Announcing Trifecta Ireland a new energy think tank

28/05/2025

Trifecta Ireland, a non-profit ‘do and think tank’ will formally be launched at an event in Dublin this evening. Founded by renewable energy practitioner and investor Lesley O’Connor the new organisation aims to is to reshape how policy and decision makers are thinking about energy transformation, and to realise the social, environmental and economic opportunities arising. 

Trifecta Ireland will work with the state and industry, science and society aiming to create conditions for greater investment in electrification and renewable energy infrastructure.  

Speaking at the launch, founder and chair, Lesley O’Connor said “Ireland is blessed with abundant wind and ample solar, but what we lack today is a unified vision and implementation plan that connects policy, investment, innovation and society. Without this we risk  being a by-stander in the electric revolution.  

“Trifecta Ireland will help address these challenges. We want to inspire urgent action with insight”. 

Ms O’Connor has previously held senior roles in the energy sector internationally including as a non-Executive Director of Mainstream Renewable Power. She explained that the vision of her father, the late Eddie O’Connor, has in part inspired the foundation of Trifecta. “My father was a visionary who saw the potential in Ireland’s abundance of renewable resources long before others. He challenged us to make the possible a reality. Inspired by his vision, our shared commitment to the environment, my own observations and input from many stakeholders, I was motivated to establish Trifecta. 

She concluded: “We have targets, and some great policy, but do we really have a unifying, system-wide vision, yet? Or a plan for delivery that enables action? Trifecta Ireland will help address these challenges – conscious always of the immediate challenge of energy affordability facing households and businesses today, while planning for long term transformational change.  

We must confront the realities, and work for the enormous opportunities.   We want to inspire action with urgency. We will engage actively to build a strong coalition for our desired future.  The driving ambition behind Trifecta is to create the Ireland we all seek: with clean, secure and affordable energy for all”. 

Trifecta Announce Senior Appointments 

At the launch event senior appointments were also announced to help drive the work of Trifecta from day one.  

Conall Bolger has been appointed CEO. Bolger has worked in renewable energy for almost two decades including roles with Airtricity, Mainstream Renewable Power, Cornwall Insight and the Crown Estate. He was most recently the CEO of Solar Ireland (recently rebranded from the Irish Solar Energy Association) since 2021.  

Jim Breslin, is a Co-Founder of Trifecta Ireland and will Chair the Advisory Board.  He has deep experience in public policy having been Secretary General of three different government departments.  The Advisory Board will also include: 

• Dr Paul Deane, Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Clean Energy Futures at UCC 

• Dr Val Cummins, Chief Impact Officer and Ireland Portfolio Director in Simply Blue Group 

• Gerard Reid, global energy expert, financier and co-host of the Redefining Energy podcast.  

Among Trifecta’s initial priorities will be the drafting of a vision and roadmap for the transformation of Ireland’s energy systems. The plan will take a whole system view will be developed with key stakeholders. The aim is to build consensus around a credible shared pathway to a decarbonised energy system by 2050.  

Arising from this roadmap Trifecta will deliver projects focused on shorter term decarbonisation wins and encouraging capital flows to help supercharge the transition. Trifecta aims to broaden the energy conversation in Ireland to a wider set of communities. 

Trifecta will focus on execution of the energy transformation and enabling decision makers to deliver on their stated policies. With that core in mind, Trifecta will shortly be announcing an exciting initiative involving Oxford Global Partners, incorporating insights from the world leading expert Bent Flyvbjerg, author of How Big Things Get Done. 

 More information about Trifecta and how to get involved is available at trifectaireland.com   

Note:

Trifecta Energy CLG is a new non-profit established in 2025 by Lesley OConnor, global renewable energy practitioner, investor and the daughter of late Eddie O’Connor, to reshape how the world thinks about the energy transformation, and to realise its abundant social, environmental and economic opportunities for our communities.  

Trifecta Ireland is a division of Trifecta Energy. Rooted in systems thinking, Trifecta Ireland pioneers a unified approach, proactively engaging with multi-stakeholders, to deliver clean, secure, and affordable energy, for all.