Eddie O'Connor (businessman)

rdf:langString Eddie O'Connor (businessman)

rdf:langString Eddie O'Connor is an Irish businessman who is co-founder and chairman of Mainstream Renewable Power, a renewable energy group. O'Connor 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's degree, he 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, he left to set up Mainstream Renewable Power. He is reported to have earned €50 million from the transaction 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 staff and has offices in Berlin, Cape Town, Singapore, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Santiago and Toronto. O'Connor 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. O'Connor, inspired by the idea of the European Supergrid, founded SuperNode Ltd. SuperNode is a global technology company that designs superconducting connection systems to better connect renewable generation and increase grid interconnection in mature markets. SuperNode was founded in 2018 by O'Connor and Mainstream Renewable Power. SuperNode is now co-owned by O'Connor and Norwegian investment group AKER Horizons. SuperNode's innovative new cable technology can transfer huge levels of renewable electricity long distances with reduced losses, costs and footprint. O'Connor is also the Chairman of SuperNode.