Power Plant 2.0: Electrify in harmony with nature

Experienced editor, journalist, writer focused on climate change, the clean energy transition, farming, biodiversity, sustainable development and sustainable finance. Formerly Environment Editor at the New Statesman. Bylines in Financial Times, New Scientist, Prospect magazine

Humberto Delgado Rosa is the Director for Biodiversity, DG Environment, European Commission. Previously he was Director for Mainstreaming Adaptation and Low Carbon Technology in DG Climate Action. He is experienced in European and international environmental policy, particularly in biodiversity and climate change issues. He served as Secretary of State for the Environment of the Portuguese Government from March 2005 to June 2011. Between 1995 and 2002 he was an advisor for environmental matters to the Prime-Minister of Portugal. He holds a PhD in Evolutionary Biology.

Tina Seršen was born in 1981 in Maribor.  She holds a master’s degree in Science of International Relations.

She started her professional career in 2006 at the Ministry of the Economy, where she was professionally involved in working with European policies in the field of energy. In 2008 she coordinated activities in this field during Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU. In the years 2009 and 2011/2012, she also temporarily performed the tasks of energy attaché at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Slovenia to the EU in Brussels.

As an official, she gained extensive experience in the field of legislative and political files at the EU level, international and multilateral relations. In addition to this she was actively participating in special projects, such as the candidacy and establishment of the headquarters of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) in Slovenia, international arbitration of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant (NEK), European projects of structural reforms in the field of energy and in the comitology committees of the European Commission.

In 2017, she took over the leadership of the sector for legal and international energy affairs at the Ministry of Infrastructure. During this time she hold an important role in creating important strategic documents such as the National Energy Climate Plan (NEPN), the strategy for coal exit and the process of revising domestic energy legislation. In 2021, she coordinated the activities of the Energy Directorate during Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU.

Noor provides strategic leadership and furthers The Nature Conservancy’s work through engagement with policymakers and institutions in Europe. Her team focuses on policies and funding initiatives that provide conservation opportunities and impact TNC’s global mission to conserve the lands and waters upon which all life depends.

TNC recognises the world-leading, environmental policy leadership of the European Union and European governments and wants to support the institutions to promote best-practice policies around the world.

Jutta Paulus is a Member of the European Parliament in the Greens/EFA Group since 2019. She is a studied pharmacy and was an entrepreneur as co-founder of a laboratory for indoor pollutants and ecotoxicology before she started her career in politics. MEP Paulus is valued across party lines for her expertise in the areas of nature, climate and environmental protection. Politico Europe named her one of Europe's most important politicians for the EU Green Deal in 2023. Most recently, she played a key role in getting the EU Nature Restoration Law and the EU Methane Regulation adopted in the European Parliament.

Mission: Electrify everything (that can be electrified) with renewable energy.

#RenewablesNow           

#3xRenewables

Bruce Douglas has 25 years’ international experience in the promotion of renewable energy and electrification. He is currently CEO of the Global Renewables Alliance - the  single voice for wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, long duration energy storage and green hydrogen industries at an international level.

Previously he has held the following positions: Director of Communications and Business at Eurelectric, Deputy CEO of SolarPower Europe, Coordinator of the RE-Source Platform, Founding Chairman of the Global Solar Council (GSC), Chief Operating Officer at WindEurope, Founding Secretary General of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and Managing Director of FLiDAR, an offshore wind company.

He has also held the following non-executive positions:

• Member of RE100 Advisory committee
• Member of EnergyTag Advisory Committtee
• Chairman, IRENA Business and Investor Group
• Member of IEA Renewable Industry Advisory Board
• Expert-Member of the EU-GCC Clean Energy Network
• Member of the Clean Energy Ministerial Multilateral Solar and Wind Working Group
• Member of the Intersolar Europe Conference Committee

He has a Master degree in renewable energy systems technology and is fluent in English and French.

Kristian Ruby took over as Secretary General of Eurelectric, effective 1 January 2017. Prior to his appointment, he worked at WindEurope as part of the Executive Management team where, in his capacity as Chief Policy Officer, he was in charge of developing and implementing the political strategy of the association. Mr Ruby previously also held positions as assistant to the former European Commissioner for Climate Action, Connie Hedegaard and served, for a number of years, as a public servant in the Danish Ministries of Climate and Energy as well as Environment.

Jonny Miller is the Technical Lead for Strategic Biodiversity at WSP UK, a leading multi-disciplinary professional services consulting business.

Jonny provides strategic advisory services for a range of development types and sectors, specialising in embedding biodiversity and natural capital into clients' projects, policies and strategies. He was on the advisory panel for the development of Natural England’s Biodiversity Metrics, a committee member for the British Standard on BNG (BS 8683) and provides training on biodiversity net gain good practice for CIEEM.

Gundula has 20 years of experience in regulatory affairs at national and EU-level. She held leading positions as representative of company and/or hydropower sector in distinguished associations such as vgbe (chair of Working Group Regulatory Framework Hydropower), Alpine Hydron Association, Oesterreichs Energie (Working Groups Hydropower, Energy Strategy, etc.), BDEW (Working Groups Hydropower, Energy Storage) and Eurelectric (chair of Working Group Hydro), ICPDR, WFD-CIS (Strategic Coordination Group).

She has a profound and long-term knowledge of all relevant European environmental and energy policies such as WFD, biodiversity, nature protection, internal market,
storage/flexibility and its implementation at national level.  
Structured, target-based and team-oriented work performance; well-developed network within the European hydropower scene.

Jochen Hauff, Vice President of SolarPower Europe and Director of Corporate Strategy, Sustainability and Energy Policy at BayWa r.e. AG

Jochen is an environmental economist with over 25 years professional experience in energy & sustainability. After 14 years of global management consultancy experience at Kearney, he joined BayWa r.e. in 2015. He currently oversees corporate strategy, sustainability, and energy policy and is a member of the investment committee of BayWa r.e. Energy Ventures

Since 2016, Jochen is an elected Board member of SolarPower Europe where he focuses on supply chain and sustainability topics.

Jochen views climate adaptation including biodiversity as a key priority next to climate mitigation

Geoff Hamilton is Sustainability Project Manager at ESB Networks. He has over 18 years’ experience in the fields of ecological impact assessment and biodiversity management as well as significant knowledge of large energy infrastructure projects in Ireland. He is currently driving the preparation of ESB Networks’ Biodiversity Strategy and represents ESB on the Business for Biodiversity Ireland Platform. He holds an MSc in Zoology from Trinity College Dublin and is a Full Member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management.

Based in Brussels, Ariel Brunner is Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia with the environmental NGO BirdLife International. With over 20 years’ experience in biodiversity conservation and EU policy, he coordinates work on a wide array of topics ranging from nature and biodiversity conservation, to climate and energy, fisheries and agriculture. He is currently member of the board of the Renewable Grid Initiative, and is currently a member of the Strategic Dialogue on the future of farming convened by EC President Von der Leyen. He has been a member of the EU Platform on sustainable Finances and various other EU consultative fora.

In recent years, he has played a leading role in advocacy around the European Green Deal, the EU biodiversity Strategy and the NatureAlert campaign to defend and achieve better implementation of the EU nature protection legislation. He has had a major role in pushing the nature restoration agenda and has been very active in debates over the sustainability of renewable energy and in particular of bioenergy, where he has been one of the pioneers in criticising EU support to biofuels. He has been involved in numerous studies, policy developments and political processes linked to the EU Renewable energy Directives, the sustainability criteria for biofuels, the Indirect Land Use Change controversy etc. He has contributed to the launching of the OCEaN alliance, a ground-breaking cooperation between NGOs, TSOs and the offshore wind industry.

Over the last two decades he has been deeply involved in debates on reform of the Common Agriculture Policy and is widely recognised as prominent expert on the environmental impacts of EU farm policies. He has chaired DG Agriculture’s Advisory Group on Agriculture and Environment and has been a member of its Expert group on Public Goods, and of the European Commission’s High level steering group on the European Innovation Partnership on agriculture

Before moving to Brussels he was driving the implementation of EU nature conservation legislation in Italy and has been instrumental to the designation of the country’s Special Protection Areas network (sites protected under the EU Wild Birds Directive). He has been involved in species conservation projects, legal battles for the conservation of protected sites and in efforts to improve implementations of hunting legislation.

Born in Israel, he holds an M.Sc. in Environmental Sciences at Milan University

Andrew has 15 years experience in the renewables sector primarily focusing on environmental impact mitigation, biodiversity enhancement and environmental policy across development, construction and operations. Having worked across Onshore Wind and Hydropower, he currently leads the Offshore Environment Team at SSE Renewables (SSER) and is responsible for delivering SSER's strategic sustainability objectives across SSER's offshore wind portfolio.

Aida García is a Policy Adviser at Eurelectric, the European electricity industry association based in Brussels. In her role, she advocates for a European legal framework that promotes the sustainable growth of renewables and storage. Additionally, she provides regulatory advice to Eurelectric’s 24/7 Carbon Free Energy Hub. Prior to this position, she worked for the European metals association, focusing on the EU Emissions Trading System, energy and climate State Aid, as well as the Fit-for-55 package. Previously she gained experience in the export sector in Spain.