Alan James

Dr Alan James [CV] is one of the UK’s leading energy innovators. He publishes How to Electrify Your Life, Save Loads of Money, & Save the Planet, the influential blog about renewable energy at domestic scale. Using Alan’s own home as the data source, it demonstrates how to slash both carbon emissions and energy costs, documenting how Alan’s family saves around £20,000 and 28 tonnes of CO2 each year.

Alan also built one of the most energy efficient buildings in Europe, the globally unique Warksburn Old Church in Northumberland, the first church-to-home conversion in the world to achieve Passivhaus certification; whilst also delivering absolute zero CO2 from energy use and a negative annual electricity bill. Combining Passivhaus with smart energy technologies, this extraordinary showcase for radical decarbonisation enables guests to experience Beyond Net Zero living for themselves.

Professionally, Alan works where innovation, infrastructure and investment intersect, particularly in high speed ground transport (HSGT). He served as VP of Virgin Hyperloop One, and is the only person on Earth to have authored Government-level business cases for all three HSGT modes: 300 km/h rail; 500 km/h maglev; and 1,000 km/h hyperloop. His other major field is smart energy, where he is currently pioneering work on both Zero Energy Cost + Zero Energy Carbon (2ZEC) Housing and on aligning renewable generation, innovative energy storage and Artificial Intelligence energy demands.

Alan has advised at the highest levels of Government, including in-person with a Prime Minister, multiple Cabinet members, two Scottish First Ministers, the Saudi Royal Court, plus Dutch, Swedish, Finnish and Australian Ministers. He recently played a leading role in defining the strategic policy for ultra-HSGT in the EU, and the programme to deliver it.