About Us

Who we are

All parties involved are dedicated to delivering effective solutions to the identification and measurement of biodiversity opportunities through renewable energy systems.

Finance & Investment in Nature Positive Energy (FINE) combines complementary expertise from academia as well as industry. Specialists from the University of York and Lancaster University provide extensive experience in areas from biodiversity and natural capital to environmental economics and value chain analysis, whilst NextEnergy Capital brings forward direct industry experience and insight to the collaboration.

Our Teams

University of York

The University of York is a research-intensive university working to tackle some of the most pressing environmental, social and economic challenges facing our rapidly changing world. It aims to develop effective solutions that will deliver benefits for generations to come. The research team based at York is comprised of interdisciplinary ecologists, economists, and management researchers who have extensive research knowledge in measuring and valuing natural capital across a range of topics. This allows us to understand how we should approach the natural capital located in renewable energy assets so that we can make the best use of it from an environmental, social, and business perspective.
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NextEnergy Solar Fund

NextEnergy Solar Fund (‘NESF’) is a specialist solar energy and energy storage company listed on the premium segment of the London Stock Exchange, and is a constituent of the FTSE 250. As well as helping to address climate change by producing clean electricity, NESF aims to deliver a positive local environmental impact across its portfolio. Through its active engagement in key biodiversity and natural capital initiatives, NESF drives best practice across the solar and energy storage industry.
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NextEnergy Capital

NextEnergy Capital is a leading global investment manager in the Solar+ sector, comprising solar energy and associated technologies, including energy storage. As a market leader, we are dedicated to ensuring sustainability priorities are fully integrated in our development, investment, and asset management activities. We are committed to mitigating impacts on nature as much as possible, and supporting the shift towards restoration and Nature Positive outcomes. NextEnergy is the investment advisor of NextEnergy Solar Fund.
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Lancaster University

Lancaster Environment Centre is a community of high—achieving students, world-class environmental researchers, government scientists and enterprises working together to address today’s biggest environmental challenges. The Centre’s research is ranked joint 2nd with York’s Department of Environment and Geography for impact in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences and it has won awards for its collaborative work with industry. The team at Lancaster brings understanding of renewable energy — ecosystem interactions, focussing on how energy decarbonisation can also mitigate the ecological crisis.
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Our People

Our team includes people from business and academia, working together to develop financial and investment solutions for a Nature Positive energy future.

Jacqueline You

Assistant Professor in Business and Management

Jacqueline is specialising in Resilience, Innovation, Strategy and Ecosystems (RISE) applied to sustainability. Prior to her academic tenure, she held strategic roles in global supply chains and procurement for MNEs across China, the US, Canada, and France, later founding her venture in the UK. She brings a wealth of knowledge to this project, focusing on practical and theoretical approaches to sustainable business practices.
Piran White

Professor of environmental management at the University of York

Piran carries out research on human-environment interactions, including the services and benefits we derive from nature and the links between ecosystems and human and animal health. His research frequently involves the use of interdisciplinary approaches across the natural and social sciences, and alongside policy-makers, practitioners and the business community. He has led the development of a range of decision support tools for Government and practitioners to enhance the management of natural capital and ecosystem services, including in relation to solar park management.
Lucy Treasure

PhD student at Lancaster University

Lucy is researching the impact of solar parks on ecosystem services, soil health and forage quality for livestock. Postdoctoral Research Associate at University of York working on the project, helping to develop appropriate indicators and metrics for monitoring of nature positive investment and outcomes at solar parks. This project is important because it will improve our understanding of the potential nature positive impacts of solar and support their monitoring and reporting through the solar park value chain.
Hing Kin Lee

Vice President of Nature at NextEnergy Capital

Lee leads on integrating nature and natural capital into investment decision making. He supports Environmental and Social Governance activities across transactions, development, construction and asset management. Lee is a Chartered Environmentalist with 20 years’ experience working across nature and natural capital both in infrastructure development and sustainable lending and finance.
Paul Hudson

Lecturer in environmental economics

Paul works on a range of interdisciplinary topics, one of which is on how we can make the best use of nature to combat a changing environment and how we can convincing demonstrate this value. The metrics we are studying can be used to underpin the case for proactively investing in improving our stocks of nature.
David Hawkins

Vice President, ESG at NextEnergy Group

David supports the Head of ESG in the implementation of the ESG framework across the Group, along with ensuring that all ESG regulatory matters are considered accordingly. David is an experienced environmental & social advisor for the energy sector and has strong knowledge in assessing and managing biodiversity and climate related issues which apply to all levels of the energy portfolio.
Laura Harrison

Researcher at the University of York

Working broadly on the relationships between biodiversity, ecosystem services and health and wellbeing. Laura’s role has been to assess how appropriate various indicators and metrics are for use by stakeholders, which will support an industry that has been particularly forward thinking with regard to biodiversity.

Read more about Laura’s work
Connect with Laura on LinkedIn
Ross Grier

Chief Operating Officer and Head of UK Investments at NextEnergy Capital

Ross joined the Group in 2013 and has contributed to NextEnergy Capital’s success across its UK activities. Ross oversees NEC’s UK investment platform, including investment activities for NextEnergy Solar Fund, and oversees NEC’s global operations, which includes services such as Fund Management, Construction Management, Global Procurement and Portfolio Management across NEC’s existing and future investment vehicles.

Connect with Ross on LinkedIn
Alona Armstrong

Professor in Energy & Environmental Sciences  and Director of Energy at Lancaster University

Alona’s research focus is on understanding the interactions between renewable energy infrastructure and the hosting ecosystem. This ranges from projects that develop more fundamental understanding through to decision support tools and guidance to help manage solar parks for ecosystem service benefits. She brings understanding of the ecological impacts of land use and management change for renewable energy and implications for biodiversity, natural capital and ecosystem services to the project.

Read more about Alona’s work

Jacqueline You

Assistant Professor in Business and Management

Jacqueline is specialising in Resilience, Innovation, Strategy and Ecosystems (RISE) applied to sustainability. Prior to her academic tenure, she held strategic roles in global supply chains and procurement for MNEs across China, the US, Canada, and France, later founding her venture in the UK. She brings a wealth of knowledge to this project, focusing on practical and theoretical approaches to sustainable business practices.
Piran White

Professor of environmental management at the University of York

Piran carries out research on human-environment interactions, including the services and benefits we derive from nature and the links between ecosystems and human and animal health. His research frequently involves the use of interdisciplinary approaches across the natural and social sciences, and alongside policy-makers, practitioners and the business community. He has led the development of a range of decision support tools for Government and practitioners to enhance the management of natural capital and ecosystem services, including in relation to solar park management.
Lucy Treasure

PhD student at Lancaster University

Lucy is researching the impact of solar parks on ecosystem services, soil health and forage quality for livestock. Postdoctoral Research Associate at University of York working on the project, helping to develop appropriate indicators and metrics for monitoring of nature positive investment and outcomes at solar parks. This project is important because it will improve our understanding of the potential nature positive impacts of solar and support their monitoring and reporting through the solar park value chain.
Hing Kin Lee

Vice President of Nature at NextEnergy Capital

Lee leads on integrating nature and natural capital into investment decision making. He supports Environmental and Social Governance activities across transactions, development, construction and asset management. Lee is a Chartered Environmentalist with 20 years’ experience working across nature and natural capital both in infrastructure development and sustainable lending and finance.
Paul Hudson

Lecturer in environmental economics

Paul works on a range of interdisciplinary topics, one of which is on how we can make the best use of nature to combat a changing environment and how we can convincing demonstrate this value. The metrics we are studying can be used to underpin the case for proactively investing in improving our stocks of nature.
David Hawkins

Vice President, ESG at NextEnergy Group

David supports the Head of ESG in the implementation of the ESG framework across the Group, along with ensuring that all ESG regulatory matters are considered accordingly. David is an experienced environmental & social advisor for the energy sector and has strong knowledge in assessing and managing biodiversity and climate related issues which apply to all levels of the energy portfolio.
Laura Harrison

Researcher at the University of York

Working broadly on the relationships between biodiversity, ecosystem services and health and wellbeing. Laura’s role has been to assess how appropriate various indicators and metrics are for use by stakeholders, which will support an industry that has been particularly forward thinking with regard to biodiversity.

Read more about Laura’s work
Connect with Laura on LinkedIn
Ross Grier

Chief Operating Officer and Head of UK Investments at NextEnergy Capital

Ross joined the Group in 2013 and has contributed to NextEnergy Capital’s success across its UK activities. Ross oversees NEC’s UK investment platform, including investment activities for NextEnergy Solar Fund, and oversees NEC’s global operations, which includes services such as Fund Management, Construction Management, Global Procurement and Portfolio Management across NEC’s existing and future investment vehicles.

Connect with Ross on LinkedIn
Alona Armstrong

Professor in Energy & Environmental Sciences  and Director of Energy at Lancaster University

Alona’s research focus is on understanding the interactions between renewable energy infrastructure and the hosting ecosystem. This ranges from projects that develop more fundamental understanding through to decision support tools and guidance to help manage solar parks for ecosystem service benefits. She brings understanding of the ecological impacts of land use and management change for renewable energy and implications for biodiversity, natural capital and ecosystem services to the project.

Read more about Alona’s work

Jacqueline You

Assistant Professor in Business and Management

Jacqueline is specialising in Resilience, Innovation, Strategy and Ecosystems (RISE) applied to sustainability. Prior to her academic tenure, she held strategic roles in global supply chains and procurement for MNEs across China, the US, Canada, and France, later founding her venture in the UK. She brings a wealth of knowledge to this project, focusing on practical and theoretical approaches to sustainable business practices.
Piran White

Professor of environmental management at the University of York

Piran carries out research on human-environment interactions, including the services and benefits we derive from nature and the links between ecosystems and human and animal health. His research frequently involves the use of interdisciplinary approaches across the natural and social sciences, and alongside policy-makers, practitioners and the business community. He has led the development of a range of decision support tools for Government and practitioners to enhance the management of natural capital and ecosystem services, including in relation to solar park management.
Lucy Treasure

PhD student at Lancaster University

Lucy is researching the impact of solar parks on ecosystem services, soil health and forage quality for livestock. Postdoctoral Research Associate at University of York working on the project, helping to develop appropriate indicators and metrics for monitoring of nature positive investment and outcomes at solar parks. This project is important because it will improve our understanding of the potential nature positive impacts of solar and support their monitoring and reporting through the solar park value chain.
Hing Kin Lee

Vice President of Nature at NextEnergy Capital

Lee leads on integrating nature and natural capital into investment decision making. He supports Environmental and Social Governance activities across transactions, development, construction and asset management. Lee is a Chartered Environmentalist with 20 years’ experience working across nature and natural capital both in infrastructure development and sustainable lending and finance.
Paul Hudson

Lecturer in environmental economics

Paul works on a range of interdisciplinary topics, one of which is on how we can make the best use of nature to combat a changing environment and how we can convincing demonstrate this value. The metrics we are studying can be used to underpin the case for proactively investing in improving our stocks of nature.
David Hawkins

Vice President, ESG at NextEnergy Group

David supports the Head of ESG in the implementation of the ESG framework across the Group, along with ensuring that all ESG regulatory matters are considered accordingly. David is an experienced environmental & social advisor for the energy sector and has strong knowledge in assessing and managing biodiversity and climate related issues which apply to all levels of the energy portfolio.
Laura Harrison

Researcher at the University of York

Working broadly on the relationships between biodiversity, ecosystem services and health and wellbeing. Laura’s role has been to assess how appropriate various indicators and metrics are for use by stakeholders, which will support an industry that has been particularly forward thinking with regard to biodiversity.

Read more about Laura’s work
Connect with Laura on LinkedIn
Ross Grier

Chief Operating Officer and Head of UK Investments at NextEnergy Capital

Ross joined the Group in 2013 and has contributed to NextEnergy Capital’s success across its UK activities. Ross oversees NEC’s UK investment platform, including investment activities for NextEnergy Solar Fund, and oversees NEC’s global operations, which includes services such as Fund Management, Construction Management, Global Procurement and Portfolio Management across NEC’s existing and future investment vehicles.

Connect with Ross on LinkedIn
Alona Armstrong

Professor in Energy & Environmental Sciences  and Director of Energy at Lancaster University

Alona’s research focus is on understanding the interactions between renewable energy infrastructure and the hosting ecosystem. This ranges from projects that develop more fundamental understanding through to decision support tools and guidance to help manage solar parks for ecosystem service benefits. She brings understanding of the ecological impacts of land use and management change for renewable energy and implications for biodiversity, natural capital and ecosystem services to the project.

Read more about Alona’s work

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