From the 21st to 23rd June, the Bristol Solar City pavilion will host an inspiring FREE programme of entertainment, music and song showcasing the best of local talent. At the same time the pavilion will be a focal point for debate, discussion and learning about all things solar and the steps we can all take to lower our carbon footprint’s and increase energy efficiency.
Friday is business day at the Bristol Solar City launch weekend.
The morning sessions will demonstrate the benefits of solar energy to businesses, including some case studies from those who have embraced the technology already. There will be information on how to get involved with the Bristol Solar City Initiative, what support may be available via the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and opportunities to discuss your options in detail with a range of high-quality, local suppliers from the Low Carbon Sector.
A ticketed Business Lunch hosted by Low Carbon South West will present a delicious locally-sourced buffet lunch and will be a great opportunity for the city’s businesses and our friends to come and find out about the Solar City project and meet and network with other companies. It also links the morning and afternoon sessions in a very coherent way, allowing businesses to meet suppliers and vice versa. Please book your tickets here.
The afternoon is aimed at those – including green energy installers – who want to learn about Bristol City Councils’ Home Energy Upgrade Scheme and future energy plans, as well as finding out about the Ready for Retrofit scheme, future solar technologies being developed by local universities and research groups, innovations in building-integrated solar from the National Solar Centre and apprenticeships for green businesses.
The day represents an unrivalled opportunity to get involved in the exciting new Bristol Solar City initiative, putting suppliers together with businesses that are interested in investing in green energy.
Alongside the programme will be an exhibition with advice, information and displays from the region’s leading renewable suppliers. Find out more about who is involved in the Solar Hub exhibition.
A full programme for the weekend can be found here.
Programme
10:00 Welcome to Bristol Solar City – James Lancaster, Chair, Bristol Solar City
10:05 Official press launch of Bristol as UK’s Solar Capital – Mayor of Bristol, George Ferguson
10:20 Bristol Solar City and our ambitions for Bristol – Jamie O’Nians, Bristol Solar City
10:35 Launch of the Bristol Community Strategy for Energy – Speaker tbc, Bristol Energy Network
10:40 The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership and its role in the low carbon economy – Caroline Macdonald, Chair of the LEP’s Low Carbon Industries group
10:45 What are the opportunities for business, the wider economy, jobs and our carbon targets? – Panel discussion
11:15 Break
11:30 Making the business case for solar – Speaker tbc
12:00 Experiences of going solar – Kerry Burns, General Manager, Solarsense – Chris Dunford, Sustainability Manager, At-Bristol
12:30 Low Carbon South West Business lunch – Presentation – Guest speaker tbc (This is a ticketed event. Book your tickets here.)
13:00 Low Carbon South West Business lunch (This is a ticketed event. Book your tickets here.)
14:00 Welcome to Bristol Solar City: An outline of our aims – Jamie O’Nians, Bristol Solar City
14:10 The retrofit market: Demand drivers and an introduction to the Ready for Retrofit programme – Ian Hutchcroft, Head of South, Energy Savings Trust
14:40 Break
14:50 Bristol Home Energy Upgrade (BHEU) Scheme – lessons learned for future retrofits – Mareike Schmidt, Programme Manager, European Local Energy Assistance (ELENA) – Mike Soldner, participant in the BHEU scheme – David White, Technical Project Manager, Green Deal and Energy Efficiency
15:20 Break
15:30 Over the horizon: Solar technology futures – James Lancaster, Head of Alliance Development, The Cabot Institute – Barry Marsh, Director, The National Solar Centre
16:20 Apprenticeships for Green Business: Encouraging the uptake of the £1,500 grant to
take-on apprentices for business in the low carbon sector – Speaker tbc, West of England Local Enterprise Partnership
16:50 Close and networking