Action Renewables is a leading provider of renewable energy expertise. We provide support for renewable energy development, through trading electricity and renewable energy certificates. We also develop and engage in European Projects.
Our success is dependent upon the leadership provided by a management board. The board is constituted representing individuals including industry professionals, non-governmental representatives and environmental specialists.
The board members are:
Action Renewables is a registered charity, a company limited by guarantee. Our vision is to create a Northern Ireland which recognises the serious impacts of climate change and will take measures to prevent and mitigate against those impacts, through using renewable energy, energy efficiency, renewable transport and renewable products. Our mission is to carry out our activities, including our charitable activities, in line with our charitable objects. While our vision applies to Northern Ireland, our mission applies to the UK and Ireland.
Our charitable objectives are the foundation of our business. We aim to:
Advance to the benefit of the public, the protection and improvement of the environment, through the promotion of energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Advance the education of the public in energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Improve the quality and standards of renewable energy provision, by promoting quality assurance schemes and delivering quality assurance services.
Terry Waugh
Chief Executive Officer
Terry Waugh
Chief Executive Officer
As Chief Executive Officer of Action Renewables, Terry is responsible for the company’s overall strategic direction, including the implementation of activities that align with the company’s mission and vision.
Terry has worked for Action Renewables for 16 years and prior to that, Terry gained over 20 years' energy industry experience at Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE), where he acted as Customer Relations Manager for NIE’s Transmission and Distribution business.
In his studies, Terry gained a Bachelor's Degree in Business and Finance, a Masters of Business Administration and an Open University accreditation in Energy for a Sustainable Future.
Irene Robinson
Finance Director
Irene Robinson
Finance Director
Irene Robinson joined Action Renewables as Accountant in 2007 and was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2014. She holds a First class Honours degree in Economics and Accounting, a Masters in Accounting, and a Postgraduate Diploma in IT Applications. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and a Member of the Institute of Professional Financial Managers. Her role is to oversee the financial management and administration functions of the company and to advise the Board on financial strategy and planning.
Jonathan Buick
Chief Operating Officer
Jonathan Buick
Chief Operating Officer
Jonathan Buick is head of projects in Action Renewables. He has over ten years experience in energy and environmental consultancy, waste management and renewable energy technologies. Jonathan is an authority on government support measures for renewable energy, such as the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation and the Feed-in Tariff in Great Britain. His technical and economic expertise in renewable energy spans all technologies, but particularly wind, anaerobic digestion and solar thermal and this expertise has led to him providing training and advice to a wide range of stakeholders, from the farming sector in Northern Ireland to the Government of Azerbaijan. Jonathan has a MSc in Environmental Management and Policy and is a Chartered Scientist.
Mark Compston
Head of Projects
Mark Compston
Head of Projects
As Head of Projects with over 17 years’ experience in the renewable energy industry, largely in technical roles, Mark supports clients with renewable energy services such as feasibility studies, energy audits and project management. Mark works closely with stakeholders and partners, particularly in relation to green gas and renewable transport. Mark holds a BA (Hons) Business Studies degree, a Master's of Business Administration (MBA) and is a Chartered Manager.
William Deane
Head of Projects
William Deane
Head of Projects
William Deane joined the Action Renewables team in March 2015 as an Assistant Project Manager. He is working on Ofgem accreditation for domestic and commercial renewable energy generating clients. He will also be assisting the technical team with site visits, feasibility studies and will be involved with ROC trading.
William has previously worked with the electricity supplier Budget Energy LTD as their Renewables Project Coordinator and was responsible for the managing of their renewables portfolio. William holds a degree in Environmental Management from the University of Northumbria, Newcastle.
Dawn Murphy
Senior Project Manager
Dawn Murphy
Senior Project Manager
With a background in Environmental consultancy, Dawn Murphy joined the AR team as an Energy Advisor and Community Information Officer in April 2006, providing renewable energy advice to householders and community groups. Dawn managed Action Renewables’ MCS installer certification service for 7 years and has recently managed the company’s rebranding and new website development. She holds a masters degree in Environmental Management, is a registered environmental auditor and an Environmental Practitioner with the Institute of Environmental Management and assessment. (IEMA). Dawn currently works on European Projects and feasibility studies.
Aaron Kernohan
Senior Project Manager
Aaron Kernohan
Senior Project Manager
Aaron Kernohan is an Assistant Project Manager at Action Renewables. Aaron graduated from Queen’s University, Belfast in 2011 with a BSc Environmental Planning. On graduating Aaron spent two years as an intern research assistant in the NI Department of the Environment working on sourcing competitive European Funding for Energy and Climate Change projects as part of the cross-departmental Barroso Task Force. Subsequently Aaron spent one and a half years as a consultant with PWC working on various projects with different clients including as part of the Government Services procurement team where he helped in assessing global climate change project funding applications and drafted contracts and statements of work for the successful bidders.
Caroline Winder
Senior Project Manager
Caroline Winder
Senior Project Manager
Caroline joined Action Renewables in June 2018, working within the Large-Scale Generator team. As a Senior Project Manager in Action Renewables, Caroline oversees the ROC claim process and associated validation requirements. She is also involved in renewable commodity trading opportunities. Caroline also heads up the Consultancy team within Action Renewables, managing environmental and energy-related projects, including energy audits and feasibility studies.
Prior to working with Action Renewables, Caroline graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Natural Sciences (Earth Sciences and Geography) from Durham University and holds a Master's degree from Queen's University Belfast in Environmental Engineering.
Shane Hanna
Senior Project Manager
Shane Hanna
Senior Project Manager
Shane Hanna joined Action Renewables in August 2016 as an intern as part of his degree programme, Land use and Environmental Management at Queen’s University Belfast. Shane graduated from Queen’s University Belfast in December 2017 with a BSc Land Use and Environmental Management. He is now a full-time employee and works very closely with Ofgem on the Large-Scale Generators team. Shane has been responsible for accrediting many applications under the NIRO (Northern Ireland Renewable Obligation) for various technologies such as Wind Turbines, Anaerobic Digestion Plants and Solar Panels. In addition to this, Shane will also be assisting with various external projects as well as business development schemes.
Lana Moore
Senior Project Manager
Lana Moore
Senior Project Manager
Lana joined Action Renewables in September 2018 in the Microgeneration team. She holds a BA (Hons) degree in Sculpture from Edinburgh College of Art and has over 11 years banking experience in mortgage advice, branch management and sales. She has extensive experience in managing a diverse range of projects at branch management level. As part of the Microgeneration team, her responsibilities include data management, data submissions and managing client records.
Annette Herty
Office Manager
Annette Herty
Office Manager
Annette Herty is Action Renewables’ Office Manager and has been with the company since 2006. Annette has a wealth of experience in team management and customer service. She previously worked with British Airways as Team Manager in both sales and customer service. Prior to this she provided clerical support for the headquarters of the Eastern Health & Social Services Board in Belfast.
Elsa Fonseca
Assistant Accountant
Elsa Fonseca
Assistant Accountant
Elsa joined the company in April 2017 as Assistant Accountant and is a qualified Accounting Technician with IATI. Elsa previously worked as Finance Team Leader for Musgrave Retail Partners NI and has over 20 years' experience.
Ian Gordon
Energy Association Manager
Ian Gordon
Energy Association Manager
Ian initially joined Action Renewables in May 2017, working on the Microgeneration team and was then appointed Manager of the Action Renewables Energy Association (AREA) in October 2017, where he promotes and develops its membership through regular seminars and conferences. He encourages the increased uptake of Renewable Energy by liaising with Government Departments, local Councils and other public sector organisations.
Ian is also developing renewable commodity trading opportunities in Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs), Renewable Electricity Guarantees of Origin (REGOs) and Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations (RTFCs) in Northern Ireland, the UK and Europe.
Ian had worked previously in Banking and Accounting.
James McKay
Business Development Manager
James McKay
Business Development Manager
James joined the Action Renewables team in March 2018 as a Business Development Manager. His role includes working on ROC Trading in GB as well as supporting the team in Northern Ireland. James has previously worked within the Renewables sector as a Sales Manager for a UK company driving their growth and expansion into the Northern Ireland market. James holds a degree in Business & Languages.
Finbar Lunney
Project Manager
Finbar Lunney
Project Manager
Finbar joined the Action Renewables team in 2016 after previously completing an internship with the company. Finbar has worked closely on securing ROC accreditation for Small Scale PV for clients in Northern Ireland and liaising closely with Ofgem and installers to resolve queries on microgeneration applications and assisting in making data claims for ROCS. In addition to this Finbar has helped to complete applications for European Projects and assists Business Development.
Nathan McBride
Project Manager
Nathan McBride
Project Manager
Nathan joined the Action Renewables team in May 2016 as an intern as part of his degree programme, Land use and Environmental Management at Queen’s University Belfast. Nathan is a member of the Microgeneration team and has experience securing ROC accreditations for Solar PV clients, working closely with Ofgem and installers to resolve queries on microgeneration applications.
Matthew Esler
Project Manager
Matthew Esler
Project Manager
Matthew Esler joined Action Renewables in July 2017 as a placement student as part of his degree course, Land Use and Environmental Management with Professional Studies at Queen’s University Belfast and graduated in July 2019. Matthew works within the Large-Scale Generators team and has played a role in the accreditation of many large-scale renewable technologies such as Wind, Hydro, Solar and Anaerobic Digestion under the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation (NIRO). Matthew is also assisting and advising clients on grid connection applications, audits and various other projects within business development.
Kevin Graham
Project Manager
Kevin Graham
Project Manager
Kevin Joined Action Renewables in April 2018 as part of the Microgeneration team. His main responsibilities include data management and data submission to Ofgem to ensure ROC payments to clients. Kevin has over 5 years’ experience from Lloyds Banking Group in managing customer accounts, team management, customer service and sales. He is currently studying with the Open University for a degree in Environmental Management and Technology.
John Bennett
Project Manager
John Bennett
Project Manager
John joined Action Renewables in November 2018. Prior to this, John worked within the Metering and Billing Department at Northern Ireland Water and has further experience from a Public Sector role based in Edinburgh, Scotland. He graduated from Queen’s University Belfast with a Master’s in Leadership for Sustainable Development in September 2015, having spent 8 weeks on placement with Action Renewables and previously obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Geography in July 2014, also from Queen’s University Belfast.
John works closely on the Large-Scale Generators team and is responsible for accrediting applications under the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation (NIRO). Alongside this, he carries out data analysis, site visits, produces technical reports and assesses the feasibility of installing renewable energy generators at sites throughout Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Jo-Anne Crossley
Marketing and Communications Manager
Jo-Anne Crossley
Marketing and Communications Manager
Jo-Anne Crossley joins the Action Renewables team as Marketing and Communications Manager. She holds a BA Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (ACIM) with Level 6 qualification in Marketing and Level 4 in Digital Marketing, along with Chartered Management Institute Level 5 in Leadership and Management. Jo-Anne has a wealth of experience in Marketing, Communications and Business Development having worked in Management roles within Private, Public and Voluntary sector organisations.
15 years' experience in the sustainable energy industry in Ireland.
Action Renewables created as a non-profit charity funded by DETI and Viridian
Education programme and community energy programme set up
£8 million reconnect domestic grant programme announced and administered by Action Renewables
Action Renewables begins to participate in EU funded projects
Action Renewables completes All Island Grid Study on behalf of DETI NI and DCMNR
Action Renewables submits its first Interreg application as lead partner
Action Renewables Association formed
Action Renewables becomes a self-funding not-for-profit social enterprise
Company gains UKAS accreditation as a certification body and begins MCS certification services
Action Renewables becomes a registered participant in the ROC market
Action Renewables leads its first EU project "Batterie"
Action Renewables becomes a registered Ofgem Agent for microgenerators
Action Renewables Energy Association (AREA) formed
Action Renewables reaches 5,000 small scale PV customers
Dublin office opened
Action Renewables expands commercial activities to Great Britain
Action Renewables donates £65,000 to charitable causes
Action Renewables welcome the appointment of a new CEO
Action Renewables play a leading role in providing expert advice and support to the renewable sector in Northern Ireland. NIEL has engaged with Action Renewables for many years, working together as advocates for clean and sustainable energy.
Carol Forster, Operations Manager & Deputy CEO, Northern Ireland Environment Link
