Climate Action Is Driving Global Energy Transition As Businesses Reap Benefits

The largest expo in Europe bringing together major energy buyers and low carbon generators is happening in Birmingham this October. The companies participating alongside the solar, energy storage and efficiency sectors include M&S, Tesla and Good Energy.

Large energy buyers across the world have woken up to the unstoppable force of the UN climate treaty and it’s not just about lowering carbon usage. As businesses and cities explore the opportunities brought to them by innovative technology, low carbon generation and clever ways to manage their energy, they are realising savings with and without on-site solar. Clean Energy Live is a showcase for innovation, demonstrating the technology and business models that are delivering energy at lower cost and lower carbon.

“The global energy transition, driven by the imperative to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees and powered by rapid digital and communications technology advancements, is now unstoppable,” said Giles Bristow, Director of Programmes at Forum for the Future. “Not only are businesses and industries benefitting from this revolution now, but they will also play a leading role in shaping the new energy economy.

Clean Energy Live brings together enlightened companies and organisations that wish to actively explore this.

 

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Bristow added “I look forward to sharing how energy users are creating the ‘living energy system’ of the future – responsive, adaptive and self-balancing, rather than cumbersome and wasteful.” Bristow will be joined by Sainsbury’s, Aggregate Industries, Tarmac and United Utilities and will give an update of their 200MW Living Grid project, a network of companies who can manage demand and offer capacity.

Marks & Spencer has cuts its energy consumption by 40% as part of its Plan A programme. The firm’s head of energy Giacinto Patellaro will look at policy and the impact it’s having at encouraging companies to reduce their power usage or install their own generation.

In a recent trial with Good Energy and Open Utility, the Eden Project is claimed an annual saving could reach £20,000. The service used Open Utility’s Piclo platform, matched renewable generators and business customers, enabling participating parties to both sell and purchase renewable power on the platform.

The show welcomes Carbon Trust in 2016 who will focus on their work with corporates to create value with their energy. Land Securities joins a panel with Carbon Trust, SmartestEnergy and Solarcentury which will show companies how to take a science-based approach to reducing energy usage and carbon before weighing up the pros and cons of on-site generation or off-site Power Purchase Agreements.

Companies with their own installed power will show how to manage the transition from energy buyer to energy generator. Welsh Water will speak about how to manage a mixed portfolio of assets, including hydro, anaerobic digestion and solar. Arla Foods will speak about their anaerobic digestion facilities and look at how a company can assess the right sites for a project and keep the local community engaged.

The National Trust, with a commitment to invest £35 million in over 40 more renewable energy projects to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and source 50 per cent of its energy from renewable sources on land it looks after by 2020 will look at how storage can benefit landowners and the RSPB will update attendees on how they think the energy system of the future can co-exist with the UK’s wildlife.

Up to 5,000 attendees are expected to gather in Birmingham to discover new opportunities after a shift in the power market, as more clean energy moves online and ownership of utilities broadens beyond the big six. Formerly Solar Energy UK (SEUK), Clean Energy Live is the meeting place for large energy buyers, clean generators, emerging technologies, financiers and advisors. They will be able to attend four theatres focused on Solar, Storage, Clean Tech Installations, Future Utilities and Energy Management plus an exclusive EV Pavilion.

Now in its seventh year, the event will also showcase opportunities for new ground mount solar in Ireland, France, Sub-Saharan Africa and India and features case studies from Solarcentury, Actis, Dexler, Mytrah, Oreed Group, BNRG, Armstrong Energy and Amarenco.

UK Solar O&M and secondary markets will feature heavily with experts from Quintas Energy, NextEnergy Capital, Glennmont Partners, Magnetar Solar and Bluefield Partners LLP. UK-specific sessions will examine the current state of the PV market using proprietary research from Solar Media’s Head of Market Research Finlay Colville, Lightsource and Solarcentury.

Smart homes and future installer sessions will help organisations future proof their businesses and see how the clean energy residential and commercial markets will mature and benefit from presentations from Forster Group, Egnida, PA Energy, Spirit Solar, Photon, Caplor, Carbon Zero and Poweri.

The Energy Storage Theatre will examine what the addressable market for energy storage is in the UK and what the rules of play are. Starting off by investigating in more detail the role played by landowners (CLA, Crown Estate) and DNO (WPD, UKPN, Scottish Power) in the deployment of storage, the theatre will delve into detail into the results of the 200MW EFR tender and how the winners of the tender are planning to develop their projects. The second day will cover updates in regulations and policy, finance for storage (Primrose, Camborne Capital) and sessions targeted at energy buyers outline what to consider when purchasing energy storage. European case studies and lessons learnt will be the focus of the last day on the theatre.

Jerry Hamilton, Channel Manager of Tesla’s new Powerwall home battery device remarked:

“The transition from just solar to now clean energy & include solar as part of the overall energy mix is key for the evolving solar market. Tesla will not only be demonstrating its battery technology products but sharing its views and ambitions on how to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”

The exhibition brings together the whole of the UK’s solar value chain attracting a wide selection of international companies with new investment opportunities in countries such as India, Ghana, Nigeria, Algeria and Tunisia. The event will give attendees strategic information necessary to beat the uncertainty that the UK’s policy U-turns have created and will update companies on how Europe’s tendering process will change and the impact this will have upon developers.

The four cutting-edge conferences are free to attend and allow delegates to explore storage, rooftop PV, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and the Middle East, India, Ireland, Europe – and of course the UK. Attendees will also hear from landowners, rooftop owners, DNOs, electric vehicle companies and energy buyers decarbonising their own operations.

To register for free and for more information visit cleanenergylive.co.uk