Grounded in Wood Mackenzie’s unique perspective on global market opportunities for energy access and building on the success of our 2019 Off-Grid Energy Access Forum in London, this 90-minute virtual session will feature WoodMac’s latest views on the space, along with engaging conversations with the leading solar-home-system companies, mini-grid developers, technology suppliers, and data platforms, and key strategic and institutional investors entering the off-grid market.

Defining the Recovery Path in Light of COVID-19

We'll cover the road to recovery for thriving off-grid markets across the globe after the disruption brought by COVID-19, as well as how data analytics holds the potential to revolutionize risk assessment for solar home system and minigrid projects. 

Speakers

Gillian-Alexandre Huart
CEO , ENGIE Energy Access
Manoj Sinha
Founder & CEO, Husk Power Systems

Manoj is the Founder and CEO of Husk Power Systems – a pioneering rural utility that provides decentralised renewable energy to off-grid and underserved communities. He co-founded Husk Power Systems in 2008, which designs, installs and operates 25-250kW mini-power plants provide affordable electricity to people in rural India and East Africa. Manoj is currently leading a global team of ~400 people. By 2025, he aims to provide affordable, renewable and reliable power to over one million people in rural areas of India and Africa. Manoj has raised equity and debt capital for the amount US $40 million from investors around the world.

Previously, Manoj worked as a Senior Director at S&P Global (erstwhile McGraw-Hill Financial) in New York City, USA. He led a team of financial analysts to develop and launch risk management analytics for financial institution professionals. Prior to this, he worked as a Senior Design Engineer at Intel Corp in Austin, Texas where he designed next generation microprocessors for mobile devices. He holds seven U.S. patents in semiconductor industry for circuit design.

Manoj completed his MBA from Darden GSB at University of Virginia, MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from University of Massachusetts Amherst and B.Tech from IIT Varanasi.

In 2019 and 2020, Husk received Global Cleantech 100 Award two years in a row. And in 2020, Husk received APAC company of the year as per the Global Cleantech committee.

Simon Bransfield-Garth
CEO, Azuri Technologies

Simon Bransfield-Garth received a Ph.D. in Engineering from St John's College, Cambridge. He was also a former Fellow at Cambridge University; former Industrial Fellow, Royal Society. Garth has over 25 years of experience building rapid growth, technology-based businesses in sectors including semiconductors, automotive equipment and mobile phones. Formerly, seven years with Symbian, the phone OS maker, as Member, Leadership Team and Vice-President, Global Marketing. Currently, Chief Executive Officer, Azuri Technologies, a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, delivering pay-as-you-go solar power on a commercial basis to rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa.

Paul Tarsey
IoT Development Manager, EMEA, Aeris

Paul Tarsey oversees the Off-Grid sector for Aeris, predominantly working with Solar Home System, Smart Agriculture and Clean Cooking businesses. Paul applies his years of IoT expertise to support these businesses as they scale from initial POC to full scaled deployment, focusing on multi-country deployments and reducing OPEX costs. Aeris are the connectivity provider of choice for over 2m Off-Grid devices deployed across Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Benjamin Attia
Senior Research Analyst, Energy Transition Practice, Wood Mackenzie

Benjamin Attia is a Senior Research Analyst in the Energy Transition practice at Wood Mackenzie. He leads the firm’s coverage of off-grid power markets globally and downstream solar photovoltaics markets in Africa and the Middle East. His research and writing have recently been featured in such publications as Foreign Affairs, The Economist, FT, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, IEEE Spectrum, Bloomberg, the World Economic Forum, and Greentech Media. He also conducts affiliated research as a Non-Resident Fellow at the Payne Institute at the Colorado School of Mines, The Energy for Growth Hub, and the Foundation for Renewable Energy & Environment. He previously worked in solar asset management and commercial operations at SunEdison and on clean energy transition-focused regulatory research for utilities and policymakers at the National Regulatory Research Institute. Benjamin holds a Master of Energy & Environmental Policy and a B.S. in Economics and Energy & Environmental Policy from the Biden School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware.

Caitlin Connelly
Research Assistant, Wood Mackenzie

Caitlin Connelly is a Research Assistant in the Energy Transition practice at Wood Mackenzie. Her primary research focus is minigrids in emerging markets and C&I solar in the Middle East and Africa. She joined Wood Mackenzie in 2019 after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Geoscience from Boston College.

Agenda Themes
  • Defining the Recovery Path in Light of COVID-19
  • Assess Risk and Minimize OPEX in the Off-Grid Sector
  • The Role of Off-Grid Energy Access in the Energy Transition
  • Using Data Analytics To Revolutionize Risk Assessment for Solar Home System and Minigrid Projects
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