The REA represents around 500 UK companies & organisations working in renewables and clean tech.

Hutchings’ career includes working at Gemserv, the energy services provider, within Whitehall departments, and with the European Commission, leading climate and environment programmes, including policies to support Britain’s renewables market.  At WWF, the conservation NGO, he was director of advocacy, focusing on improving public policy and environmental governance.

Hutchings also chairs the Green Purposes Company, set up by the government to safeguard the green mission of the Green Investment Bank, following its 2017 sale to Macquarie, the global infrastructure investor.

His immediate priority will be to press the incoming Government to put the energy transition and net zero front and centre of its legislative programme.

In its Manifesto for Government, the REA has urged all UK political parties to promote and commit to policies that support sustainable energy growth, low carbon innovation, and the country’s legally binding net zero carbon emissions targets (see the REA’s Manifesto for Government.

Prior to taking over the chief executive role at the REA, Trevor Hutchings was Partner for Sustainability at international consultants BIP.   His career has been shaped across the public, private and NGO sectors in multiple roles supporting clean energy development, net zero, the environment and climate action.

Trevor Hutchings said: “I take up my role at the REA as the country goes to the polls, and we reach an inflexion point in the journey to a sustainable, low carbon future.

“Net zero is within our grasp and the actions taken by the next administration will determine whether we get the job done.   The businesses that make up the UK clean energy and technology industries – many of whom are our members – have the innovation, skills and expertise to cement the UK’s position as climate leader.”

“But the next Government must take vital steps in providing the policy and fiscal regimes that encourage, rather than deter, investment.  This is crucial in not only addressing the pernicious effects of carbon emissions but also reducing energy bills and providing domestic energy security.”

“While there is a moral imperative to emissions reduction, it is also an enormous opportunity for economic growth and international competitiveness.

“By 2035, jobs in British renewable energy could reach 210,000, while its contribution to the UK economy could double to £46bn. But there’s still much to be done to ensure that clean & green is at the heart of the country’s industrial growth strategy.  We must make sure that UK businesses are not shut out of the low carbon race by policies that fail to compete with the significant investment in clean technology from the US, Europe and China.”

REA chair Martin Wright said: “Trevor’s deep-rooted commitment to the environment and sustainability, combined with his career experience, will be invaluable to the REA.  The UK’s pathway towards net zero has reached yet another critical moment with a new Government soon to be elected. The REA, under Trevor’s leadership, will do everything to ensure that Government, across every department, delivers on its net zero commitments and that it fosters a business environment that can accelerate the growth of the UK renewable and clean tech sectors.”

Martin Wright added: “We are hugely grateful for Nina’s leadership over the past decade.  She strengthened the REA’s voice and influence in government, fostered greater collaboration within the energy industry and during her time as Chief Executive widened the breadth of REA’s membership to more than 500 companies.  We wish her well in the next stage of her career.”

Dr Nina Skorupska said: “I am thrilled that Trevor is succeeding me.  We have achieved so much in the past decade and under his stewardship, the REA will continue to have a major influence within government and an effective voice for its members. I wish Trevor the very best in the future and thank the REA team, past and present, the REA Board and all of the REA’s members for their friendship and the support given to me over the past decade.”

Dr Skorupska is joining the Electricity System Operator and National Grid Distribution as an advisor.  She will retain her non-executive directorship at Royal BAM Group, the construction and energy services company, and her place on the board of Transport for London.

In 2016, she received a CBE for her services to the UK renewable energy sector and for promoting diversity in the energy industry.

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Included in its electoral demands issued today, trade body SolarEnergyUK says a new administration should establish and share its roadmap for solar generation within 100 days of taking office.

Britain needs in short a government that fully embraces solar “so we can reap the benefits for our economy, people and environment”, in the words of chief  executive Chris Hewett, pictured.

Rescued from limbo, the body believes, must be 15 months of detailed output from an industry-government Solar Taskforce, convened in spring 2023.  With an initial brief to speed more arrays on commercial roofs, the taskforce’s remit quickly expanded to cover detailed work in areas such as developing solar’s UK supply chain & better trade skills.

Confusion was thrown on the Taskforce’s work first by the resignation of energy minister Graham Stuart in April, then by Sunak’s surprise election call last month.

As next year dawns,  the UK will have about 20GW of solar generation capacity in place, supplemented by 8GW of big batteries.  By 2030, Britain needs 50GW of solar , plus 30GW of zero-carbon energy storage, the lobbying group believes.

Those numbers are in line both with the Sunak administration’s target of 70GW of generating PV arrays  by 2035 and the National Infrastructure Commission’s recommendation of 60GW of short-term flex by 2035.

According to SolarEnergyUK’s manifesto, steps to deliver them must include ;

Embracing UK solar

Private investors including from overseas are willing to fund  UK solar and storage at all scales, the group believes. But deterrents persist, which only government leadership can remove.

Resolving Britain’s inconsistent planning regime is among them, as is joined-up thinking on too-fragmented current relationships between energy security, food security and restoring nature.

“We do not have to choose one over the other,” says the manifesto.

Consistency in planning decisions is also key.   Officials Failing to respect established national policy has led to more refusals for solar being overturned more than any other kind of development, wasting private and public money, and needlessly extending the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels.

Rooftop solar power is hugely popular, the PV advocates claim. Over 1.5m small  solar installations sit on homes, businesses and community buildings, almost half of them installed after the end of subsidies in 2019.

But poor households, and community activists investing in solar on local public buildings & schools look to be missing out at present, says SEUK.

Building standards need urgent overhaul, and peer-to-peer energy trading must be enabled to allow schools, community projects and businesses to buy and sell power locally.

Congested distribution & transmission networks mean solar farms are built quickly but languish for far longer as they wait for a grid connection. The effect is to delay ground-mounted and roof-mounted commercial arrays, as well as grid-facing batteries.  Without radical improvements, Net Zero by 2035 could be in danger, the blueprint warns.

Ofgem must solving this problem by improving service from grid operators, including by compelling them to release data on local usage and upgrades.

The skills needed for British green jobs is another topic requiring immediate attention by  D-ESNZ chiefs.

Renewables is the engine for a decade-long jobs boom.   But the route to a just transition which retrains workers mid-career or brings on school-leavers is not as clear as it should be

Incoming ministers should work with solar practitioners, says SEUK,  setting up with a chain of regional training centres to promote career opportunities.

While it’s probably not economic to make solar arrays in Britain, SolarEnergyUK says there’s a case for Whitehall to foster manufacturing of switchgear, cabling, batteries and mounting systems.

On inward investment, the manifesto warns Britain must not fall in attractiveness behind the EU, US, China, India and other emerging supplier nations. Ensuring that solar and energy storage has a level playing field with other energy technologies overseas is essential, says the document.

Effective incentives must exist to spur new solar installation at utility scale, it goes on. Over 11GW of solar capacity is approved and awaiting construction. But the Allocation Round 6 of the Contracts for Difference reverse auctions will see less than 2GW of that total built, putting targets at risk.

The next government should also ensure that the Electricity Generator Levy, the Capacity Market, Balancing Mechanisms and the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) attracts investment in clean energy, with storage and flexibility to provide backup.

Read SolarEnergyUK’s manifesto here.

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