Zoom in on Net Zero - with E.ON's Michael Lewis

Michael Lewis is the CEO of energy giant E.ON, which - as one of the so-called 'Big Six' - is one of the UK's largest suppliers of energy and renewable electricity.

The company's history, which began in its previous guise as Powergen in 1989, is like many major energy firms built on coal power. However, over the past decade the firm has taken an increasingly influential role in the renewables industry, including the construction and operation of the UK's first offshore wind farm at Blyth in Northumberland. Then in 2016 a major restructuring resulted in all of E.ON's fossil fuel assets being split off into a newly-established, separate company called Uniper, a move which has allowed E.ON to focus entirely on energy supply, grid development and renewables.

Lewis, meanwhile, has worked in the energy industry for more than a quarter of a century, having studied engineering as well as pollution and environmental control as an undergraduate. As he explains to BusinessGreen's James Murray during recent chat, climate change and decarbonisation is the "golden thread" which has run right through Lewis's career, and since the beginning he has felt clear that the impacts and challenges of climate change were only set to continue.

In a wide-ranging interview, Lewis also discusses the rapidly changing role of energy for UK consumers, how innovation and technology can deliver huge benefits and savings for households, and E.ON's own pathway toward becoming a net zero company. The conversation can be watched in full above.

This article is part of BusinessGreen's Net Zero Innovate hub.

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