The final webinar in our first series, we are looking at Community Energy and its role in the future of Northern Ireland’s energy system. With a fantastic line up of speakers, we will showcase local community energy projects in Northern Ireland and discuss the potential impact of energy projects we are working with: Girona and HANDIHEAT. Join us to discover how energy projects will allow local communities to access cheaper energy and improve energy-efficiency options, bringing social and economic benefits to local areas and overall, encourage citizen participation in our energy transition. 
 

Speakers: 

Lúgh O’Braonain, Research Director at Energy Co-operatives Ireland and Lead Researcher in INTERREG project SEAFUEL.
Topic: Hydrogen Islands SEAFUEL deployment scenarios: Putting the carbon economy to one side

Lúgh O Braonain is the Research Director at Energy Co-operatives Ireland (ECI) and is currently leading research on the INTERREG EU project SEAFUEL, a research program looking at the feasibility of hydrogen as a renewable energy generated transport fuel in Island communities in the coastal region of Europe. Lúgh has produced commissioned feasibility reports into Hydrogen deployment on Irish Islands and he leads ECI’s participation in IDEAS, a Horizon 2020 programme surrounding novel technology solutions for energy efficiency in buildings. 
Using the ongoing work of the SEAFUEL project, Lúgh will discuss the three island scenarios that demonstrate the varying levels of opportunity for H2 transport fuel alongside H2 projected production, storage and distribution business models. He will also outline the three levels of hydrogen technology readiness for transport and non-transport applications including benefit stacking and a multi-stakeholder approach. 
 

Robert Clements, Sustainable Development Manager at the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE)
Topic: Community Energy. Opportunities for Housing
 

Robert Clements is the Sustainable Development Manager for the Housing Executive, working within Regional Services. His unit is the custodian for the Home Energy Conservation Authority (HECA) statutory function and the Housing Executive’s environmental management system.

Robert has worked in social housing for over 20 years and has extensive experience in residential maintenance and refurbishment with his previous experience in the Private Grants Department within the housing association sector. He has worked in residential energy efficiency for over 5 years and recently he wrote the “Energy Efficiency Good Practice Guide for Refurbishment of Residential Sector” and is a certified Passive House Consultant.
 

Karen Arbuckle, Chair of Northern Ireland Community Energy (NICE) 
Topic: Community Energy – Community Wealth Building enabling a green recovery 
 

Karen Arbuckle is the Chair of NICE and an original founding Board Member of NICE, a community energy benefit society (BenCom), established in 2014. Karen is a former HR Manager, retired from the NHSST in 2011 after more than 20 years’ service. She became proactive in renewable energy around 2011 and is actively involved in Drumlin Wind Energy Co-operative with one of its six wind turbines situated on the family farm in Co. Antrim. Experienced in marketing and communication of community share offers Karen advocates for community empowerment and resilience, particularly in the sustainable use and management of our natural resources for local community benefit. 
 

Eddie McGoldrick, Director of PowerOn Technologies, trading as The Electric Storage Company
Topic: Energy Revolution of What?
 

Eddie is the director of PowerOn Technologies, currently trading as The Electric Storage Company since 2017. Eddie has worked in electricity and utilities for over 30 years. The Electric Storage Company and Girona Project are about disrupting the electricity market and renewables so that people and communities can truly benefit. 
 

Registration Information: 

Our event will be hosted via Zoom. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email. Further details on how to join the event on 21st October 2020 at 10.30 am will be sent to your registered email, prior to the start date.