Tag Archive for: Cleantechgeek

Community-Driven Renewables: Overcoming Obstacles for a Sustainable Future

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Written by Giannis Taousanidis, electrical engineer at Wattcrop.

By almost completing the first quarter of the 21st century and the effects of climate change becoming more apparent, an increasing number of people turn to renewable energy and other energy-efficient solutions (circular economy, Nealy Zero Emission Buildings, etc.). In this quest for a sustainable and eco-friendly future, community-driven renewable energy initiatives are a very promising solution. Utilizing RES’s capability of distributed generation, these initiatives allow local communities to take control of their energy production, reduce carbon emissions, and foster economic growth. However, these endeavors face a considerable number of obstacles that must be addressed.

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COP 28: The necessity of the energy transition!

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Written by Wattcrop.

On 30 November, the 28th UN Climate Change Conference, COP 28, started in Dubai. This promising conference will conclude on 12 December, after two weeks of negotiations.

At this critical juncture in the impact of the climate crisis, we all expect tangible commitments from political leaders. COP 28 should be the vehicle for changing the perception of the urgency to adopt measures and actions to address the climate crisis. Accelerating the energy transition from fossil fuels to more environmentally friendly forms of energy is not just a potential solution to the problem but the only one that can slow down and reduce the devastating effects of violent climate change, which is becoming more and more noticeable year by year.

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Inside Cleantech – S2:E5 – An institutional Investor’s Perspective | Eric Bjonerud – Macquarie GIG

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Renewable Energy Investments – An institutional Investor’s Perspective | Eric Bjonerud – Macquarie GIG

Cleantech Geek

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Cleantech Geek – Inside Cleantech Series – Series 2 : Episode 5

At this series we discuss with experts, senior executives and influencers from the Cleantech and Renewable Energy Industry as well as from the Entrepreneurship and Investment World. Find out about their opinions on the future of Green Entech and Cleantech, get their insights on opportunities & risks, discover the secrets of successful businesses & ventures, learn from their successes and failures.

On this interview, I am discussing with Mr Eric Bjonerud, Managing Director of Macquarie’s Green Investment Group. Macquarie’s GIG is an established global player on renewable energy investments. Eric, is sharing with us his thoughts on:

-Why institutional investors are now willing to take development risk.

-What are the current bottlenecks on accelerating investments in Renewables.

-What are the important key criteria when they invest in new markets and development platforms.

We also discuss about PPAs, the current energy crisis and the challenges in procurement and logistics.

Filmed in Macquarie’s Office Tower in London during the COP26 conference in Glasgow, Eric and I touch upon a controversial matter in the industry of CAPEX vs OPEX and share personal expectations from COP26 climate change conference.

Please watch the video and leave your comments below! Don’t forget to subscribe and like!

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Discussion about renewable energy in Greece – new technologies, best practices and more

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Cleantech Geek

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My latest online discussion (in Greek, unfortunately for my non-greek speaking visitors) with Mr. Pougaridis on e-ptolemeos.gr – one of the largest news agencies in Western Macedonia. The discussion revolves around renewable energy in Greece; More specifically we talk about the best practises in the industry based on the European and UK model, the role of resistance from local communities on adoptation of renewables, new technologies such as energy storage and the growing importance of renewables in areas where coal is phased out, like West Macedonia in Greece.

Please watch the video and leave your comments below! For more Cleantech videos don’t forget to subscribe to my channel!

Combining articles, videos and podcasts we intent to provide the stage for creative thinking and constructive discussions. Cleantech Geek Blog

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Cybersecurity in Renewable Energy Assets – A key policy energy asset owners cannot afford to ignore!

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Cybersecurity in Renewable Energy Assets – A key policy energy asset owners cannot afford to ignore!

Cleantech Geek
Be Bold. Make the Change. Have a meaningful Impact.

We are fortunate that we live in the Renewable Energy Renaissance. The penetration of Renewable Energy Assets is increasing exponentially even with the COVID Restrictions and distributed energy generation will be the new norm.

As we are coming to terms with this new reality, we will need to be aware of the risks associated with managing multiple generating assets. Information and data are key within this environment, as the industry evolves into unsubsidized full merchant mode.

Before we venture deeper into the importance of Cybersecurity, we should perhaps define it. What is Cybersecurity?

“Cyber security refers to technologies, processes and controls that are designed to protect systems, networks, devices and data from attacks and unauthorised access.”

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The importance of being PRUDENT – How small businesses can become resilient in times of crisis.

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Cleantech Geek
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Almost a decade ago I wrote an article, titled “How to Survive an economic Recession for Dummies”, when the financial crisis had caught-up with me back in 2009-2010.

At the time I went through a catastrophic failure, as all the ventures I had collapsed, I had to make all my employees redundant and see everything I had worked hard to build over 5 years, collapsing within a period of six months.

So, I started writing more as a self-healing process reflecting my personal lessons from my own failures, rather than anything else. It was then when I took the decision to become an expat and start over, firstly in the Netherlands (didn’t work out…) and then in the UK.

Never in my worst nightmares  would I have expected to live in such a short period of time a second (some say deeper) financial recession, this time due to a global pandemic.

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Inside Cleantech – S2E3 – A Climate Change Engineering Startup Story

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Cleantech Geek

Be Bold. Make the Change. Have a meaningful Impact.

At this series we discuss with experts, senior executives and influencers from the Cleantech and Renewable Energy Industry as well as from the Entrepreneurship and Investment World. Find out about their opinions on the future of Green Entech and Cleantech, get their insights on opportunities & risks, discover the secrets of successful businesses & ventures, learn from their successes and failures.

“A Climate Change Engineering Startup Story”

On this interview, I am discussing with Mr John Davies, Founder of 2DEGREESKELVIN. John, shares with us his story and his decision to start an innovative Climate Change Engineering Company offering speciallised services and testing to the solar enery industry. With years of experience on the field and hands-on problem solving skills John and I discuss about the challenges in the services sector, common failures and mistakes the industry did during cinstruction and lessons learned. We also expand on subsidies and the current CFD round in the UK. Finally John gives us his opinion on service pricing and digitalisation of the O&M activities. This episode was filmed with ZOOM in an isolation environment due to COVID-19 pandemic. Don’t miss John’s personal story on how he took the brave decision to create his company, his insights on the services within the Solar sector and the challenges that COVID-19 brings to startups and the sector.

Please watch the video and leave your comments below! Don’t forget to subscribe and like!

Combining articles, video and podcasts we intent to provide the stage for creative thinking and constructive discussions. Cleantech Geek Blog

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Building the digital business

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Cleantech Geek
Be Bold. Make the Change. Have a meaningful Impact.

A look at how companies of all shapes and sizes can implement or bolster their digital strategy to compete at the standard customers expect.

Digital is the new norm. We are in a world of touchpoints and interactions. Everything is measurable and usually quantifiable. All we want is to understand our customers, their needs and wants, what makes them tick and how to win their loyalty.

What’s more, business has changed over the past 15 years, with a definite shift toward the customer. We’ve started to understand that people want more than one-directional encounters with brands. They want something more. They want an experience.

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Data analysis is set to transform the energy industry – 4 applications that lead this change

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Cleantech Geek
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Data analysis can be deployed across the whole energy value chain, regardless of the size of the asset. From large utility scale sites to residential solar and storage, leveraging the power of data drastically cuts costs, enhances the useful life of the asset and saves valuable time to the owner and managing team.

Currently information flow is fractured and involves multiple stakeholders, exchange of endless spreadsheets and one-way, data deprived reporting processes. The main problem is the high volume of low quality, unvalidated data; distributed through various channels, their value is not unfolded, and they are perceived as an additional responsibility, instead of a valuable tool in the hands of O&Ms, Asset Managers and local councils.

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Inside Cleantech – S2E2 – Insights of a Green Entech Technologist – Interview with Andrew Eisenberg

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Cleantech Geek

Be Bold. Make the Change. Have a meaningful Impact.

At this series we discuss with experts, senior executives and influencers from the Cleantech and Renewable Energy Industry as well as from the Entrepreneurship and Investment World. Find out about their opinions on the future of Green Entech and Cleantech, get their insights on opportunities & risks, discover the secrets of successful businesses & ventures, learn from their successes and failures.

On this interview, I am discussing with Mr Andrew Eisenberg, CEO at Green IT Energy Applications. Andrew, is giving us his opinion on critical subjects as a technology provider for the last 20 years in the USA. Green IT, has been a pionner in developing technologies specifically designed for the Renewable Energy Industry. Green IT provides end-to-end data capture and management systems on Solar, Wind, Storage and Hydro across North America. Filmed with Zoom in an isolation environment due to COVID-19 pandemic, Andrew and I, are discussing about his journey and the current state of the solar PV industry in the US, the importance of Cybersecurity and critical fact data acquisition, validation and analysis for the Renewable Energy Industry. Get Andrews personal view on how data are critical for the decision making in an unsubsidised environment and how he sees the new normal for him, his team and the wider industry in the aftermath of COVID-19.

Please watch the video and leave your comments below! Don’t forget to subscribe and like!

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