• CERAWeek
  • March 18 - 22, 2024
  • About

Emmanouil Kakaras

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries EMEA

Executive Vice President NEXT Energy Business

Professor Dr. Emmanouil Kakaras has been Executive Vice President, NEXT Energy Business at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries EMEA since 1 April 2021. Prior to this role, he was Senior Vice President for New Products and Energy Solutions at MHI Group company Mitsubishi Power Europe since January 2018. Up until then he served as Vice President and Head of Research & Development at Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Europe since September 2012. His R&D activities mainly focus on flexible operation of thermal plants, on fuel cells and electrolysers, the development of large-scale energy storage and the utilization of CO2. He is a member of the Board of Directors of EU Turbines. Professor Kakaras’ academic background is on clean energy generation technologies and since December 1991 he has been a Professor at the National Technical University of Athens, Greece. He has also been guest lecturer at the Universities of Warsaw and Tokyo. He participates as an external member in various working groups organized by the European Commission (CAG, Energy Committee), the Advisory Council of the Technology Platforms on Zero Emission Power Plants and on Smart Networks for Energy Transition as well as the Scientific Board of Industrial Associations (VGB, Rhein Ruhr Power, BDI). Professor Kakaras is also a member of several advisory committees of academic institutions (EASAC, Academy of Athens, EASE).

Sessions With Emmanouil Kakaras

Thursday, 9 March

  • 11:00am - 11:30am (CST) / 09/mar/2023 05:00 pm - 09/mar/2023 05:30 pm

    Groundbreaking Technologies
    Energy Transition/Climate & Sustainability
    Will technologies come to the rescue to meet goals of the Paris Climate Accord? The importance and need of technologies—existing as well as those on the horizon—is highlighted in every energy transition conversation. Wind, solar PV and batteries have made significant improvements in performance and cost over the last two decades. However, hydrocarbons still account for 80% of primary energy supply—just as was the case 30 years back. This panel will discuss: What is necessary to accelerate the pace of deployment and development of clean energy technologies? Which technologies have the potential to scale to a gigaton in this decade? Considering the scale of change necessary in the global energy system, what should policy makers and investors do to accelerate the pace of transformation?
  • 12:00pm - 12:50pm (CST) / 09/mar/2023 06:00 pm - 09/mar/2023 06:50 pm

    Choices for Flexible Power: Gas, batteries, storage and beyond
    Power & Renewables
    As renewable generation becomes increasingly widespread in power markets globally, the associated variability and impact on system reliability are highlighting the importance of flexible power sources. Today, power markets are addressing the challenge in different ways, from ramping gas or coal fleets up and down, to enhancing transmission interconnections, leveraging pumped hydro or batteries storage and innovating demand-side management. Policies and market mechanisms are poised to evolve to incentivize and reward flexible power supply, particularly those zero-carbon solutions that can advance energy transition. Is there an optimal balance between variable renewable capacity and flexible power resources, theoretically or in practice? Which flexible solution has the most positive cost curve outlook and at what scale? What are the main policies and market mechanisms addressing flexibility today? What changes need to be made to create commercial opportunities for flexibility suppliers?
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