Strategy · Technology · GB & NZ electricity markets

Accelerating the clean energy transition.

Putting humans at the heart of the energy transition.

Independent advisory electricity and global clean energy: technology, market strategy and business model design, from utility-scale storage to remote island microgrids. Specialising in low-carbon solutions in GB and NZ.

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Continents of low-carbon project delivery

500K+

UK homes protected by the consumer standard I wrote

15K

Batteries managed in world-leading VPP

$200m

Of climate finance advised on

About

PhD Durham CEng Fellow, Energy Institute Professor in Practice, Durham Published author Media contributor

Energy Strategist.

Putting humans at the heart of the energy transition is the belief that drives everything I do: 15+ years building national decarbonisation pathways, infrastructure investment, and power system strategy across the globe. A track record of over $200m in energy investments across 20+ countries, direct advisory relationships with Ministers and regulators in GB and New Zealand, and policy work shaping how millions of people experience the electricity system.

My career spans SolarCentury (Energy UK Rising Star award), helping craft the MCS Solar/Battery Self-Consumption Standard used in every UK solar quote, leading Pacific Islands microgrid programmes for Infratec, building a 500MW+ battery portfolio across continents, and managing the replatforming of a 15,000-battery virtual power plant.

I am a Professor in Practice at Durham University Energy Institute, a Fellow of the Energy Institute (Eminence Route), and a Chartered Engineer (IET). I've advised UK and New Zealand Ministers and Parliamentarians, appeared on the BBC, and authored Decarbonising Electricity: Made Simple, published by Routledge.

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Services

Expert guidance for every stage of the energy transition.

Whether you're developing a utility-scale battery project, designing an island microgrid, crafting a net zero strategy, or seeking independent technical review, I bring first-hand delivery experience, not just theory.

Strategy & advisory

Corporate energy strategy, net zero roadmaps, GB and NZ market and regulatory strategy, board-level advisory on the energy transition.

Project development

Battery storage, solar, microgrids and virtual power plants: from concept through feasibility to financial close and delivery.

Technical review

Independent technical due diligence, feasibility studies and peer review for low-carbon projects.

Research & data

Energy data analysis, consumer research, academic collaboration and policy submissions on electricity decarbonisation.

Energy as a service

Structuring and advising on EaaS models, helping organisations procure clean energy outcomes rather than infrastructure, from offtake design to financing.

Speaking & training

Keynotes, workshops, university lectures and media appearances on the energy transition, grid modernisation and storage.

Electricity tracking & scenario planning

Live grid data and future scenarios for GB and NZ.

Two independent public platforms built to make electricity data accessible, tracking real-time generation, carbon intensity, and the pace of the clean energy transition.

Great Britain

MyGridGB

Founded in 2015, MyGridGB is an independent public resource tracking real-time electricity generation and carbon intensity across the GB grid. Used by researchers, journalists, policymakers and energy professionals to understand how and when Britain generates its power, and includes tools to model solar and battery savings against real grid data.

Real-time generation mix and carbon intensity

Historical trends since 2012

Renewable and fossil fuel tracking

Solar & battery savings modelling

Visit MyGridGB →

New Zealand

MyGridNZ

Live electricity generation data for the NZ grid: hydro, geothermal, wind, solar and thermal, plus an interactive simulator to model how different generation mixes and storage levels shape New Zealand's path to 100% renewable electricity.

Real-time NZ generation and carbon intensity

Hydro, geothermal, wind and solar breakdown

Interactive grid mix simulator

Future scenario and storage modelling

Visit MyGridNZ →

Modelling tools

Evidence-based tools for the energy transition.

Interactive calculators built on real grid data, giving accurate, independent estimates rather than vendor projections.

Great Britain

Solar & Battery Calculator

Model solar generation and battery storage savings against real GB grid and tariff data. Built on a decade of MyGridGB datasets, for homeowners, businesses and advisers who want numbers they can trust.

Solar generation modelling for any GB location

Battery storage savings estimates

Based on real historical grid and tariff data

Free to use

Try the Solar Calculator →

New Zealand

NZ Electricity Simulator

Model New Zealand's electricity future: explore how different combinations of renewables, storage and demand shape the grid. Built on real NZ generation data to support evidence-based planning and policy.

Scenario modelling for NZ grid mix

Renewables, storage and demand interaction

Based on real historical NZ generation data

Free to use

Try the NZ Simulator →

Bespoke advisory

Solar & Battery Modelling

Custom technical and commercial modelling for solar and battery projects: from yield analysis and degradation curves to revenue stacking, business case development and investment appraisal. Built for developers, investors and advisers who need rigorous, defensible numbers.

Technical yield and performance modelling

Battery revenue and dispatch modelling

Commercial and investment appraisal

Independent, vendor-neutral analysis

Get in touch via LinkedIn →

Portfolio

Real delivery, at scale, across the world.

Selected career highlights: from New Zealand's first utility-scale battery to consumer standards protecting half a million UK homes.

Grid Operability for Clean Power

From using domestic batteries to provide frequency reserve, to designing island microgrids that run on 100% renewables across the Pacific: a career built on making clean energy systems actually work at scale.

Operability · Global

Rotohiko Battery, New Zealand

New Zealand's first utility-scale battery at 35MW/35MWh. Led development from concept through financial close: commercial modelling, engineering design, OEM selection, procurement and risk assessment.

BESS · NZ

SolarZero Virtual Power Plant

Led replatforming of 15,000 residential batteries onto machine learning, enabling 99% of customers to reach within $1/month of optimal energy bill.

VPP · NZ

Pacific Islands Microgrids

Lead bid manager on $50m+ pipeline of microgrid projects with 80% bid success rate, including 7 islands in Tonga, 4 sites in the Solomon Islands, and major projects in Tuvalu, Nauru, Palau, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Micronesia and Kiribati.

Microgrid · Pacific

MCS Self-Consumption Standard, UK

A standard developed with Loughborough University and MCS, now applied to every solar and battery quote in the UK, protecting 500,000+ households from misselling since 2019.

Policy · UK

IKEA & Kingfisher: First UK battery launches

Delivered some of the UK's first residential and commercial battery-solar products. 50% of IKEA home solar sales, and the UK's first fully decarbonised retail site in 2018.

Storage · UK

Project PARC, Kenya

Senior adviser since founding. Commercial models for high-power microgrids across East Africa, supporting multi-million-dollar investments in decentralised systems that fund water and farming infrastructure for local communities.

Microgrid · Africa

Insights & media

Publications, media and speaking.

Alongside consulting, I am an active contributor to public understanding of the energy transition.

Book

Decarbonising Electricity: Made Simple

A practical roadmap for transitioning a national grid to low-carbon energy. Published by Routledge, sold in 15 countries.

Buy on Amazon →

Media & speaking

BBC, government evidence & international lectures

BBC appearances, evidence to UK Government on the Clean Power Plan, and keynotes in the UK, New Zealand and Indonesia.

Enquire about speaking →

Academic

15+ journal papers & 3 book chapters

Professor in Practice at Durham University Energy Institute, sitting on the Advisory Board alongside leading figures in UK energy.

Durham Energy Institute →
ResearchGate profile →

Contact

Let's talk about your project.

Working on a decarbonisation challenge? Whether it's a battery or microgrid project, a net zero strategy, a research collaboration, or a speaking engagement. Every engagement starts with a free, no-obligation conversation.

linkedin.com/in/afcrossland

mygridgb.co.uk

Deep expertise in GB & NZ electricity · Based in the UK

Drop me an email and I'll get back to you promptly.

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