Low-Carbon Heat Conference 2022 Speakers

Matthew Black

Sales and Business Development Scotland, Kensa Contracting

Matthew is a passionate and knowledgeable energy professional who has over twelve years’ experience working in the renewable energy and low carbon heat sectors. Matthew is the Business Development Manager in Scotland for The Kensa Group. Kensa deliver shared ground loop array heating systems to social housing which offer a long term sustainable solution to the climate emergency and fuel poverty by providing low cost, low carbon warmth to Scotland's communities.

In Scotland, global climate emergency action will require unprecedented change in how we heat our homes. The challenge and opportunity for social housing is exciting and promising. We have the resources and the solutions to deliver legacy heating projects that achieve real and tangible sustainable economic, environmental and social impacts in Scotland's communities.

Emma Church

Impact Manager, Built Environment – Smarter Transformation

Emma is an Impact Manager at Built Environment – Smarter Transformation responsible for delivering outcomes within the Sustainability Programme, encompassing embodied and operational carbon reduction targets. Emma has a particular focus on energy and heat as priority areas, driving the construction and built environment sectors towards net zero. Emma leads on HeatSource a newly launched project that BE-ST are delivering on behalf of Scotland’s enterprise agencies, a cluster to support Scotland’s low carbon heat sector.

Lars Fabricius

Managing Director, SAV Systems

Lars who is originally Danish but grew up and lives in the United Kingdom has been working within the green energy sector for almost 30 years. Drawing upon the Danish experience and knowledge within energy savings and energy efficiency as a consequence of the Oil Crisis’ in the 1970’s. Lars has played an important part in introducing heat networks to the UK.

In 2020 Lars received HRH Crown Prince Frederik International Business Award for Business Excellence, awarded to companies abroad who present an outstanding effort in promoting sustainable Danish products, services and values worldwide.

Executive, The East Asiatic Company 1977 – 1990. Managing Director SAV Systems since 1993.
MBA Adelphi University, Long Island, USA (1986)
MSc Sloan Master, London Business School (1991)

Patrick Harvie MSP

Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights

Patrick Harvie spent his childhood in Dumbarton, and attended Dumbarton Academy followed by Manchester Metropolitan University.

Before becoming an MSP he worked for a sexual health charity as an LGBT youth worker in Glasgow, and was involved in the campaign to repeal Section 28 during the Scottish Parliament's first session.

Patrick was elected as an MSP for the Glasgow region in 2003, has served as Convenor of the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee during session 3, and as Co-Leader or Co-Convenor of the Scottish Green Party since 2008. He was appointed Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights in August 2021.

Sarah-Jane McArthur

Partner, Brodies LLP Solicitors

Sarah-Jane is an energy and projects lawyer with diverse experience across several sectors. In the energy sector, Sarah-Jane’s primary focus is on renewables and she has contributed to the successful delivery of many projects. Her experience includes advising developers, sponsors and lenders on a range of renewables projects including; windfarms (both on and offshore), hydro schemes, energy from waste and tidal technologies.

Sarah-Jane’s renewables expertise spans drafting and negotiating various contracts crucial for project development, including grid connection documents, construction and supply agreements and power purchase agreements. She also manages due diligence for project finance transactions and advises on the sale and purchase of development and operating assets. Sarah-Jane has supported developers and investors on renewables support mechanisms including applications for CfD.

Helen Melone

Senior Policy Manager - Heat, Hydrogen & Solar, Scottish Renewables

Helen Melone is Senior Policy Manager - Heat and Small-Scale Renewables at Scottish Renewables, covering all aspects of heat and hydrogen policy. Her work involves managing and supporting the development of Scottish Renewables’ policy positions, which aim to create the conditions for the sustainable growth of Scotland’s renewable energy industry and communicating these effectively to key policy and regulatory decision makers.

Helen has worked in policy for over 6 years and was previously a policy and research officer with Energy Action Scotland, specialising in fuel poverty legislation and fuel poverty research.

Charlotte Owen

Principal Energy Policy Adviser, Danish Embassy in London

Charlotte leads on the Danish Embassy’s heat, heat networks and energy efficiency policy work in the UK, as part of the Energy Governance Partnership (EGP). The EGP operates in countries around the world, supporting the global green transition, by sharing knowledge and expertise from Denmark. Charlotte provides no cost, no strings advice, expertise and knowledge to the government and other key decision makers and leaders.

Prior to joining the Danish Embassy, Charlotte led Water UK’s policy work on drinking water and resilience, and was Policy Manager at the Association for Decentralised Energy, where she led their heat networks programme. Charlotte has advised on the Heat Networks Market Framework in England and Wales, and the Heat Networks (Scotland) Act, and helped move forward the discussion on heat networks zoning in the UK

Stewart Reid

Head of Future Networks, Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN)

Stewart has worked in the electricity industry since 1983 and has been involved in managing electricity networks across the UK, in a range of roles including: operations management, planning, policy, project management and asset management in the fields of IT and Power Engineering.

He is a Fellow of the IET and a Chartered Engineer.

He is now the Head of Future Networks, within SSEN with the remit of adapting the business to deal with the challenges of de-carbonisation and introducing better ways of managing the electricity network, translating these new ideas into business as usual and managing the transition to Distribution System Operator (DSO) in a Digitised world.

Key elements of Stewart’s current role include the development and deployment of new technical and market based solutions utilising the principles of flexibility as an alternative to traditional asset based network development. He is currently involved in the creation of SSENs RIIO ED2 Submission.

Fergus Tickell

System Transformation & Business Development Lead, SGN Energy Futures

Fergus is System Transformation and Business Development Lead for the SGN Energy Futures Team with responsibility for developing SGN’s role in the use of hydrogen to decarbonise pipe networks for domestic, industrial and commercial customers. He is an ecologist by training with over 25 years’ experience in renewable energy project development and consultancy, sustainable development and land use. Experience includes feasibility studies in the emerging hydrogen economy across a range of scales and uses, the development of renewable energy projects across a range of technologies, the integration of renewables projects into industrial facilities and local energy planning.

Morag Watson

Director of Policy, Scottish Renewables

Morag is Scottish Renewables’ Director of Policy. Her work involves overseeing Scottish Renewables’ policy function and key projects within Scotland’s leading renewables trade body, working on behalf of 280+ organisations to grow Scotland’s renewable energy sector and sustain its position at the forefront of the global clean energy industry.

Morag has worked in policy for over 18 years and was previously a Senior Policy Officer with WWF Scotland, specialising in climate change, sustainable development and behaviour change.

Dr Roddy Yarr

Executive Lead Sustainability, University of Strathclyde

Roddy Yarr is Executive Lead for Sustainability at the University of Strathclyde. Roddy is a sustainability expert who is responsible for the development and delivery of climate change and social responsibility initiatives that address the University’s response to net zero and sustainability issues across all of its operational assets in west central Scotland.

Roddy leads the Sustainable Strathclyde team which is delivering the University’s Climate Change and Social Responsibility Plan and net zero targets. Roddy successfully led the delivery of the £20M District Heating project at the main campus. He developed the design and funding programme that has enabled the delivery of the University’s first energy carbon neutral building in operation at the new National Manufacturing Institute Scotland.

Roddy has also developed an innovative, bold and collaborative ‘Climate Neutral Districts’ vision deploying 100% renewable heat, power, active travel, adaptation and well being solutions across all University assets in the central belt of Scotland. The vision takes a partnership approach to enable ‘scale and speed’ of climate action in Glasgow and region, with people at the centre.