In this episode of the REM Podcast, Tom speaks with Mathieu Lassagne, CEO of ZE-Energy, about building a hybrid solar and storage company before it was mainstream.

Before founding ZE-Energy, Mathieu spent several years at ENGIE, where he worked on corporate strategy and led the acquisition of Solairedirect, a successful solar developer in France at the time.

Now, with ZE-Energy, he’s applying the lessons he learned to build a different kind of company. One that combines solar, storage and real-time optimisation to respond to market needs in real time.

They discuss:

- Why being first to market with hybrid storage was a risk worth taking

- What real-time optimisation actually looks like in asset management

- Why grid congestion can’t be solved by infrastructure alone

- The challenges of re-powering older PV sites post-subsidies

- What he learned from ENGIE’s acquisition of Solairedirect

- The experiences that shaped him as an entrepreneur

Connect with Tom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomessex/

Connect with Mathieu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathieu-lassagne-994406/

In this episode of the REM Podcast, Tom speaks with Nikolaos Karagiovanidis, Director of Project Development at Chint Green Energy, about what it really takes to build successful solar and battery projects across multiple European markets.

Nikolaos shares lessons from a career that’s taken him from EPC work in Greece and Turkey to leading development across the Balkans, Baltics, and Nordics , including why local team structure, grid access, and cultural fit matter so much in this industry.

They discuss:

• The shift from EPC to full project development and what that changed for him
• Why Chint’s vertical integration helps them move faster and cheaper than competitors
• How lean teams can outperform large teams if you hire the right people
• Why grid congestion is now the biggest bottleneck in Europe
• How collocated BESS (battery + solar) is the best solution to the grid bottleneck

If you’re operating across multiple markets, managing development teams, or navigating grid constraints, this episode is packed with sharp insights from someone building at scale.

Connect with Tom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomessex/

Connect with Nikolaos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikolaoskaragiovanidis-executive/

In this episode of the REM Podcast, Tom sits down with Filippo Ricci, General Manager Italy at Recurrent Energy (subsidiary of Canadian Solar), to talk about what really drives success in renewable energy: projects and people.

They cover:

- Why “projects and people” are the two real assets in renewable energy

- How M&A experience shapes leadership and commercial decisions

- What growing a team from 30 to 60 people taught him about culture and capability

- What’s on the horizon for the Italian market

- Why the energy transition must be cost-competitive, in addition to ESG compliant

If you're thinking about how to scale responsibly, build the right team, or focus your pipeline, this one’s worth a listen.

Connect with Tom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomessex/

Connect with Filippo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riccifilippo/