Sustainability Business

Russell Reading interviews Esther Finidori, Schneider Electric’s Chief Sustainability Officer, about how sustainability is embedded into company strategy and operations. They cover long-term planning, the AirSet innovation replacing SF6, packaging and fleet changes, supplier engagement, and the Impact 2030 framework.

Takeaways: sustainability creates resilience and purpose, digital tools are essential to scale progress, and collaboration across the value chain is key to achieving net-zero and circular economy goals.

Russell Reading and Rain Bliss dive into part 2 of their Mexico series, explaining the self-consumption model for systems between 700 kW and 20 MW. They cover how these projects differ from distributed generation, the importance of on-site storage for reliability, and the distinctions between interconnected and non-interconnected systems.

The episode also discusses commercial and strategic benefits—cost savings, resiliency, and high-quality certificates—plus practical considerations like roof space, supply contracts, permitting timelines, and next steps for evaluating candidate sites.

In this episode Russell Reading speaks with Rain Bliss from Zeigo Network about on‑site solar in Mexico. They explain the two main models—distributed generation (up to ~700 kW) and the larger self‑consumption model—who makes a good candidate, and why distributed generation can be fast to permit and attractive thanks to retail net‑metering.

The conversation covers practical first steps for corporates: prioritize owned sites with sufficient roof or land space, check daytime load and power costs, align internal stakeholders, and engage a trusted developer or Zeigo Network to move projects forward.

In part 2 of the Renewable Roundup podcast, Energy Markets expert Russell Reading and Energy Consultant, Zander Dale explain why environmental attribute certificates (EACs) are rising on corporate agendas, how they differ from carbon credits, and which sectors are most likely to use them.

They cover practical examples (steel, cement, fuels, agriculture), market opportunities and risks, and give clear steps for buyers: match activity, use recognized methodologies, verify data, be transparent, and avoid overclaiming.

This episode of the Renewable Roundup podcast explains environmental and commodity attribute certificates (EACs), how they differ from physical low-carbon products, and how they act as a financing and reporting mechanism to scale low-carbon commodities when direct sourcing isn’t possible.

Russell Reading and Zander Dale discuss the mitigation hierarchy, the distinction between environmental outcomes and reporting rights, the role of registries and assurance, and how SBTi Net-Zero 2.0 integrates market instruments into target implementation.

Russell Reading interviews Jimmy Scott, co-founder of Koy Clothing, about building a fashion brand inspired by Kenya and combining commercial success with genuine sustainability.

The episode covers Koy's pledge to donate 20% of profits to Kenyan projects, their sand dam water project, education and sports initiatives, plastic-free packaging, customer volunteer trips, and practical advice for businesses wanting to give back authentically.

Visit the Koy Clothing website: www.koyclothing.com 

Emily Copeland, Marketing Manager for Zeigo Network and SE Advisory Services Supply Chain Decarbonization for Renewables programs, celebrates the Renewable Roundup podcast's 1-year anniversary by interviewing founders Russell Reading and Ian Lawrence. They reflect on the show’s evolution, memorable guests and episodes, lessons learned from community wind projects, on-site energy, and the rising roles of AI, storage, hydrogen, and fusion.

The hosts also discuss market surprises, common misconceptions about the energy transition, practical advice for businesses pursuing sustainability, and bold predictions for the year ahead. Subscribe to catch more market insights and future episodes.

Enjoy!

On this episode of the Renewable Roundup, host Russell Reading speaks with Mark Chappell, a PPA expert with Zeigo, about the UK’s proposed voluntary wholesale contract for difference (CFD) and its potential to stabilise wholesale prices.

They discuss how the CfD could affect corporate PPAs, market distortion risks, credit barriers for buyers, CPPA consultation feedback, and possible design changes that might support multi-buyer deals and standardisation in the market.

With many details still undecided, the Russ and Mark highlight uncertainties and next steps for developers, suppliers, and corporate buyers as the UK PPA market evolves.

Pascal Olin of Alight joins Russell Redding to dive into on‑site solar and behind‑the‑meter PPAs. They explain why on‑site solar plus storage can deliver bigger savings and resilience than offsite deals, outline key stakeholder, insurance and commercial risks, and share practical advice on structuring RFPs and scaling across multi‑site portfolios for faster deployment.

In this episode Russell Reading interviews Leticia Hermida, Global Corporate PPA Director at Acciona Energy, about hybrid PPAs, contracts that combine generation technologies (most often solar PV and battery storage) to deliver more stable, predictable renewable energy to corporate buyers. They cover why hybrids are gaining traction, the role of storage duration, and how these structures manage price volatility and volume risk.

Leticia explains common hybrid structures, regional trends (notably in Spain, Europe, the US and Chile), common misconceptions, and practical advice: define your objectives, assess value beyond headline price, and explore flexible PPA designs to meet decarbonization and risk-management goals.