Meet the team

Alistair Macpherson

Since 2013 Alistair has led PEC’s development from a council initiative, into a big-thinking multifaceted venture delivering targeted support to the fuel poor, and community-owned alternatives to fossil fuels.

With a degree in Geography from Plymouth University, Alistair has a background in biodiversity and sustainable development projects for local authorities and third sector organisations in the UK and overseas. He currently also manages the Low Carbon City Team at Plymouth City Council.

Originally hailing from Essex, Alistair has raised his family in Devon and enjoys cycling, climbing, sailing and adventure.

He was named ‘Community Energy Champion’ at the 2016 Community Energy England Awards and ‘South West Sustainable Energy Champion’ at the 2017 Green Energy Awards. In 2017, he attended the Queen’s Garden Party in recognition of his contributions to the sector. Alistair sees Plymouth leading the way in the community energy revolution and is proud to be part of it.

Clare Mains

Clare is the Project Manager for Warm and Well, our four year, Big Lottery funded project to tackle fuel poverty alongside residents who have disabilities. She also co-manages the Energy Team – PEC advisors and volunteers who help Plymouth residents with their energy issues. She is immensely proud of the team, their work and its growing services, which now include income maximisation, mediation and prevention work with organisations in the city.

Clare has lived in Plymouth since 2011 and came to the area from Norfolk, where she led campaigns for biodiversity organisations, local authorities and charities. She is now one of PEC’s experts on funding bids.

When it comes to work, she is passionate about joining up local services to reach the people in need of them. Outside of work, she’s a little green fingered and handy with a paint brush.

“I’m lucky enough to go out each day and meet people who want to make life better for themselves and for those around them. What more could I ask?“

Dan Turner

Dan joined the PEC team in October 2017 having spent the previous year working on energy policy and solar projects in Las Vegas (Viva Las Vegas!). Dan’s role at PEC entails identifying new and innovative renewable energy and commercial efficiency opportunities, delivering our LED lighting programme and managing the operation and management of current solar assets.

Dan loves the outdoors and adventure. He is an avid traveller having visited all continents with the exception of Antarctica (on the list) but Devon will always be home. He loves SCUBA diving, football, kayaking, cricket, cycling – basically any sport apart from ballet, he doesn’t really have the legs for that.

Justin Bear

Justin joined the PEC team in September 2017. He coordinates PEC’s energy team to install simple energy efficient measures and provide advice. He also works behind the scenes to develop new opportunities.

With a Natural Sciences degree from the University of Bath, he enjoys communicating technical information in an uncomplicated and engaging way. He has used these skills delivering fuel poverty projects at the Centre for Sustainable Energy in Bristol between 2013 and 2017 and before this worked briefly for Good Energy.

After a 9 year stint of dabbling with living on the fringes of the South West, in Bristol, Justin has returned to Devon where he was born and grew up. Living in Dawlish, he is enjoying being able to live and work right next to the sea.

Jon Selman

Jon has been with PEC since the beginning and was involved in the preparatory work leading to the establishment of PEC and PEC Renewables, including the development of initial business plans, governance and delivery of various project programmes. He has provided mentoring support to other community energy groups and is a licensed practitioner for the Community Shares ‘Standard Mark’. He oversees the contractual requirements and installation of the renewables projects delivered by PEC Renewables.

He has previous (and on-going) experience of dealing with energy related issues in a planning capacity, from policy through to negotiations including with district heating, onsite renewables and solar master-planning. He also has social enterprise experience, including governance, business planning, project delivery and community engagement.

His background is in urban design, planning, including preparation of site guidance and area-based policy, as well as attendance as expert witness for planning inquiries. He is a chartered landscape architect, with over 20 years’ experience of design, negotiation and project delivery of environmental projects.

Jemma Knowles

Jemma provides communications and engagement services for all of the companies under the PEC banner. Her role involves management of the website, social media channels, member communications and governance, media and public relations, marketing of specific services and campaigns, community engagement and event organisation.

A keen environmentalist, Jemma has previously worked for the New Zealand Department of Conservation and the UK Environment Agency as well as providing marketing and communications for one of New Zealand's signature tourism companies.

She is passionate about communities working together to improve their quality of life whilst existing in balance with their local environment. She loves yoga, hiking, live music, exploring and being with family and friends.

Rae Porter

Rae has been working with vulnerable people with multiple and complex needs for many years. She has worked in residential, custodial and community settings and is dedicated to ensuring that those who are isolated, marginalised and / or living in poverty are fairly represented and supported to enhance their quality of life, take accountability for their actions and become integrated members of their community.

Despite being a qualified and experienced manager, counsellor and therapeutic supervisor, Rae has chosen to return to casework as she particularly enjoys the challenges of working within a team on the front line. This combined with a passion for environmental issues makes Plymouth Energy Community a brilliant place to work.

In her personal time, Rae enjoys being in nature, cooking (and eating), travelling, listening to music, writing, embroidery and learning to play the guitar. She also enjoys comedy and laughs – a lot!

Kathy Valentine

Kathy joined PEC as an Energy Team Advisor after many years of working as a Benefits and Debt Caseworker at the Citizens Advice and Improving Lives, Plymouth.

From up north with a degree in Business Studies, she joined the Sainsbury’s graduate training scheme but quickly realised that her passion lay in understanding the causes of social problems and promoting the welfare of citizens. This lead to 10 years working at Citizens Advice, enabling her to find discover why inequality exists in the local community and what more can be done to support people to assert their rights and to not suffer through lack of knowledge of their rights and the services available to them.

She loves helping people to save money on their energy bills and to make their homes more cosy and energy efficient.

Jake Ellis

Jake started with PEC as a Home Energy Marketing Apprentice in 2014, he was subsequently appointed as a case worker on the Healthy Homes programme and is now a case worker on the Warm & Well programme. He also leads on PEC’s collaboration with Western Power Distribution. He loves the diversity of his day-to-day role with PEC – ranging from helping people with their energy related problems to spreading awareness of PEC and the services provided within the community. The levels of job satisfaction that he gets from helping people turn their situation around is unlike anything he has ever experienced before. He is passionate about PEC because of all of the fantastic and necessary work that it does for the residents of Plymouth.

Jake is proudly Plymouth born & bred. Before he worked for PEC, he studied A Levels as St Boniface’s College and worked as a bartender at Plymouth Argyle.

Kyleigh Johns

Kyleigh joined as one of our Energy Team Advisors in August 2017. Helping the residents of Plymouth with a variety of issues including fuel debt, switching energy suppliers and general in home energy efficiency advice.

Kyleigh previously worked for Plymouth City Council as the Sustainability Energy Officer and was responsible for the management of energy efficiency in all corporate buildings, managing the councils energy contracts and promoting more sustainable ways of working.

In her spare time, she enjoys running and loves spending time with her young daughter, getting out and about exploring Devon and Cornwall.

Didier Cavrot

After completing the PEC Pals programme in 2017, Didier joined the team in May 2019 as PEC Assistant Advisor. He has a degree in Ocean Sciences from the University of Plymouth and more recently obtained a Masters in Marine Renewable Energy. After a brief spell working at the University, he has spent more than 17 years working in the language industry.

Recently Didier decided to work in the energy sector in a bid to contribute to a fairer low carbon world and in the belief that he can “make a difference” however small it is.

In his spare time, Didier enjoys cycling, running and walking his dog. He has also set himself the task of building an “eco-pod” which is well under way as well as a small electric boat powered solely by renewable energy… although there is no word on a launch date!

Liz Wells

Liz joined the team as Technical and Business Support Officer in 2017, a vital role that involves answering the telephone, submitting details of expenditure on projects, assisting with the ongoing income streams for PEC Renewables and generally being there to support everyone as much as she can. Liz is really excited and honoured to work for PEC and to be able to play a small part in the great work that the organisation does.

Liz counts herself very lucky to work in Plymouth. When not in the office, she loves to get out walking, off-road running and swimming off the Hoe.