Track chair biographies
EWEA 2013, Vienna
Conference Chair: Francesco Starace, CEO, Enel Green Power
Francesco Starace, CEO of Enel Green Power will lead the conference’s efforts in hosting top industry speakers and coordinating panel discussions for EWEA 2013 attendees.
Francesco joined Enel in 2000 and has previously held the positions of Managing Director, Business Area Power, of the Generation & Energy Management Division, and subsequently Managing Director of the Market Division. Prior to joining Enel, Francesco has worked for ABB and Alstom.
“Globally, wind installed capacity at the end of 2011 has reached the astonishing figure of 238 GW (1) , with a pace of 64 (2) turbines a day erected across the world just in 2011. The European wind industry was at the forefront of this success, creating new jobs and sustainable growth, despite the ongoing economic crisis. However, the ability of the European wind industry to maintain its global leadership and continuously reduce costs is crucially linked to the capacity of the European Institutions to strike a fine balance between regulation and competition, creating a solid and predictable regulatory framework able to boost investments and innovation in the long term. EWEA 2013 offers us a platform for international dialogue to uncover ways through these difficulties and opens up opportunities to discover new areas of growth and further innovation and development.”
For more details of all sessions, view the online programme
Policies & markets
Track Chair: Michael Sponring, Managing Director, PwC
Michael Sponring is a managing director at PwC Vienna and head of their Austrian energy practice. He has been commissioned by EWEA to write its forthcoming report on wind energy in emerging markets, so is ideally placed to lead the Policies & Markets track at EWEA 2013.
For many years Michael has advised PwC’s clients from the energy sector, with a particular focus on wind energy projects and related corporate finance, transaction services and market surveys. He has worked closely with many of the leading companies in the European electricity market, and has recently been involved in the review of tariffs, permit processes and subsidy systems across a range of European markets.
Michael studied Electrical Engineering/Energy Economics at Vienna University of Technology and is also head of the renewable competence centre in Vienna.
“Wind Energy is one of the most important contributions towards reaching the renewable energy EU target. EWEA therefore represents the best platform for sharing technical and energy related experience in order to build a cleaner future.”
For more details of all sessions, view the online programme
Integration in electricity systems & markets
Track Chair: Adam Bruce, Global Head of Corporate Affairs, Mainstream Renewable Power
Adam joined the international energy company, Mainstream Renewable Power, in November 2008, after the acquisition of Airtricity where he was UK Chief Executive, responsible for the teams that developed Europe’s largest onshore and offshore wind farms. A member of the Mainstream senior management team, Adam is responsible for the company’s regulatory, government relations, and corporate communications teams.
Adam was elected Chairman of Renewable UK (formerly the BWEA), the UK’s leading renewable energy trade association in June 2007 for a three year term. He is a founding Director of the Friends of the Supergrid, an industry body working towards the development of large scale meshed interconnection across EU markets.
Prior to joining Airtricity, Adam was Director of Public Policy at UK law firm McGrigors, working in Edinburgh, London and Brussels. He is currently a member of Oxford University’s MPLS Development Board, a director of the Westminster Forum and a Fellow of the RSA.
Adam read history at Balliol College, Oxford, where he was President of the Union, and law at Edinburgh University. He lives in Edinburgh with his family.
“Quite simply, the annual EWEA conference is the pre-eminent gathering of Europe’s leading players in the renewable energy sector. As we move towards a European single electricity market, and as we wrestle with post-2020 energy policy, EWEA 2013 has to be in your diary. You cannot afford not to be there.”
For more details of all sessions, view the online programme
Resource assessment
Track Chair: Lars Landberg, Senior Vice President, R&D, Forecasting, Training, GL Garrad Hassan
Lars Landberg is a Senior Vice President with GL Garrad Hassan. His main areas of responsibility are R&D, forecasting and training. Lars has worked in wind energy for 23 years, the last five with GL Garrad Hassan and before that 18 years at Risø National Laboratory in Denmark. Lars has a PhD in physics and geophysics from University of Copenhagen (Denmark), and an MBA from Warwick Business School (United Kingdom).
“EWEA 2013 is going to be another must-attend event. As the global leader in wind energy conferences, EWEA 2013 will continue its focus on the essential meeting between knowledge, industry and commerce. The prominent place that wind resources has been given again this year demonstrates that this is still one of the most crucial subjects to explore. The seven sessions will update the participants with the latest and most important developments. ”
For more details of all sessions, view the online programme
Hardware technology
Track Chair: Jan Van der Tempel, CEO, Ampelmann
Dr. Jan van der Tempel is Head of the Offshore Wind group at Delft University of Technology. His field of expertise is offshore foundation design, an area where he has developed new design methodologies. Together with his group he is currently working on the Slip Joint connection to replace grout, and on a novel turbine concept using sea water as an energy transportation medium.
Jan has also developed several courses for students and industry in the field of offshore wind. Next to his Academic career, Van der Tempel is CEO of Ampelmann. This company is a spin-off of TU Delft, operating motion compensation gangways for accessing offshore structures.
“From Opportunity to Reality is the theme of this conference. For the track "Hardware Technology" that means: Innovation with Impact! The sessions in this track cover technological breakthroughs in hardware from full scale blades to control software, from nuts and bolts to drive trains. The focus on the session is on the demonstration of innovations in the field: proving increased cost effectiveness, decreasing cost, optimizing uptime.”
For more details of all sessions, view the online programme
Science & research
Track Chair: Peter Tavner, President of the European Academy of Wind Energy
Peter is Emeritus Professor at Durham University. He has held senior research, development and technical positions in the power, electrical manufacturing and wind industry, joining Durham in 2003. He has been a vigorous exponent and researcher into wind power reliability over the past 10 years and is active in researching and developing high reliability techniques for the industry aimed at lowering the cost of energy from wind power."
“EWEA 2013’s Science & Research Track will concentrate on the opportunities that grow from turning research ideas into practical reality. As in previous years the track will showcase the best of current wind industry research. However, this year the aim will also be to demonstrate how science and research can propagate innovative and beneficial ideas into the industry. In particular, the sessions will address the important issues of reducing design & build and operating costs, based upon feedback from EWEA2012. Drive trains and improved energy extraction will be leading topics. The track will also cover innovations in materials and components as well as addressing the rapid changes that are occurring in small wind.”
For more details of all sessions, view the online programme
Finance
Track Chair: Tom Murley, Director and Head of Renewable Energy, HgCapital
Tom Murley leads HgCapital's renewable energy team. Hg's renewable funds have over €900 million of assets under management and have invested in over 40 renewable energy projects worth more than €1.5 billion. Tom joined HgCapital in 2004 and has nearly 20 years' experience investing in conventional and renewable power. He chairs the British Venture Capital and Private Equity Association's Cleantech Board and sits on the Steering Committee of the Low Carbon Finance Group.
"EWEA 2013 is essential for anyone serious about European wind energy. Only EWEA brings together senior figures from the whole industry - turbine makers, developers, financers, advisors - under one roof. In the finance tracks we will bring together leading wind financiers to examine current and evolving structures to finance wind in turbulent times."
