Clean Power: Understanding the Transition

Professor Joanna Dorothy Haigh served as Co-Director of the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London and Professor of Atmospheric Physics until her retirement in 2019, following her role as Head of the Department of Physics from 2009 to 2014. Her groundbreaking research focused on solar variability's influence on Earth's climate, atmospheric physics, and climate modeling, transforming our understanding of how solar radiation and greenhouse gases affect global climate systems. Her innovative work includes developing computationally fast yet accurate models for predicting atmospheric behavior, now used by researchers worldwide. Her distinguished career earned her numerous honors, including appointment as Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2013, election as a Fellow of the Royal Society, and receiving the Royal Meteorological Society Adrian Gill Prize in 2010. She served as President of the Royal Meteorological Society, editor of prestigious journals including the Journal of Atmospheric Sciences, and contributed as a Lead Author to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Through her research, teaching, and public engagement, she has been a powerful voice in climate science, particularly in understanding the complex interactions between solar radiation, atmospheric processes, and climate change, while maintaining her commitment to scientific excellence and public understanding of climate issues.

Dr. Kris Murray currently serves as Professor in Environmental Change & Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and co-Director of the Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, following his role at Imperial College London. His research spans the interconnections between global environmental change, conservation, and health outcomes, with particular focus on infectious disease patterns and climate change impacts. As an MRC Investigator and lead of the Planetary Health program at MRC Unit The Gambia, he investigates relationships between environmental and social influences on health, focusing on disease vectors, zoonotic hosts, and forecasting disease risks from local to global scales. His groundbreaking work includes research on emerging zoonotic diseases, climate change impacts on disease vectors, and the connections between landscape restoration and human health. Through numerous highly-cited publications in The Lancet and Nature, he has significantly contributed to understanding how environmental changes affect human health and disease emergence, while promoting solutions that benefit both human health and environmental stewardship. His expertise extends to snakebite eco-epidemiology, climate change and infectious diseases, and the development of open learning resources on climate change and health.

Shane Tomlinson serves as co-CEO of E3G, where he leads work on political economy and governance, including the development of E3G's political economy mapping methodology (PEMM). After earning his MPA from Princeton University, MSc in Economic History from the London School of Economics, and BSc in Economics and Economic History from the University of Bristol, he has built an impressive career spanning policy research and strategic leadership. Before his current role, he served as Senior Research Fellow at Chatham House, where he published influential research on the European Energy Union, Brexit, stranded assets, and international climate policy. His public service includes working as a Policy Adviser in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit, where he focused on energy policy and sustainable development, including helping design the Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI). Through his leadership at E3G, he oversees the organization's network of offices, communications team, and processes for learning and integration, while serving on the advisory group for the All-Party Parliamentary Climate Change Group. His work continues to shape understanding of political economy dynamics in climate and energy transitions through innovative methodological approaches and strategic analysis.

Richard Green serves as Professor of Sustainable Energy Business at Imperial College Business School, where he has established himself as a leading authority on electricity markets and low-carbon energy transitions. After earning his PhD in Economics from the University of Cambridge, he built an impressive career spanning key academic institutions, including professorships at Hull and Birmingham Universities before joining Imperial College in 2011. His research portfolio focuses on the economics of low-carbon generation, energy storage, and their impacts on electricity markets, while also exploring market power dynamics and transmission pricing. His expertise has been sought by prestigious institutions worldwide, including visiting appointments at the World Bank, MIT, and the University of California Energy Institute. As the Alan and Sabine Howard Professor of Sustainable Energy Business and former Chair of the British Institute for Energy Economics, he continues to shape energy policy through his work with Electric Insights and various research initiatives. His three-decade career has significantly influenced understanding of electricity market economics, particularly in the context of transitioning to sustainable energy systems.

Dr. Clementine Chambon serves as Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Oorja Development Solutions, while conducting research at Imperial College London on renewable energy technologies for rural electrification. After earning her MEng in Chemical Engineering from Cambridge University and PhD in lignocellulosic biofuels from Imperial College London, she has established herself as a leading innovator in sustainable energy solutions. Through Oorja, founded in 2015 with Amit Saraogi, she has pioneered a revolutionary pay-per-use model that makes solar technology accessible to marginal farmers in rural India. Her company has installed 202 projects, including 185 solar pumps and 17 mills across 5 districts, impacting over 33,400 smallholder farmers and creating 92 last-mile jobs. The initiative has helped farmers reduce their diesel dependency, with 67% of customers completely switching to solar power, while saving 3,108 tons of CO2 emissions. Her achievements have earned her recognition as a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur and MIT Tech Review Social Innovator of the Year Europe. Through Oorja's innovative approach, which includes solar irrigation, milling, and cooling services, she aims to reach 10 million farmers by 2030, potentially addressing 250 million tons of CO2 emissions annually if scaled across India's 30 million diesel-dependent farmers.