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Catherine Williams
I’ve been part of the AF team for 10 years now, working in roles across the business including: Front of House, Membership, Grants, Charge Card, Vehicles, Renewables, Communications Management, Energy Procurement and even some brief stints in the Fuels and Telecoms teams!
Getting the buzz for renewable power
The move to my current role, Renewable Energy Specialist, has given me the opportunity to grow AF’s portfolio of Members selling their surplus electricity generation to the grid. So far, I have doubled the size of the portfolio. What does this mean for Members? It has strengthened AF’s negotiating power with our export suppliers so we can get you a better price for the electricity you sell. A particular highlight for me so far, was when my early negotiations with our supplier achieved April renewal rates for our Members that were, on average, 25% higher than market rates.
Alongside the export portfolio, I also collaborate with John Wadeson, Renewable Project Specialist, to help Members identify, introduce, and optimise renewable and storage technology. With lithium prices dropping, battery storage is likely to be a bigger part of what we do over the next year.
John and I are waiting with bated breath for an announcement on the £15m Solar PV grants the previous DEFRA Secretary of State, Therese Coffey, alluded to prior to her departure from the position. From my days writing grant applications, I fully expect the vague timeline of “end of 2023” for this announcement to be a moving target, so it really is a case of watch this space.
Recently, I’ve been working on a project for AF’s electricity supply portfolio, to identify half hourly sites which may be overpaying on their electricity fixed charges. Although this isn’t something we can do for every site, I’m enormously proud of the savings we have made for Members so far, in some instances saving over 50% and making a real difference to operational costs. But I’m not resting on my laurels just yet. My next goal is to target the non-half hourly sites we have in our portfolio to see if we can start making savings for them too.
Golden sands
When I’m not selling renewable energy or trying to save Member’s money on their energy costs, I am typically found on one of Norfolk’s many stunning beaches with my two completely mad Goldendoodles, Milo and Lola. And as often as I can, I love to jet off to the Costa Calida to visit my dad, who made the move to sunnier climes 6 years ago.
Milo & Lola on one of their favourite Norfolk beaches
Catherine Williams Renewable Energy Specialist
catherine.williams@af.farm 01603 881 894
