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/

In this episode of the REM Podcast, Tom sits down with Luca Marini, CEO of LIO DC - the data centre platform of LIO Factory, a real estate holding company investing in infrastructure, renewables and beyond.

Luca shares why LIO is one of the few platforms in Italy designing renewables and data centres together from day one, rather than treating them as separate industries. He talks about what it means to build infrastructure from the land up, and why being involved from the very first step (land and local execution) is what sets them apart.

This episode covers:

• Why the AI revolution demands renewables and data centres grow hand in hand
• The value of developing from 0 to 0.2 instead of trying to do everything
• How Lio is attracting long-term foreign capital to Italy
• Why doing fewer projects, but doing them better, is a winning strategy

If you’re interested in early-stage infrastructure, the intersection of energy and digital, or what real long-term value creation looks like in practice - this one’s worth a listen.

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

Connect with Luca: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariniluca/

Disclaimer

This was our first in-person recording, so we ran into a few minor technical issues. The audio quality is a bit variable - both mics were affected, but Tom’s more noticeably.

The video also cuts out near the end, though the full conversation was captured in audio.

We felt the insights were too valuable not to share, so we hope you enjoy the conversation nonetheless!