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Interview
While there are mounting pressures in the renewable energy sector, there are also positive news stories dotted around the globe, and Cristiano shares what he’ s most excited to see in the coming years.“ As one of the main bottlenecks is the grid system, storage is the missing link for renewables,” he explains.“ The grid hasn’ t developed as quickly as renewables, but it’ s evolving, and batteries costs are declining, with many people arguing that storage is the new solar. An interesting example of the bottlenecks currently facing the industry is the recent power outages in Spain and Portugal, as everyone was quick to attack renewables despite later confirmation that renewable energy was not at fault and in fact helped to quickly restore power.
“ We’ re seeing increased storage projects across the globe and some countries, including Vietnam, are introducing a mandate that any new renewable project should be coupled with a storage system of at least ten percent of the project’ s capacity. For Europe, on the other hand, the integration of battery storage in renewables means a secure, stable future based on 100-percent clean energy is much more likely. Some traditional energy generation processes also play a part in supporting the shift to renewable projects, as most renewables require a traditional base load to gradually build upon. Personally, I support the integration of large-scale renewables projects with some nuclear or minority nuclear.”
With ever-growing demand for electricity, driven by population growth and technological developments like AI, the need for renewable generation is only increasing.“ There are no other solutions that can meet rising demand as quickly as renewables can,” Cristiano argues.“ There is so much work to be done, and even if it takes much longer than anticipated or if government support wanes, we can change the narrative by proving the cost savings and efficiencies gained by leveraging
I’ m passionate about leaving a better world for my children and the next generations to come
renewable energy as opposed to legacy sources. We’ re experiencing specific growth in our markets in Indonesia and Vietnam, for example, and with Asia’ s electricity demand growing by up to ten percent per year in some countries, both renewable energy developers and legacy industries need to rapidly evolve to meet increasing pressures on the electricity grid. The next generations have a huge part to play, as we need to secure funding for new projects, reshape beliefs that have been tainted in recent years, and continuously innovate.”
With short, medium, and long-term objectives, Cristiano is clearly optimistic about the future for both the business and the wider industry. Cristiano is exactly the kind of leader needed at the helm to ensure these projects are not only successful but also contribute to changing perceptions of renewables amid various ongoing social, cultural, and political challenges.
“ Limes is focused primarily on the longer term, and I’ m passionate about leaving a better world for my children and the next generations to come,” Cristiano concludes.“ I see greater consolidation and integration of storage technology over the next five-to-ten years, but for Limes, our strategy concentrates on overall positive contributions to changing the narrative around renewables, energy transition, and climate crisis.” ■
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