Main Interview _________________________________________________________________________________________________
different feedstocks available to us to create energy. I recently heard someone talk about moving from a value chain to a value circle, and this concept has stuck with me ever since. We must view and talk about waste as valuable resources that can be utilized and converted from one form to another.
“ The energy transition is a gradual process, and we want to be prepared with solutions for all of the steps to reaching transition,” she states.“ That’ s why Topsoe is investing across the board, such as its significant investment in a solid oxide electrolyzer cell( SOEC) facility for power-to-X( PtX) technology. In 2024, we also launched Zaffra, a joint venture with our longstanding partner, Sasol, which focuses on developing, building, owning, and operating SAF production plants.”
Breaking barriers
Although there are several exciting developments in the renewables space, it’ s important to also discuss the obstacles challenging such progress.“ The biggest barrier is cost, and the primary driver that can impact this is legislation, but certain rules are better than others,” Mikala argues.“ Think of the carrot and stick approach; people will be more likely to adopt clean fuels and renewables if there’ s an incentive. Everyone talks about the speed of energy transition, but to make it quicker, it needs to be easier for companies to assess why clean energy is
Everyone talks about the speed of energy transition, but to make it quicker, it needs to be easier for companies to assess why clean energy is better than conventional fossil-based energy better than conventional fossil-based energy. The most effective legislation incentivizes companies or individuals and enables them to secure funding to make sustainable changes.
“ We are constantly communicating with policymakers to better understand evolving legislation and how it will impact our customers. Technology developers can play an important role in educating and assisting policymakers, and we also use this education to future-proof our customers’ businesses. For instance, when one of our customers wanted to build a renewable diesel plant a few years ago, we educated them about the emerging SAF market, and they made the strategic decision to build a dual plant that can produce both renewable diesel and SAF.
“ We treat our customers as partners, maintaining close relationships and helping them make the correct investment decisions for both their business and the wider industry,” she adds.“ In an industry where funding and investment can be tight, the flexibility of our systems poses a unique advantage as they can be used or adjusted to serve emerging markets or meet new demands. That’ s why we’ re a market-leading solutions provider; we have a significant market share for low-carbon fuel projects and more than 30 percent of SAF production plants are using Topsoe technology.”
Fuel for thought
Testament to Mikala’ s passion for educating others about the impact of clean energy, it’ s no surprise that she plays a key role in Topsoe’ s Fuel for Thought podcast.“ The Fuel for Thought podcast was born in 2019 as a vehicle for us to address customer questions and concerns,” she shares.“ Instead of becoming a sales conversation, we decided the episodes would follow a format where we invited a guest speaker, after which me and Sylvain Verdier, the podcast host and Topsoe’ s Senior Strategy Manager, discuss the teachings and add our view to the topic. The podcast is a great way to facilitate debate, discussion, and knowledge
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