Sustainability Business

Host Russell Reading speaks with Gabor Szabo, Renewable Energy and Carbon Advisory Senior Consultant, from Schneider Electric about Hungary’s evolving renewables landscape, with strong solar growth, an emerging PPA market and corporate interest from the automotive and industrial sectors.

The episode covers wind development challenges and recent regulatory changes, grid constraints, and how upcoming GHG protocol guidance and a new government could shape corporate decarbonization and future renewable projects.

Russell Reading speaks with Stefano Dessi, Offtake Manager for Italy and France, of Uniper Renewables about Italy’s fast‑evolving clean energy market — solar overtaking hydro, rising battery storage deployment, and hurdles for onshore/offshore wind amid north–south transmission constraints.

They explore current and upcoming support schemes (FER‑AX and the proposed FER‑Z), zonal pricing, corporate PPA demand, and developer strategies — and why these shifts could reshape investment and revenue models through 2028 and beyond.

Host Russell Reading talks with Stephanie Moran, Energy & Sustainability Procurement Manager of Coveris, about upcoming changes to the GHG Protocol and SBTi v2 drafts, and what they mean for PPAs, hourly matching, additionality, and corporate reporting. They also discuss Coveris' no‑waste packaging vision and CO2 clean demonstration plant as examples of practical decarbonization.

The episode highlights concerns that uncertainty, added complexity, and potential costs could slow corporate action and affect renewable deployment, while exploring possible market and policy outcomes as the final standards emerge.

On this episode of the Renewable Roundup, Russell Reading speaks with Kenny Schoolcraft of Zeigo Network about “Powered Land” — land that comes bundled with grid access or interconnection privilege. Kenny explains what Powered Land means, why it’s suddenly in high demand, and how it shortens development timelines and reduces execution risk for data centers, renewables and investors.

They discuss how market differences (ERCOT, PJM, MISO, CAISO, etc.) shape the value of powered land, why transmission and interconnection queues are the current bottleneck, and how hyperscalers and corporates are adapting their strategies to secure quick, reliable power.

Host Russell Reading interviews Dr. Calum McDonald, Business Director of the Point and Sandwick Trust, about the UK’s largest community‑owned wind farm in the Outer Hebrides.

The episode explains the Scottish community trust model, the commercial scale and governance of the 9MW project, local projects funded by revenues, challenges in development, and advice for groups considering community energy.

Host Russell Reading and Zander Dale, a Managing Consultant at Schneider Electric, dive into the second conversation about insetting. They discuss what it is, why it matters, and how companies can build credible value-chain climate programs. They discuss core requirements like linking actions to the value chain, additionality and causality, robust quantification and traceability, handling co-claims and permanence, safeguards for communities and nature, and the role of independent verification.

Practical examples include regenerative agriculture, biochar, low-carbon industrial processes, and logistics fuel switching; plus advice on next steps, integrating insetting with procurement and supplier engagement, and using digital tools and standards to ensure transparent, verifiable outcomes.

This episode explores "insetting" or the investment in emissions reductions or removals directly within a company’s value chain. Zander Dale, a Managing Consultant at Schneider Electric explains what insetting is, how it differs from offsetting, and the common project types such as regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, supplier energy efficiency and low‑carbon processing.

Listen to learn why insetting matters for scope 3 targets, how credibility and accounting work, and how insetting can deliver carbon reductions alongside nature, biodiversity and supply‑chain resilience benefits.

Host Russell Reading speaks with Craig Konz, Renewable Energy Carbon Advisory Manager from Schneider Electric about the emerging practice of adding battery storage to virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs). They cover financial and non-financial benefits including risk reduction, accounting effects, grid stability and potential revenue streams, as well as common deal structures seen in the U.S. and Europe.

The conversation also explores developer perspectives, revenue-sharing models, forecasting challenges as storage proliferates, and a call for creative, win-win offers that evolve with markets and support grid resilience.

Russell Reading and Mark Chappell, Senior PPA Manager at Zeigo Network, recap highlights from Solar & Storage Live, discussing the recent surge in panel exports, evolving PPA dynamics, and how CFDs are reshaping the UK market.

The episode explores battery energy storage (BESS) — scaling challenges, longer-duration trends, revenue streams and practical advice on selling co-located batteries with solar projects, emphasizing value-led approaches over simple price competition.

Russell Reading speaks with Mark Chappell about why Poland is emerging as a major market for corporate PPAs. They discuss the rapid growth in solar PV, successful offshore auction results, and the increasing role of battery storage (BESS) to manage grid impacts and price cannibalization.

The episode also covers how Poland’s coal-heavy grid makes renewable procurement there especially impactful for corporate decarbonization, ongoing grid and permitting challenges, and uncertainty around AIB membership and certificate transferability.

Read the full white paper, "Will 2026 be the breakout year for the Polish PPA Market?":

https://www.zeigo.com/2026/05/08/will-2026-be-the-breakout-year-for-the-polish-ppa-market/