Realizing the Potential of Customer-Sited Solar

Yayoi Sekine

Head of Decentralized Energy

BloombergNEF

Yayoi Sekine heads the Decentralized Energy practice at BloombergNEF based out of New York. Yayoi oversees a research team that produces insights on the impacts of decentralization of our energy systems. These include demand-side opportunities, the growing role of energy storage and how our power systems and networks are being shaped and responding to these trends. She advises utilities, technology companies, investors and policymakers across these fields. She has authored numerous research papers and regularly speaks at international conferences and in the mainstream media. She previously led the Americas Energy Storage research practice for BNEF, also in New York, and prior to that was Research Analyst based in Sao Paulo having spent four years covering Latin American renewable energy market development through BNEF.

Her specialization includes expertise on energy storage, renewable energy projects and financing, knowledge of policy framework for project development in key markets in the US and Latin American region. Yayoi holds a BSc in Global Resource Systems with focus on Latin America from the University of British Columbia (Canada).

Vincent Petit

Senior Vice President, Global Strategy Prospective and External Affairs

Schneider Electric

Vincent has had a 20-year diverse career at Schneider Electric. Since 2017, he has taken on the role to develop global thought leadership and prospective on the Energy Transition. He is running the Schneider Electric Sustainability Research Institute.

From 2015 to 2017, Vincent ran the global Energy Automation business, an activity focusing on Smart Grid technologies and made up of a diverse and specialized team across all geographies, including marketing, research and development, and operations. From 2011 to 2014, he led the Solutions business operations for the CIS zone, including Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Before, he held multiple roles in international projects management and global offer development.

Vincent is the author of 4 books: “The Age of Fire is Over: a new approach to the Energy Transition” published in 2021, “The Future of the Global Order: the six paradigm changes that will define 2050” in 2021, “The New World of Utilities: a Historical Transition towards a New Energy System” in 2018, and “The Energy Transition: An Overview of the True Challenge of the 21st Century” in 2017. He graduated from France’s Supéléc engineering school and from the University of Texas at Austin, USA in 2001, with a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering.