Dedicated purely to energy purchasing, metering and on-site generation, The Energy Show and its sister conference, The Energy Lectures, are set to provide an important new forum for the energy sector to come together. Energy Management takes a closer look.
The issues surrounding procurement, generation and management of energy have never been more prominent in the news. The end of last year saw the government’s announcement of Energy Market Reforms (a ‘seismic shift’ according to energy and climate secretary, Chris Huhne) which will have a huge knock-on effect for the industry in the coming years. Carbon markets have also hit the headlines in an unprecedented manner, as the carbon registries of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme were subject to a security attack.
“We have seen the landscape of energy management change rapidly over the last year, and we can anticipate that these changes are merely the start,” commented Shawn Coles, managing director of Edge Business Media. “With the UK wide roll-out of smart meters for the domestic market on the horizon and the trading phase of the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) due to begin even sooner, it has become imperative that industry professionals know how best to respond to the energy issues of the day.”
Indeed, businesses are still reeling from the unforeseen development that the CRC will now be a ‘carbon tax’, with all payments retained by the Treasury, rather than being redistributed to best performing participants. Confusion remains rampant as to how organisations affected can minimise the amount they must pay out under the scheme and whether implementing new energy management strategies will prove cost effective.
Unanswered questions
The question remains – where can people go to find solutions for the best way to deal with these issues? Responding to clear signals from the industry that there was call for an event focused solely on energy procurement, management and on-site generation, Shawn Coles set out to launch the inaugural Energy Show, which is free to attend and takes place on 4th-5th May 2011 at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham.
“A highly targeted event, The Energy Show, which is sponsored by BIU, npower, The Utilities Exchange and Total Gas & Power, is focused solely on promoting purchasing, metering and on-site generation of energy,” said Coles, the show’s founder. “We’re not trying to compete with other exhibitions in the same space. Instead, we’re providing something that has previously been missing. Unlike other shows, The Energy Show is not co-located with other exhibitions, so visitors can be sure that everybody who attends is worth meeting.”
The Energy Lectures
The launch of The Energy Show is bolstered by the decision to move the already well established conference, The Energy Lectures, which previously took place at Manchester’s Lowry Centre, to feature alongside it at the National Motorcycle Museum. One of the UK’s leading energy sector conferences, The Energy Lectures offers senior managers and specialists a content rich, two day programme of lectures.
“This year’s Energy Lectures features an exciting line-up of key energy experts,” commented Coles. “Speakers from the public sector, including the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and Ofgem, will be appearing, alongside high level representatives of business and industry from Energy Alert, Point Carbon and Citigroup, among others. The most relevant issues in the energy sphere will be up for discussion, with lectures focusing on UK power market reform, European emissions prices, Climate Change Agreements and the CRC, and other topics crucial to the sector.”
These issues also form part of a significant new White Paper from Edge Business Media, which offers senior management teams a view of current and future market conditions, and includes guest articles from prominent figures within the energy sector. White Paper contributors include John Constable, director of policy & research at the Renewable Energy Foundation, David Porter, chief executive of the Association of Electricity Producers, and Nick Grealy, managing director of NoHotAir and former senior energy buyer for the NHS, who will also be speaking at The Energy Lectures.
“Forewarned is forearmed, and keeping up to speed with industry developments has never been more important than in the current economy,” advised Coles. “Edge Business Media aims to provide attendees of both The Energy Show and The Energy Lectures with a wide variety of opportunities to gain insider knowledge on the industry and engage with the people who matter, as part of a highly focused event.”
