Alex Caines
Current Employer/Organisation Name
Island Green Power
What have you been doing since leaving Exeter, and what are you doing now?
Project Development Coordinator for TCPA solar and energy storage projects at Enviromena.
Project Developer for NSIP solar and energy storage projects at SSE.
Senior Project Development Manager for TCPA solar and energy storage projects at PS Renewables.
Project Development Manager for NSIP solar and energy storage projects at Island Green Power.
All the roles are very similar bar the latest. I managed the grid applications process, review and acceptance, initial and ongoing indicative layout design, land and legal negotiations for the site, and directed internal and external resource in the relevant consenting process.
In my latest role I have transitioned more towards portfolio level work, ensuring consistency across NSIP projects, standardising documentation, and attempting to improve efficiency in the development process for the development team.
Why did you choose this career? And what do you enjoy most about your work?
During my undergrad I realised I wanted a tangible outcome to my work and wanted to contribute towards solving a real world problem, such as, climate change, energy security etc. It is satisfying knowing I am contributing towards that effort and its nice to drive by an operational project I’ve worked on once in a while!
What did you enjoy most about your programme and what was the biggest highlight?
There was a wide variety of module selection which meant I could tailor my learnings quite well. Thinking back, I enjoyed a particular piece of coursework designing a rooftop solar installation and assessing commercials around it. Completing my thesis was also quite fun at Dr Ghosh was very supportive and gave me just enough guidance to create some meaningful work.
What did you most enjoy about studying here?
There was a lot of kinship across the cohort as we were all similarly invested in subject. It made group work very enjoyable, which can be hard to find!
Why did you choose to study at Exeter?
The location and quality of study was a major draw. Luckily, Cornwall was the only Cat 3 region in the UK at the time, meaning lots of exploring outdoors!
What skills and experiences have been most useful for your career?
As a development manager, you need a knowledge base a mile wide and an inch thick and good judgement. The course gave me a strong knowledge base to begin the role with as well as several module that developed my commercial sense. This meant I could meaningfully review the design of a scheme, the commercials of it, or assist in negotiating contracts.
What advice would you give to a current student who wishes to pursue your career?
To firstly get a job, I viewed the job description as a mark scheme and tailored my CV and application against it. I used project work, modules, work experience to evidence that I have the skills and have done the role responsibilities before.
For this role specifically, you must be comfortable managing others, making big decisions frequently and be an effective communicator both in and out of the industry. For instance, you will communicate with members of the public, multi-disciplinary teams or local and government bodies. Being able to operate to deadlines and managing the pressure is also key.
What are your plans for the future?
In the next couple years, I would like to work with my own team of developers working on large schemes in multiple geographies. Other nations have similar and different development processes and it would be interesting to learn about them too!
I’d also be keen to transition to other technologies, such as SMRs which follow the NSIP DCO consenting process!
