Dean Marcelja
Sustainable Energy Concepts Ltd.
A LNConsult Group Corporation Rural Generation Ltd.

Sustainable Energy meets Industry. Dean will discuss  living sustainable communities such as Güssing in Austria, and how concentrated industrial parks offer huge potential for practicable efficiency measures and the creation of a sustainable system.

Biography

Dean comes from a technical university background where he originally studied thermotechnical sciences, alternative and solar energy applications. His first projects were in the field of electronic control of energy systems. Dean’s professional activities shifted to various other fields and he has held different positions for a number of companies in diverse industries, technical as well as consumer products. In 2008 Dean made a successful comeback to renewable energy when he joined European Centre for Renewable Energy in Güssing, focusing on sustainable solutions, photovoltaic power plants and innovative renewable energy training concepts. He has now established his own international partnership and speaks at energy and environment events across the world.

Alastair Nicol
Element Consultants

Waste: an opportunity!

Biography 

Ali Nicol has worked in energy efficiency for over 20 years. He is a council member of the combustion engineering association, and works extensively with Invest Northern Ireland and the Carbon Trust amongst others. He has a passion for engineering and joint patents pending for liquid effluent solutions.

Ali’s presentation will examine the potential benefits from localised energy from waste.  He will introduce and examine future carbon reduction strategies, an essential component of energy security.

Tom Brennan
Managing Director
Rural Generation Ltd.

Biomass and wood chip business development

Biography

Tom Brennan is the Managing Director of Rural Generation Ltd., a Sustainable Waste and Energy Company based on the outskirts of the City of Derry. The company specialises in the production of Wood Energy, Organic Waste Recycling and Wood Fired boiler provision, installation and commissioning. The increasing concerns for the environment, escalating levels of environmental legislation, fears over dwindling resources of fossil fuels and the desire to utilise agricultural land for non-food uses (alternative forms of fuel) are just some of the company’s driving forces.

Richard Smith
Brites Business Manager
Balcas

Development of wood pellet market in Europe, and associated opportunities

Biography

Richard Smith joined Balcas in October 2006 to manage the development of the Brites pellet business in UK and Ireland.  Balcas operates a 55,000 tonne pellet plant in Enniskillen, and is building a 100,000 tonne plant in Invergordon, Scotland.  From 1998 to 2006, Richard was Managing Director of a fresh produce business with operations in Spain and UK.   Prior to that post he worked with some of the first biomass projects in the mid-nineties.  Richard has an MBA and an Agricultural Engineering degree both from Newcastle University.

Dr Lindsay Easson
Project Leader
Environment and Renewable Energy Centre, AFBI

Developing biomass sources in Northern Ireland, and their use for renewable energy

Biography

Dr Lindsay Easson is project leader for the AFBI Environment and Renewable Energy Centre (EREC) at Hillsborough which is conducting a programme of research into sources of renewable energy from agriculture and forestry.  The EREC was officially opened in January 2009 and is conducting research into anaerobic digestion, short rotation coppice willow, miscanthus, the drying storage and utilisation of biomass, and the carbon footprint of renewable energy systems. Prior to being the EREC project leader Dr Easson led the arable crop research programme at AFBI Hillsborough for 30 years.