Event Archive

The Aurora Renewables Summit London 2023 took place Wednesday 14 June. In the face of rising cost headwinds and competitive pressures, the event explored new approaches to enhance value and debate topical issues on the future of renewable energy.

Main topics included the following:

•  Financing, deployment, and policy perspectives on the future of renewable energy.
• An in-depth focus on the vital role of networks in the energy transition
• The evolution of Contracts for Difference (CfDs) and the role of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in the future financing of offshore wind projects
• The importance of location for onshore renewables, where best to locate and potential value enhancement from co-location with batteries

In the race to Net Zero, the G7 countries committed to fully decarbonise the electricity system by 2035. Across Europe countries, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, energy and security strategies are under fresh scrutiny as policymakers re-intensify work to reduce dependence on gas urgently. To ensure these ambitions become a reality will require a step change in efforts to deploy and securely integrate energy technologies, including offshore and onshore wind, solar and hydrogen. But are we on track to achieve this target?

The Aurora Renewables Summit London 2022 took place in-person on Tuesday 26th April in Central London, during the fourth round of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction round and at a time of rapidly rising interest in hydrogen, including amongst major renewables companies looking at the potential to diversify.

Our senior speakers, including Amber Rudd, former UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change; Louise Kingham, Senior VP for Europe & UK Country Chair at BP; and Danielle Lane, UK Country Manager at Vattenfall discussed energy under the most challenging of contexts: the geopolitical consequences of the war in Ukraine and the climate crisis. The main topics where the role of offshore wind in driving towards Net Zero power and investing in hydrogen as a complement for renewables.

The Summit welcomed over 300 delegates from across the renewables sector and provided a great networking platform with plenty of interaction opportunities during the day, including a drinks reception in the evening.
Special thanks to our speakers and partners for helping to make a success of the Summit. It was a pleasure to work with our premium partners bp and Lloyds Bank and our supporting partner Clarke Energy.

A common theme for the Aurora Renewables Summit London 2019 was whether the UK can meet the challenge of reaching Net Zero emissions by 2050, and deliver on the commitment that the UK made by signing the Paris Agreement. This led to discussions on the implications for strategy.

 

Key topics included:

• Possible paths towards a zero-carbon power system in 2050, and drawing out the implications for how to act now to capture emerging opportunities
• The role of government policy in delivering a zero-carbon system
• Investment approaches that deliver the most resilient results in a fast-changing market
• The fundamental properties of merchant risk
• The usage and pricing corporate PPAs will develop in the years ahead

Renewables has dominated power sector investment in the UK and Europe over the past decade and will continue to do so in years to come. The nature of investment is changing rapidly, however, as subsidies wane, merchant risks increase, and much remains uncertain about policy and market outlook.

Under the overarching theme of subsidy-free renewables, Aurora’s Summit focused on two key areas: policy and investment and drill down into the most pressing issues, stimulating discussion, and helping to move on the debate.

The Summit brought original analysis and forecasting from the Aurora team together with provocative insight and discussion from leading industry figures in a focused, half day session in central London.