of commerce based on energy by 2030, we need
something new.”
“There is also the environmental reason – the
biosphere is heating up because we continue to burn
carbon. In order to tackle it, the EU’s target is to
reduce carbon emissions by 90% by 2050. This will
be achieved through a combination of wind, solar
and nuclear, in order to bring about a sustainable
system. When other forms of energy are declining
in output, electricity is the natural alternative.”
to lead the world towards the total sustainable
generation of electricity from renewable sources.
Sustainability is about living in the now. We don’t
want to keep digging up fossils that have been
forming for millions of years. Sustainability is
about recycling what we use. Making energy from
the wind and the sun makes a lot of sense. The
world will have a population of 9 billion by midway
through the century. Energy is the major issue of
our time. “
I asked Dr. O’Connor how he sees the Smart Grid,
“Electric vehicles are certainly the way of the
future. I was recently in Shenzhen, China visiting
my friend Liam Casey, the Irish entrepreneur over
there. I was pleasantly surprised to find that all of
the city’s taxis are electric. Inducements have been
introduced in London to encourage taxi drivers to
adopt electric vehicles. It’s certainly the direction
we are heading in. I think the traditional car battery
has had its time. It’s just as well also because we
simply have to stop burning carbon. Carbon is
one of the Earth’s most amazing molecules. It’s so
symmetric that the molecules in crude oil can be
used to make carbon fibres, which are very strong
and can be used in construction. Carbon can be
soft, as in the lead in your pencil, or it can be the
hardest substance on Earth – a diamond. The idea
of burning it offends the natural order.”
“Mainstream Renewable Power will be a major force
in tackling the challenges by bringing wind energy
into the mainstream. We are active in Europe, the
US, Canada, Chile and South Africa. In Europe, we
are a purely offshore play. Our goal is to be one of
the biggest offshore companies in the world. We are
also branching out into solar photovoltaic. “
“The world is on a once-off transition to
sustainability. We set up Mainstream in order
“The Smart Grid to me looks like a distribution
level phenomenon. There will be real interventions
on the demand side which will stabilise the
electricity usage. It will reduce costs for users as
they receive more information about their usage in
real time, and can adjust accordingly. This reduced
usage will be an essential component in bringing
wind energy to the forefront of the entire system.”
Dr. O’Connor takes a refreshing perspective when
highlighting the benefits of working with an Irish
workforce,
“We have a lot of young people here. I speak to the
guys from Google and Facebook regularly and they
seem very happy with the standard of work that the
young Irish graduates are contributing.”
“Irish people make great managers. It’s because we
are mostly from small communities, so you have to
be a generalist from day one. Irish people get along
with anyone, and that’s what makes them great
managers. You’ll never see race riots or anything
like that in Ireland because we are a soft people.
You have to be able to get on with everybody, from
all walks of life, so we do. You can’t be an elitist in
Ireland – you’ll soon be cut down to size.”
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