Executive Chairman, SuperNode

Biography

Dr. Eddie O’Connor is a renowned leader across the global renewable energy sector. He first brought forward the concept of the Pan-European Supergrid in 2001 and has tirelessly promoted it with government leaders, policy-makers as well as industry throughout the intervening years. Eddie founded The SuperNode in 2018 which is the technology that will play a central role in the delivery of the Supergrid. Supergrid will guarantee a decarbonised, secure and cost-effective energy future for Europe. Eddie is Executive Chairman of Mainstream Renewable Power which he founded in 2008 and was Chief Executive until 2017. He is Global Ambassador for the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) – a role which he has held since 2016. Previous to Mainstream, Eddie was Chief Executive of global renewable energy company Airtricity which he founded in 1997. Airtricity was sold in 2008 to E.on and Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE) for €1.8 billion. Eddie has been named World Energy Policy Leader by Scientific American magazine and Oilprice.com cited him as one of the five most influential figures in the US clean energy sector. He received wind energy’s most prestigious award, the Poul La Cour Prize from the European Wind Energy Association in recognition of his work in the sector. He also received the Leadership award at the annual Ernst & Young Global Renewable Energy Awards From 1987 to 1996 Eddie was Chief Executive of Bord na Mona, the Irish Peat Board, where he took the company from loss to profit making and it was here that he began to develop his vision for wind power. He built Ireland’s first commercial wind farm at Bellacorick, Co. Mayo in 1992 and it is still producing electricity today. He holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and a Masters in Industrial Engineering and has a doctorate in Business Administration from the International Management Centres, Europe. He has received an honorary Doctorate of Science from University College Dublin (UCD), an honorary Doctorate from NUI Maynooth and most recently he was awarded Doctor of Science, honoris causa, from the University of Hull in recognition of his major contributions to business and science.