James, who initiated his career with three years of microgrid research at the University of Strathclyde, co-founded Solar Sketch in 2009—a design company for the solar industry. He also gained experience at the international engineering firm Arup. In 2013, James co-founded Piclo, the leading marketplace for flexibility services. The platform has been steadily expanding its presence across the UK, Europe, and the USA. James is recognised as a sought-after expert and published author, contributing chapters to academic books on peer-to-peer energy and local flexibility trading.

Main topics include the following:

•Why are flexibility and flexibility analysis crucial right now?

•Are grid constraints more of an opportunity or of a bottleneck for flexibility assets development?

•How are Transmission System Operators (TSOs) and Distribution System Operators (DSOs) coordinating, and how can they improve their level of coordination?