The Renewable Energy Association is the largest trade body for renewable energy in the UK and represents all renewable energy technologies.  Gaynor Hartnell, who was formerly Director of Policy at the Association, has just been appointed as Chief Executive.

Mark Candlish, Chair of the REA’s board of directors said;

“I am delighted to announce the appointment of Gaynor Hartnell as the Association’s new Chief Executive.  Gaynor has been key to the success of the Association since it was founded in 2001, and in the last 10 months has proved herself the natural successor to Philip Wolfe in her interim role as Policy Director.  Not only does Gaynor have an excellent grasp of renewable policy issues, but she is also well respected by industry and government and is an excellent champion for the industry.”

Gaynor Hartnell said;

“I am very much looking forward to leading the Association and building up its membership base.  These are exciting times for the sector.  This has to be the decade of delivery for renewables, the time when deployment ramps up tenfold.  New players will enter and transform the energy market, with the introduction of feed in tariffs this April.  A year later we will finally have financial incentives operating across the whole spectrum of energy applications - power, transport fuels, heat and green gas.  Renewables can then play a full role, with a diverse range of complementary technologies, which together bring wide-ranging benefits.”

The Association will shortly move into much larger offices in the Capital Tower, next to Waterloo Station.  This will facilitate the expansion of services needed to support the rapidly growing renewables industry with information services, proactive policy development, training and networking events.

Paul Thompson has been promoted to Head of Policy.  Paul joined the REA in 2008 to work on transport fuels, and over the past few months has extended his remit to cover the Renewable Heat Incentive and Renewables Obligation.
    


Notes to editors
1.    The Renewable Energy Association (REA) is the industrial body for the UK’s renewables industry. It covers all renewable energy types and all scales from the energy majors to emerging companies in new energy technologies. 

2.    The Association was established in 2001, when it focussed solely on renewable electricity and was known as the Renewable Power Association.  It changed its name in December 2005 to the Renewable Energy Association, when it widened its remit to encompass heat and transport.

3.    The REA has around 600 members and is membership base is growing.  Its member companies are active in:
 
•    Anaerobic digestion/Biogas
•    Bioethanol and Biodiesel (renewable forms of petrol and diesel)
•    Biomass
•    Biomethane injection (converting biogas into mains-specification gas that can be put into the gas distribution network)
•    Energy from waste
•    Gasification and pyrolysis
•    Geothermal energy
•    Ground and Air Source Heat Pumps
•    Hydropower
•    Landfill gas
•    Sewage gas
•    Solar Photovoltaics
•    Solar thermal
•    Tidal energy
•    Wave Power
•    Wind Energy
 
4.    Renewable Energy Assurance Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Renewable Energy Association with its own separate governance structure. The principal activity of the company is the administration of the REAL Assurance Scheme (www.realassurance.org.uk ). Its centrepiece is the Consumer Code, developed as part of the Office of Fair Trading’s Consumer Codes Approval Scheme. It dovetails with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, an important quality-assurance mechanism that certifies installers and products. The two schemes operate closely to drive high standards in both the contractual and technical aspects of small-scale generation. The REAL Assurance Scheme now has over 700 members. For more information contact Virginia Graham: 020 7925 3576; Virginia@realassurance.org.uk 

5.    The REA leads for the UK in a project funded by the European Commission and co-ordinated by the European Renewable Energy Council.  As part of this project the REA will shortly be submitting its suggested blueprint for how the UK can meet 15% of its total energy needs from renewables by 2020.  This is UK’s mandatory target under the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive.  Under this Directive each Member State must submit an official Renewable Energy Action Plan to the Commission by June this year.  REA will be inviting Government to adopt the measures sets out in the REA document.

6.    The REA led the campaign for renewable energy tariffs with Friends of the Earth, and enlisted the support of many other organisations.  The electricity element (feed in tariffs for small scale electricity) will be introduced in April.  A year later there will be tariffs for green gas and renewable heat - the “Cinderella” of the renewables family.  (Sources of renewable heat are solar thermal, biomass, ground source heat pumps, geothermal energy and biogas.)

7.    As from 1st March the REA’s address will be 7th Floor, Capital Tower, 91 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8RT.