BayWa r.e. UK appoints Graham Pannell as head of grid and electricity regulation
BayWa r.e. has announced that Dr Graham Pannell has joined its UK project development business as head of grid and electricity regulation.
Pannell brings 20 years of leadership experience across electricity regulation, grid connections and grid charging policy in the UK and has an understanding of the challenges and opportunities through the full life cycle of renewable energy projects.
Graham has served as chair of RenewableUK’s Networks & Charging Group, as well as vice chair of the Energy Networks Association’s DER Connections Steering Group, leading on agreeing and implementing best practice with the UK’s network companies.
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He has also supported the ESO and Ofgem in numerous network charging improvements, including the current TNUoS Task Force.
Graham Pannell said in a statement: “The UK energy system poses unique challenges of grid scarcity, long overdue grid charging reform and regulatory uncertainty. I am looking forward to finding solutions with the [Baywa r.e] team, and to delivering projects that will make a difference to the country’s net zero ambitions.”
Christine McGregor, managing director at BayWa r.e. UK Ltd., commented in a statement: “Considering the ongoing regulatory reform in the UK, which is critical to the energy transition, we are delighted to have Graham join our team. With his in-depth industry experience and forward thinking, we are looking forward to Graham’s support in delivering our solar, wind, and storage pipeline at such a crucial time.”
Originally published on Power Engineering International.
Related Knowledge Center: Offshore wind energy
Over the next decade, U.S. offshore wind power is expected to grow from a single 30-megawatt wind farm off Rhode Island to more than 2,000 MW of capacity along the Atlantic Seaboard. There are contracts for wind power off the coasts of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Virginia.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has estimated the United States has over 4,000 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind potential, enough to power the country four times over.
The growth in part being spurred by state solicitations, including in New York, where then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) set a commitment of 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035, and in Connecticut, where in June 2021, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed legislation authorizing the construction of 2,000 MW of offshore wind by 2030.
The offshore development is also being driven by an investment tax credit set to end in December 2019 and is equal to 12 percent of expenditures. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) have introduced a bill to extend the tax credit for up to eight years.
The Interior Department has held eight competitive lease sales that resulted in 15 offshore wind leases over 1.7 million acres that has the potential for 21 GW of capacity. In February 2022, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management completed a bidding process that realized $4.37 billion for 488,000 acres across six lease areas in federal waters off New York and New Jersey.
Projects have also been proposed off the Southeast coast, off California and Hawaii, and for the Great Lakes.