Sarah is the director of policy, communication and partnerships at RAP where she oversees the work of the global communication team and manages external partnerships. She has over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit environmental sector and is passionate about bringing practical solutions to environmental problems, including the urgent need to accelerate the energy transition.
Before joining RAP Sarah worked for seven years at the Global Strategic Communications Council (GSCC), initially setting up a desk in Spain, then becoming a senior Europe manager and acting director, overseeing the work of national desks in Europe. She also coordinated the GSCC's work on gas in Europe and contributed to multiple joint projects across the international network. Before joining GSCC, Sarah worked as a consultant for the European Climate Foundation in the UK and Spain, and the ECIU in the UK. She spent many years at the RSPB managing policy campaigns across a broad range of European environmental policies together with Birdlife Europe and cut her teeth in Friends of the Earth as the waste campaigner.
In September 2017 Sarah moved from the UK to Spain with her Spanish husband and three children. When not working she enjoys novels, yoga and hiking in nature, and sharing good food with family and friends. Sarah speaks English and Spanish and has a good understanding of Catalan. She has a degree in politics, philosophy and economics from the University of Oxford and a master’s in conservation biology from Manchester Metropolitan University.
Latest Insights from RAP Experts
如何按照“统一原则和供需关系”完善容量电价机制
国家发展改革委、国家能源局发布的114号文，为我国发电侧容量机制改革明确了“分类完善—可靠容量补偿—容量市场”的三步演进路径。其中，第二阶段建立发电侧可靠容量补偿机制，是衔接现行容量电价与未来容量市场的关键环节。本文结合114号文要求及甘肃、青海等地方实践，分析当前容量机制在资源统一比较、供需匹配和动态调整等方面存在的问题，并借鉴欧美成熟电力市场经验，提出以下建议：一是建立技术中立、统一透明的可靠容量评估体系，实现各类资源公平竞争；二是以资源充裕度评估为基础，将容量补偿与系统供需关系动态挂钩。三是建立动态调整机制，促进容量价格反映真实供需。只有夯实第二阶段改革基础，用统一的标准衡量各种资源的贡献，用前瞻性的供需评估决定补偿水平，基于用户承受能力与动态调整机制防止补贴固化，同时配合扩大容量资源的考量范围降低用户电价成本，才能顺利过渡到竞争性的容量市场，更有效支撑新型电力系统建设。 本文首刊于《能源决策与参考》，2026年6月 China’s recently issued Document No. 114, jointly released by the National Development… Read More +
价格约束下的虚拟电厂：如何进一步释放系统价值
随着容量电价机制改革持续推进，虚拟电厂有望在提升系统灵活性、保障电力安全和促进新能源消纳方面发挥更大作用。然而，仅依靠容量补偿难以形成可持续商业模式，其长期发展仍取决于电能量市场价格信号能否充分反映其系统价值。本文分析了现货市场价格约束、中长期市场交易机制和合约设计对虚拟电厂收益与投资激励的影响，并结合国际经验提出政策建议，包括进一步放宽现货市场价格限制、持续推进中长期市场量价改革、推广金融差价合约，以及坚持资源中立、技术中立原则，为虚拟电厂等灵活性资源创造公平竞争环境。通过完善价格形成机制和市场设计，虚拟电厂将能够获得与其系统贡献相匹配的经济回报，更好支撑新型电力系统安全、高效、低碳运行。 本文首刊于《南方能源观察》，2026年3月30日 China’s virtual power plants (VPPs) are poised to play a growing… Read More +
How did you catch the “energy” bug?
I’ve always been motivated by finding solutions rather than dwelling on problems. When I thought about the potential devastation of climate change, it became clear to me that electrification with renewable energy is the key to cutting emissions and avoiding the worst impacts. I also hate waste, and the inefficiency of the fossil fuel system shocked me—especially when I learned about the “primary energy fallacy,” and how half to two-thirds of fossil energy is lost as waste heat. That insight made me even more determined to accelerate electrification. What excites me about RAP is that we generate good practical ideas that help speed up electrification, helping make energy cleaner, more affordable, and more efficient.
What is something that makes you feel hopeful about the future?
The cost reductions of renewable energy technologies, the fact that solar and batteries can cover the majority of demand in many countries, and the speed of the transition in countries like China, show that the energy transition is inevitable. And despite some bad faith actors and vested fossil interests trying to slow it, there are many brilliant people working hard to deliver a cleaner, better future.
If I were a superhero, my superpower would be flying. I get asked this question regularly by my youngest son. He thinks having a magic wand like Harry Potter would be much more fun!