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to be born: June 26, 1947
Died: January 5, 2024
Eddie O’Connor, the Roscommon-born businessman and global renewable energy entrepreneur who has died aged 76, will be best remembered for his pioneering work in renewable energy, particularly in the development of wind energy. Dew.
Mr O’Connor is the former chief executive of Bord na Móna, an Irish peat development company, and the founder of Airtricity (now SSE Airtricity), an electricity supply and wind farm development company. He is also the co-founder of Mainstream Renewable Power.
He is also using the technology he was developing in the Supernode Superconductor Technology Project with Norwegian partner company Aaker Horizons to create a thin, fast and cost-effective way to distribute electricity from renewable sources. He was also a passionate and vocal advocate of a European supergrid using energy-efficient cables. .
He will be remembered as a radical thinker and an inspiring business leader with a bold vision and ability to get things done.
Mr O’Connor first became interested in renewable energy in 1989, when he was chief executive of Bord na Móna, when board members were concerned that carbon dioxide was heating the world dangerously. That’s when I told him.
Supernode CEO John Fitzgerald described O’Connor as “an adventurous pioneer and an irresistible visionary.” “He inspired others to believe that change could happen and gave them the confidence that they could make it happen. He spotted opportunities and trends years before anyone else. I did,” Fitzgerald said.
[ Entrepreneur and energy supergrid promoter Eddie O’Connor dies ]
In 2003, O’Connor was named World Energy Policy Leader by Scientific American magazine. In 2009, he received the inaugural Ernst & Young Leadership Award at his Global Renewable Energy Awards.
In 2017, he declared: “Fossil fuels are gone…the rest of the world just doesn’t know it yet.”
O’Connor first became interested in renewable energy in 1989, when he was chief executive of Bord na Móna, when a board member told him that carbon dioxide was dangerously heating the world. That’s when I heard it. In a 2021 interview with The Irish Times, he recalled his response. “I said, Really? But that’s the only way we’re going to make electricity.” And I said, “I said, really? But that’s the only way we’re going to make electricity.” We were responsible for 10,000 tons.Since then, I have decided on this [renewable energy] That would be the mission. ”
During his time at Bord na Móna, he had a strong working relationship with chairman Brendan Harrigan, who said: “We recognize that we have to do a huge transformational job and no one likes it.” I knew it wouldn’t happen,” he said. In 1992, Bord na Móna built Ireland’s first commercial wind farm in Belacoric, Co. Mayo.
In 1996, O’Connor resigned from Bord na Móna following a heated boardroom dispute over his remuneration package, which ultimately ended in O’Connor’s favor.
The following year, he became founder and chief executive of Airtricity (later Airtricity), which continued to develop wind farms in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and North America. During this time, Mr O’Connor led the construction of the Arklowbank offshore wind farm, which remains Ireland’s only offshore wind project.
In 2007, Airtricity sold its North American assets to German group E.ON, and in 2008 sold its remaining assets to Scottish & Southern Energy. Both deals were reported to have netted Mr O’Connor more than €40 million at the time.
After Airtricity, Mr. O’Connor poured a lot of money into establishing Mainstream Renewable Power, and went on to develop wind and solar farms in Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. In 2021, Norwegian company Aaker Horizons acquired a majority stake in Mainstream.
In addition to making Mr. O’Connor a millionaire (though he has often said he was not motivated by money), the deal also made O’Connor one of Norway’s richest men, Aker Horizons owner Kjell Inge Lokke. sparked a lasting friendship with.
In a 2021 interview with The Irish Times, Mr O’Connor described Mr Locke as a “soul brother” and said they were working on projects such as Supernode superconducting power cables to make Europe self-sufficient in carbon-free electricity by 2030. , embarked on an ambitious new project.
In 2021, Mr O’Connor published the biography ‘Dangerous He is the author of “The Visionary” (Currach Press).
In May 2021, he organized the Dublin Climate Dialogue with leading climate experts. However, he was criticized on social media over comments he made (and quickly apologized for) about how the lack of democratic traditions in post-colonial African countries is hindering the development of renewable energy on the continent. caused a storm. He subsequently lost his position as chairman of Mainstream Renewables.
“Decarbonising Europe is a continental issue… it is important to bring cheap ocean energy from north-west Europe and solar power around the Mediterranean in large quantities to central locations where it is most needed.”
— eddie o’connor
In his 2021 book, he explained his views on the causal relationship between electricity consumption and economic growth. “Africa’s entrepreneurs are disenfranchised because of low levels of electrification. There will be no economic growth until we have enough electricity to provide electricity. Small businesses are suffocated at birth.”
Mr O’Connor also spoke candidly about the potential for renewable energy in Ireland and Europe and how state-owned monopolies could slow progress.
He said: “Decarbonising Europe is a continental problem… to bring the vast quantities of cheap ocean energy in north-west Europe and solar power around the Mediterranean to the places of greatest demand in the centre.” These deep insights into how the economy works, and the formidable systems thinking of an engineer, were O’Connor’s hallmarks. He firmly believed that leaving fossil fuels in the ground and pursuing cheaper renewable energy was the only way forward.
Mr O’Connor’s desperate desire to solve climate change by developing renewable energy alternatives to fossil fuels led to his 2023 book Supergrid – Super Solutions, co-authored with the Irish Times environmental science editor. “The key to solving the energy crisis and decarbonizing Europe”. Kevin O’Sullivan.
[ A supergrid for Europe is the last piece in jigsaw to decarbonise Europe ]
Mr O’Sullivan said Mr O’Connor had “always called for collective action to expand renewable energy and address the climate crisis by expanding renewable energy and partnering with almost all energy electrification”.
Mr O’Sullivan added: “He believed that a European supergrid was a great enabler.” “This was pursued relentlessly with incredible focus. We got into rooms with key influencers, whether they were investors, bankers, politicians, civil servants or even fellow wind and solar developers. Once in, he became a great persuader. But his approach was always shaped by best strategy and a natural instinct for innovation. O’Sullivan said, “There was no time for discussion beforehand, but… Those who supported his mission were repeatedly urged to advance the cause.”
O’Connor, who was married to Hildegarde for more than 50 years, was an energetic and loving grandfather who brought his children and son-in-law into the renewable energy business.
The eldest of four children of statistician Robert (Bob) and Una O’Connor, he grew up in Roscommon and moved to Booterstown, south Dublin, when he was seven years old.
After completing his secondary education at Blackrock University, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from University College Dublin in 1970 and a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering, also from UCD, in 1976.
O’Connor, who was married to Hildegard for more than 50 years, was an energetic and loving grandfather who brought his children and son-in-law into the renewable energy business. He loved playing golf, particularly at Portmarnock Golf Club, and was always a great supporter of Lansdowne Rugby Club and his UCD, where Supernode was based in its early days. In 2023, he acquired Bordeaux winery Château Tour des Thermes with the aim of creating sustainable vineyards that can combat global warming.
Eddie O’Connor is survived by his wife Hildegarde, children Leslie and Robert, brother Des, sisters Mary and Ann, and five grandchildren.
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