Outcomes of COP26 Roundtable Hosted by The Renewable Energy Institute

The Renewable Energy Institute is proud to present its expert-led Roundtable to highlight and discuss the key outcomes of the COP26 Summit, and the impacts on the Renewable Energy sector. In this Roundtable, esteemed panelists Jon Clipsham, John Wilson, Scott Sklar, Rohit San, and Bill Senior tackle a variety of hot topics in the industry. Did COP26 and the Glasgow Climate Pact deliver for the Renewable Energy and Low Carbon sectors? What does the summit mean for the future of Renewables? How can we as individuals contribute towards the goals set out in the Paris Agreement? Find out by watching the video below.

As part of our commitment to promote knowledge-sharing and discussion in the industry, we warmly invite you to watch the full recording below:

For more information on our Accredited Renewable Energy training courses, click here.

If you would like more information on COP26[1], read our overview of the key highlights of the summit. In this piece, we outline the details of the Glasgow Climate Pact, and what it means for individuals, decision-makers, and organisations. For more on the Renewable Energy sector, you can read about the New Career Opportunities in Renewable Energy. Read the Institute’s report on new career opportunities in Renewable Energy that are opening for trained professionals worldwide as we strive towards global decarbonisation and climate neutrality.

The Renewable Energy Institute trains participants in over 150 countries worldwide in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. It is proud to award the internationally recognised Galileo Master Certificate to continually train and upskill individuals in the sector. Course participants range from companies and organisations such as the World Bank, Siemens, International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Google, and many more.

Roundtable Panelists

Jon Clipsham
Jon Clipsham has vast experience of the Renewable Energy & Hydrogen Energy sectors as a college & university lecturer in the UK, a Director of the Scottish Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Association, and has a senior management and consultant role at EMEC with responsibility for a multi-disciplined team, securing and delivering multi-million-pound hydrogen projects. Projects cover all aspects of hydrogen production, storage, logistics, and end use.

John Wilson
John has over 40 years of experience in R&D of photovoltaic cells plus other energy-related research. He retired in 2012 from Heriot-Watt University as Head of Physics and leader of thin-film materials research, having successfully supervised ~30 PhD and MSc students in these topics.

John has taught Solar Photovoltaic courses delivered for Renewable Energy Institute for 10 years; and has developed SolarBerry – a solar-powered computer lab for off-grid use in northern Malawi designed by a small team for The Turing Trust.

Present activities include membership of the Technical Advisory Panel for a UK company developing diamond electronic devices, being a co-Director of Power Textiles Limited, and currently writing a textbook on “Solar Textiles”.

Scott Sklar
Scott Sklar is an Adjunct Professor at The George Washington University teaching two unique interdisciplinary courses on sustainable energy, and an Affiliated Professor with CATIE, an international graduate university located in Costa Rica focused on sustainability for Latin America. He serves as Energy Lead of GWU’s Environmental and Energy Management Institute (EEMI) and serves as Acting Director of GWU’s Solar Institute.

Prior, Scott Sklar served for 15 years (1985-2000) simultaneously running two Washington, DC-based trade associations, as Executive Director of both the Solar Energy Industries Association and the National BioEnergy Industries Association. Before his move to SEIA and NBIA, he was Political Director of The Solar Lobby (1983-1984), a renewable energy advocacy organization founded by the nine major national environmental organizations. Before joining “the Lobby”, (1980-1983) he was Washington Director and Acting Research Director of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), founded by Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield and economist EF Shumacher. This federally-funded applied technology organization assisted low income communities in system design and utilization of energy efficiency and renewable energy worldwide.

Rohit San
Mr. Rohit San (M) is the Head of Climate & Energy Action Team at ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), World Secretariat in Bonn.

Rohit is a senior expert in renewable energy technologies and project finance, with more than 11 years of professional experience in Germany, India, Scotland and Sub-Saharan Africa. He is also a Certified Expert on Financing NDCs. He has worked on projects pertaining to renewable energy, energy access, green buildings, e-mobility, energy efficiency and sustainable energy finance.

Rohit coordinates and manages all activities and projects related to renewable energy and climate action, guiding sub-national governments to achieve climate neutrality. He is the global technical lead for the 100% Renewables Cities & Regions Roadmap Project implemented in Argentina, Indonesia and Kenya (funded by the German International Climate Initiative – IKI) and manages the 100% Renewables Cities & Regions Network which provides ICLEI guidance to committed subnational governments. Part of the portfolio he manages includes ICLEI’s GreenClimateCities Program to guide local and regional governments on achieving climate neutrality and the online Solutions Gateway, which centralises guidance and local climate and energy action.

Bill Senior
Bill Senior is a Low Carbon energy advisor who has worked with different stakeholders to progress Carbon Capture and Storage as a Climate mitigation option. He has ~20 years CCS experience in consulting, industry, subsurface, project and policy roles for BP, UK Government, European Commission, ADB and other energy companies. Bill’s main focus is in CCS strategy, project development, CO₂ storage, policy and regulation. His CCS experience includes UK, USA, China, Algeria and Indonesia. He was an author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Carbon Capture and Storage. He contributed to the Guidance Documents for implementation of the European CCS Directive. He has worked with the UK Government in a policy advisory role and also authored reviews of CCS industry potential UK and storage liabilities.

Bill is a co-founder of BluEnergy Ltd launched in 2020 to offer Low Carbon advisory/consulting services. BluEnergy bring substantial experience in low carbon technologies and business opportunities particularly in Carbon Capture and Storage and Hydrogen. One of its focus areas is low carbon clusters which are emerging in many regions as Decarbonisation efforts for Power and Industry gain momentum. Previously he worked as an independent consultant for about ten years following a career with BP in business, technology and geology roles covering alternative energy, exploration and production.

[1] COP26 Goals https://ukcop26.org/cop26-goals/