Solar Energy UK
16.06.2022
Solar Energy UK is delighted to announce environmental journalist Gareth Simkins has joined the organisation as a Senior Communications Adviser.
For the past 16 years, Gareth had been at ENDS, the UK’s premier source of news and analysis for environmental professionals. Most recently, he was a senior writer at the ENDS Report, where he specialised in law, industrial regulation, industrial decarbonisation and chemicals.
Gareth trained as an environmental consultant at the University of East Anglia and represented the University of York on University Challenge.
During his time at ENDS, he founded ENDS Waste & Bioenergy, covering the biogas, biomass and energy-from-waste sectors. He wrote many important stories, including on the cover-up of the largest penalties ever levied for an emissions trading offence and financial mismanagement at Forestry England. He also exposed how chronic failures to reform ineffective flammability rules in furniture have led to UK homes having the greatest levels of toxic flame retardants in the world – knowledge which prompted him to engineer a parliamentary inquiry that secured their reform.
On joining Solar Energy UK, Gareth said: “It just felt like the stars had aligned. I was already organising a home retrofit with solar power and a heat pump when I helped found Croydon Community Energy last year, where one of my new colleagues also volunteers. I look forward to learning more about and promoting this fast-growing industry, which is critical for our transition to net zero.”
Chris Hewett, Chief Executive at Solar Energy UK stated: “We are delighted to have a journalist of Gareth’s pedigree join Solar Energy UK as part of the continued growth of the team. The expansion of solar in the UK has been under reported in the non-specialist media, and we will now be able to take our story to a wider audience.”
Gareth is on Linked In and Twitter @GarethSimkins.
For further information on membership or to request an interview, please contact: cparker@solarenergyuk.org
– ENDS –
About Solar Energy UK
Solar Energy UK is an established trade association working for and representing the entire solar and energy storage value chain.
Since 1978, the organisation represents a thriving member-led community of over 300+ businesses and associates, including installers, manufacturers, distributors, large-scale developers, investors, and law firms.
Together with its members, and in partnership with key players across the value-chain, Solar Energy UK is working to treble the UK solar capacity to 40GW by 2030 to build a clean energy system for everyone’s benefit with a mission to empower the UK solar transformation.