In this episode of Leaders in Cleantech, I’m joined by Adrien Pinsard, CEO of Telis Energy, a Carlyle-backed renewable energy platform targeting a 10GW development pipeline across Europe by 2030.

Adrien reflects on nearly two decades in the renewables sector, moving from private equity investor to platform builder and entrepreneur. Before launching Telis in 2022, Adrien spent 14 years investing in renewable projects at Platina Energy Partners and later served as Interim CEO of Macquarie’s 11GW European solar developer, Cero Generation.

We discuss the thinking behind Telis’ decentralised development model, with dedicated local teams operating across the UK, France, Germany and Italy, and how that structure helps navigate the realities of developing infrastructure in different markets. As Adrien explains:

“To be a successful developer, you need a very strong local presence. You have to understand communities and the local market.”

The conversation also explores how the European renewables landscape is evolving. Adrien highlights two key shifts in recent years: the growing saturation of solar in some markets, and the rapidly increasing role of battery storage, driven by falling costs and rising power market volatility.

We also discuss broader themes shaping the next phase of the energy transition, including:

• The changing economics of renewable development
• Why batteries and hybrid energy hubs are becoming central to projects
• How grid constraints are shaping development strategy
• The importance of capital discipline in a tougher investment environment
• The impact of geopolitical volatility on energy security and renewable deployment

Looking ahead, Adrien sees renewables playing an increasingly important role in Europe’s energy resilience:

“Renewables are very well placed to provide energy security. Once the assets are in the ground, they’re homegrown.”

Finally, Adrien reflects on the entrepreneurial journey of building a platform from scratch, and the importance of trust and culture when building teams across multiple markets.

Adrien Pinsard:

Adrien Pinsard has a 17-year track record of renewable energy investment and development.

Prior to founding Telis, Adrien was Interim CEO of the Macquarie Group 11GW European solar energy developer, Cero Generation. Adrien spent 1

About Hyperion Search:

At Hyperion Search, we specialize in building world-class teams for the cleantech and energy transition sectors. We focus on leadership roles but also recruit strategically critical individual contributors who drive business growth. Whether you’re a founder scaling a startup, a board member guiding a scaleup, a VC/PE investor, or a corporation committed to energy and mobility transitions, we find the talent that will deliver impactful, sustainable results.

• Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hyperion-search-ltd
• Website: www.hyperionsearch.com

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If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.

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In this episode I’m Joined by Mike Nakrani, CEO of VEV. Mike is an OG in the electrification of transport, and that’s ignoring the milk float joyride! We talk about the challenges, opportunities and many converging technologies and factors that impact fleet electrification.

There are of course many examples now that light and heavy-duty electric fleets are here and scaling. Grid connections aside, the biggest challenges is to demonstrate and achieve better TCO and true commercial viability. As Mike said during our conversation, “Electrification only works when it works commercially.”. We also talk about how having worked in behemoths like Ford and BP have been a positive rather than a negative as he leads a nimble start-up, taking the good and the bad, and how he sees and leads innovation at speed.

We talked through:

• The new economics of fleet electrification
• What genuinely drives ROI
• Why scaling is very different from running a pilot
• Financing models and infrastructure ownership
• The role of software and optimisation
• And what kind of leadership this next phase requires

It’s a thoughtful conversation about what it really takes to move from ambition to operational reality, from pilots to scale.

I hope you enjoy it.

Mike Nakrani:

With more than two decades of experience spanning automotive OEMs, mobility services and energy transition, Mike Nakrani is steering VEV’s mission to support commercial fleets in moving to electric power.

He stands at the intersection of automotive, mobility services and the energy transition – three sectors converging rapidly. Through his role at VEV, he represents how commercial fleet electrification must be executed at scale: not just with EVs, but with systems, infrastructure and business models that work. His leadership offers insight into how fleets can drive real-world decarbonisation.

Nakrani promotes a pragmatic, ‘technology-neutral’ view of fleet decarbonisation – emphasising the transitional role that fuels such as HVO have to play, while reinforcing the scale and operational efficiency electrification delivers in the long term, delivering the most compelling business case for organisations needing to decarbonise.

About VEV:

VEV helps organisations deliver on their carbon reduction ambitions with an end-to-end fleet electrification solution that integrates across vehicle

About Hyperion Search:

At Hyperion Search, we specialize in building world-class teams for the cleantech and energy transition sectors. We focus on leadership roles but also recruit strategically critical individual contributors who drive business growth. Whether you’re a founder scaling a startup, a board member guiding a scaleup, a VC/PE investor, or a corporation committed to energy and mobility transitions, we find the talent that will deliver impactful, sustainable results.

• Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hyperion-search-ltd
• Website: www.hyperionsearch.com

Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribe

I'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the podcast Linked In page.

If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/

Also follow the podcast and to stay up to date.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leaders-in-clean...

In this episode, I’m joined by Johannes Kirnberger, co-founder and Managing Director of Delta Charge, a Swedish-German company building Europe’s next-generation charging and battery infrastructure for electric freight. Johannes shares his journey from advising global institutions like the OECD and World Bank to co-founding a startup that's tackling one of Europe’s most complex infrastructure challenges—how to electrify heavy-duty transport at scale.

Johannes Kirnberger is the co-founder and managing director of Delta Charge, a Swedish-German energy company pioneering integrated charging and battery storage solutions for European industry and electric fleet. He previously advised the OECD, the World Bank and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on energy, digital, and climate policy. Johannes serves as a guest lecturer at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from ESCP Business School, a Master of International Public Management from Sciences Po, and a Master in International Affairs, Energy and Environment from Columbia University.

About Delta Charge:
Headquartered in Munich, Delta Charge is a Swedish-German energy infrastructure company pioneering end-to-end charging and battery storage solutions for Europe’s freight sector. The company develops and finances a pan-European network of truck-charging depots and battery-enabled industrial hubs. Its platform combines intelligent software, grid-connected batteries, and fixed-price charging services to help fleet operators electrify their operations while supporting a more flexible and resilient power grid. Backed by Delta Capacity, one of Scandinavia’s leading battery energy storage developers, the company aims to deploy over €300 million in infrastructure and deliver 1.8 TWh of clean energy annually by 2030, anchoring the backbone of Europe’s zero-carbon freight future.

Social links:
Johannes Kirnberger LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanneskirnberger/
Delta Charge on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/deltacharge/
Delta Charge website: https://www.deltacharge.com/

Episode Links:
Book Recommends:
Termination Shock- Neil Stephenson - https://amzn.eu/d/1XmpfDC
About Hyperion Search:
At Hyperion Search, we specialize in building world-class teams for the cleantech and energy transition sectors. We focus on leadership roles but also recruit str

About Hyperion Search:

At Hyperion Search, we specialize in building world-class teams for the cleantech and energy transition sectors. We focus on leadership roles but also recruit strategically critical individual contributors who drive business growth. Whether you’re a founder scaling a startup, a board member guiding a scaleup, a VC/PE investor, or a corporation committed to energy and mobility transitions, we find the talent that will deliver impactful, sustainable results.

• Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hyperion-search-ltd
• Website: www.hyperionsearch.com

Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribe

I'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the podcast Linked In page.

If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/

Also follow the podcast and to stay up to date.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leaders-in-clean...