“We’re in the foothills of the next industrial revolution, and it’s powered by clean energy.” - Dhara Vyas, CEO, Energy UK
The UK has set an ambitious goal: to decarbonise its power system by 2030. But is this target realistic? What obstacles stand in the way? And how can technology help shift the conversation from blockers to opportunities?
In this episode, Mesh-AI’s Director of Energy & Utilities, James Houlton, sits down with three leading voices in the energy transition: Laura Sandys CBE, Chair of the Government’s Energy Digitalisation Taskforce, and Dhara Vyas, Deputy CEO of Energy UK and Marzia Zafar, Director of Governance for Data and Digitalisation.
Together, they unpack the role of policy and regulation in achieving this transition, de-risking net zero investments, the importance of shifting public perception and communicating with the customer.
Listen now:
Marzia Zafar joined Ofgem in July 2022. Her current portfolio at Ofgem is to deliver on digitalization and decentralization of the energy system to ensure that visibility and flexibility can establish the reliability and resiliency needed for an energy system that will rely more and more on intermittent energy supply and prosumers to meet demand. Prior to this, Marzia was Director of Sustainability & Energy Policy at Kaluza Technologies, Director of Insights at the World Energy Council and Director of Strategic Planning for the California Public Utilities Commission. With over 25 years of experience in the energy sector, Marzia has worked through the deregulation of the California energy market and the ensuing energy crisis which led to a re-regulation of the market; she has worked internationally with governments from developing countries to advise on energy market design; she has worked in the UK energy sector for almost 6 years with a focus on energy system digitalisation to power the future net zero marketplace.
Dhara Vyas joined Energy UK in November 2021 from Citizens Advice, where she was responsible for the consumer watchdog’s work on net zero, decarbonisation and future energy. Prior to this, Dhara led on several energy retail market issues, including customer service, vulnerability and smart energy. Dhara began her career in local government and has worked across a broad range of policy areas from civil society and community building to scrutiny, local democracy and deliberative decision making. She has also been an active member of several government and academic advisory boards, and of a primary school governing body.
Laura Sandys CBE chaired the Government’s Energy Digitalisation Taskforce driving change in energy and is chair of the British Standards Institute Advisory board on Net Zero. She is also an Independent Director at SGN Network chairing the ESG Committee and on the board of the Energy Systems Catapult, Ohme Global and Highview Power. She was Chair of the Northern Ireland Expert Panel on Energy Transition and was a member of the Advisory Panel for the Government’s Cost of Energy Review, and is on the Ministerial Council for Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage. She is founder of the Food Foundation, co-founder of POWERful Women and former Deputy Chair of the Food Standards Agency. She was previously a Member of Parliament for South Thanet, and described by The Times as ‘one of the sanest of all MPs’ and as ‘lateral-minded, original and free-thinking’.
The Data & AI Podcast explores the developments, insights and trends in data science and AI/ML. Our hosts will delve into the latest news and discuss the challenges on how enterprises are reimagining how they use data and AI to benefit their customers.
Interested in speaking on the show? Get in touch with us at podcasts@mesh-ai.com
