Energy leaders will appear together to address industry

10/03/17 | News release

Two of the UK’s biggest energy providers will now appear together at Scottish Renewables Annual Conference after new speakers were confirmed for the event.

RES and EDF Energy will tell delegates how they think the sector can evolve against a difficult backdrop of economic and political uncertainty.

RES CEO Ivor Catto and Paul Winkle, Scottish Business Development Director at EDF Energy, will look at the challenges around investment in new generation in the current market and also discuss:

  • The impact of the growth of energy storage
  • The challenges posed by an increased demand for electricity for heat and transport
  • Our increasingly ‘smart’ and joined-up energy system.

The event in Edinburgh on March 21-22 will also hear from Lightsource Renewable Energy, the UK’s largest solar power developer, which has faced a series of seismic changes after a period of sustained growth.

Nick Boyle, the company’s visionary CEO, will share the company’s journey, the many innovations that have been required to ensure its continued success and the factors that will ensure growing renewable energy generation and use over coming years.

Also speaking at Scottish Renewables Annual Conference are:

  • BT
  • McKinsey & Company
  • ITM Power
  • Glasgow City Council
  • ScottishPower Renewables
  • Ramboll
  • SP Energy Networks

The UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
The Scottish Conservatives’ Shadow Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, Maurice Golden MSP, Paul Wheelhouse MSP, Scottish Government Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy.


Niall Stuart, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said: “Scotland’s renewable energy sector stands at a crossroads.

“On one hand, we see the potential for continued growth for parts of the sector, built on lower costs and a phased reduction in government support.

“On the other, we see well-established technologies such as onshore wind and solar facing stagnation as a result of sudden and drastic changes to the very support schemes which have made renewables Scotland’s main source of electricity.

“Our Annual Conference will address those challenges and opportunities by asking some of the biggest names in energy generation, distribution and storage to share their insights and experiences.

“It’s never been more important for the renewables industry to reflect on the past while focusing on the future, and that’s just what we’ll be doing in Edinburgh later this month.”

Scottish Renewables Annual Conference is sponsored by EDF Energy Renewables.

The company already has 319MW of onshore wind in Scotland and more than 300MW under construction, 400MW consented and another 700MW in planning or in the early stages of development.

CEO Matthieu Hue, who is speaking in the opening session of day two of the conference, said: “It is our great pleasure to be the headline sponsor of the Scottish Renewables Annual Conference in 2017.

“Scotland has been at the forefront of the energy revolution for many years, and its clear ambitions reinforce that position.

“This is a formidable event for the renewables industry to outline the future and discuss abundant opportunities.

“Scotland is particularly important for us. We are proud of the recent opening of our new office in Edinburgh and our continuous investments.”