resilient data centres Gareth Williams, Director, UK, India, Middle East, and Africa Data Centres and Technology Leader, Arup, outlines a “good neighbour” approach to data centre development – one that integrates community needs, environmental stewardship, and technological innovation to create projects that benefit all. He covers nature and biodiversity, decarbonisation – what net zero really means, repurposing assets, ‘one water’ – SuDS, green roofs, rainwater harvesting, wetlands and ponds and (renewable and alternative) energy options.

The Iberian Peninsula provisions truly global, digital connectivity Theresa Bobis, Regional Director Southern Europe at DE-CIX, explains where once the choice of data centre locations was limited to historically strategic centres, new hubs offer economic and geographical advantages. Theresa outlines the many compelling reasons why companies should re-assess their location strategies and why the Iberian Peninsula in particular offers many compelling benefits for data centre owners, operators and their customers, including great local, regional and global connectivity, a thriving, dynamic digital business environment and a plentiful supply of renewable energy.

A positive perspective on the data centre power challenge Barny Evans, Director of Sustainability and ESG at Turley, explains how the data centre industry can sustainably navigate the energy demands of the AI revolution, discussing innovative approaches to powering data centres, such as microgrid implementation, demand flexibility, co-location strategies, and the integration of renewable energy sources in mixed-use developments.

Microgrids offer a new dawn for the sustainable power solutions sector Ben Pritchard, CEO of AVK, a fast-growing supplier of innovative and sustainable power solutions for data centres and energy-intensive organisations both here and in Europe, discusses how the data centre industry can drive forward the sustainable power agenda by focusing on the development of microgrids, alongside existing efforts on renewables and decarbonisation more generally. The digital infrastructure industry has the opportunity to become a genuine sustainability enabler in the world of digital power solutions.

Solar irradiation trends, satellite solar data and advanced modelling tools Marcel Suri, Solargis CEO & Co-founder, discusses the importance of long-term data analysis of solar irradiance as it helps solar energy providers to understand the likely impact of extreme and variable weather due to climate change - explaining why more granular, accurate and reliable datasets and grid integration matter in this context.