Eddie O’Connor is co-founder and chief executive of Mainstream Renewable Power, a renewable energy group.
Eddie holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (1970) and a Master’s in Industrial Engineering (1976) both from University College Dublin and has a doctorate in Business Administration from the International Management Centres, Europe. After completing his bachelor degree, Eddie joined the Electricity Supply Board of Ireland, where he held several managerial positions, until he left in 1987 to become Chief Executive Officer at Bord na Móna.
He then became founder and Chief Executive of Airtricity, the Irish wind farm development company from 1997 until January 2008. When Airtricity was sold to E.ON and Scottish & Southern Energy in 2008 for approximately €2 billion, Eddie left to set up Mainstream Renewable Power[1]. He is reported to have earned €50mm from the transaction [2] Mainstream Renewable Power's core business is to develop, build and operate renewable energy plants in collaboration with strategic partners. The company employs over 100 highly experienced staff and has offices in Berlin, Cape Town, Chicago, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Santiago and Toronto.[3] Eddie is acknowledged as the driving force behind the European Offshore Supergrid. This vision and activity will, when built, guarantee European energy self sufficiency as well as producing carbon free electricity.[4]
Eddie is an honorary Director of the European Wind Energy Association.[5][6] In 2003, Eddie was named World Energy Policy Leader by Scientific American magazine. In September 2009, he was presented with the first ever Leadership award at the annual Ernst & Young Global Renewable Energy Awards.[7] In June 2008, Eddie was awarded an honorary doctorate in Science from University College Dublin. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of Imperial College London's Energy Futures Lab.[8]. In September 2009, Eddie was presented with the first ever Leadership award at the annual Ernst & Young Global Renewable Energy Awards.
Eddie was one of several high profile investors that announced by Plymouth Argyle F.C. in July 2010. [9]