Sara Parkin is a Founder Director of Forum for the Future (1995-). She is also a Trustee of the St Andrews Prize (1998-), sits on the board of the European Training Foundation (2009-) and advises on science in society for the Living With Environmental Change research programme (2009-). Recently she has completed terms on the boards of the Natural Environment Research Council (2003-2009) and the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education (2003-2009). She sits on the Advisory Committee of the Finance South East Community Generation Fund (2011-).

After starting her working life as a nurse, in various roles she has campaigned for the environment and sustainable development for over 40 years, including playing leading roles in the UK Green Party and international green politics during the 1970s and 1980s. She has served terms on the boards of New Economics Foundation (1994-1995), Groundwork (1997-1999) and Friends of the Earth (1996-2002) and written several books, the latest being The Positive Deviant: Leadership for sustainability in a perverse world published by Earthscan in July 2010.

Sara is an honorary companion of the Institution of Civil Engineers and of the Institute of Energy, and became a Founding Fellow of the Engineering Council in 2009. In 2001 she was awarded an OBE for services to education and sustainability.


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Gaynor Hartnell is Chief Executive at the Renewable Energy Association. She has been with the REA since its formation in 2001. Gaynor has worked in the field of renewable energy since 1995, when she joined the British Wind Energy Association as Technical and Policy Analyst and later running the Biogas Association. Prior to this she was a Research Fellow in the Environment Group at the Science Policy Research Unit, Sussex University. She has a degree in Environmental Science and a Masters in Science and Technology Policy.

Presentation: The Renewable Heat Incentive: what it means for the public sector

The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) will provide support for those who install renewable heating. With a rate of return of up to 12%, there is great potential for public sector organisations to generate additional income. Understanding the opportunities offered by programmes such as the RHI and the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) is vitally important during this time of austerity.

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Paul O'Brien is the Chief Executive of the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE). Based in Manchester APSE has 250 local authorities in membership.

Paul has represented APSE on the Scottish Executive Health and Physical Activity Council, the Office of the Deputy Prime Ministers, Strategic Partnership Taskforce, Trading and Charging working party and the Local Government Procurement Forum. He is currently the independent facilitator of the Northern Ireland Local Government Reform Joint Forum.

Paul is a columnist with the MJ magazine and regular contributor to numerous local government publications. He was also a board member on the partnership between APSE, IDeA and LGIU which delivered the ODPM's National Councillor Mentoring Programme.

Paul was previously APSE's Principal Advisor (Scotland), and has over 27 years experience in local government.

Presentation: How councils can use the green agenda to generate renewable energy and cash

With considerable pressure on resources, there may be some reluctance to invest in renewables. However, Research by the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) shows that renewable energy not only pays for itself, but can create a "revolving fund" to reinvest in further energy saving measures.

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Andy has held posts in local, regional and central government as well as working in academia and consultancy. He is currently Director of Local Delivery for the Energy Saving Trust having joined them in October 2008. He is leading work to support local authorities and community groups to cut carbon emissions across their areas as well as overseeing EST's work on water saving and their EU programmes. Current projects include feasibility work for large scale retrofit finance and work on data products for local authorities and housing associations. In previous roles he has helped develop climate change action plans for cities, worked with the main set of climate change impact predictions for the UK and been involved in international climate change negotiations as well as working on climate change projects in India, China and Bangladesh. Andy holds an MSc in applied meteorology and climatology from the University of Birmingham.

Presentation: Making renewables incentives work for you

The various government incentives represent a real opportunity for public bodies to create environmental benefit, coupled with a range of economic benefits. In addition to carbon emissions reduction, the installation of renewable energy can create local jobs, reduce fuel poverty and contribute to the local economy.

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Kelly has worked in the sustainable energy field since completing a masters degree in Clean Technology at Newcastle University in 2004.

She worked for Impetus Consulting for five years as a key member of the Energy Saving Trust's Practical help advisory team. Kelly also worked on highlighting the links between Local Area Agreements (LAA) and local action on climate change, the advantages to the UK economy on supporting energy efficiency and renewable energy investment, and how the Housing, Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) could be used to reduce fuel poverty and carbon emissions.

Kelly joined National Energy Action (NEA) in October 2010 as an Operations Manager based in London. She has worked on projects including taking forward the original HHSRS research, assessing the diverse range of data and information required to assist local authorities to deliver effective neighbourhood retrofit programmes, how temperature takeback (thermal comfort) impacts on the proposed Green Deal, as well as developing the London Borough of Lambeth's Affordable Warmth Strategy.

Kelly recently joined British Gas in June 2011 and has responsibility for developing and maintaining relationships with local authorities and social housing providers across London and the South East to promote and deliver energy solutions through CERT, CESP, RHI and FIT.

Presentation: Fairer funding for London

To date, London has received a disproportionately low share of the funding available to support energy efficiency and renewable energy retro-fitting projects. Understanding the opportunities offered by programmes such as CERT, CESP, RHI and FIT will be essential in readdressing the situation.

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John is Managing Director of the Thameswey Group of Companies.

Thameswey is an Energy and Environmental Services Company, wholly owned by Woking Borough Council, which enters into public/private joint ventures to both mitigate and adapt to the challenges posed by climate change.
The Thameswey Group focuses on the promotion and development of projects that increase the use of sustainable energy, tackle fuel poverty, reduce water waste and encourage green transport; both inside and outside the Borough of Woking.
Since it was formed in 1999, Thameswey has been internationally recognised as a leader in the financing and management of combined heat and power centres which provide low carbon electricity and heat to local communities.

John is a past Chair of the International Solar Energy Society (UK-ISES). He is a Chartered biologist, Member of the Institute of Biology, Fellow of the Energy Institute and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Presentation: Woking: the most energy efficient local authority in the country

Woking Borough Council is at the forefront of local authorities already investing in clean energy projects, with the town centre's combined heat and power network being just one of many successful initiatives. The council has gone to great lengths to encourage local energy production through Thameswey, which was established in 1999, and is ideally placed to share its experiences.

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James Beal became an advisor to the UK Trade and Investment (UK Government Agency) on energy and infrastructure inward investment matters in May 2010. James supports activities aimed at securing significant investment into the UK to enhance and enable the UK to deliver against its challenging low carbon targets and new infrastructure needs.

James has been, and still continues to be Managing Director of Renewables East, a private independent not-for-profit company, since May 2004. Under his leadership Renewables East has grown on average 54% per year and delivered a series of high profile public funded projects. In 2008 Renewables East won the prestigious industry award from the REA as the best public funded endeavour. Successes include enabling JDR Cables to win the single biggest supply chain order for renewables, £18m cables for the Greater Gabbard Project. In Feb this year James started to deliver 500 air source heat pumps into properties in fuel poverty across the region.

Renewables East has recently been announced by Ipswich Borough Council as its preferred partner to deliver 2300 local authority houses with a PV for free deal. This £14m programme is scheduled to start installing in September 2011. This unique partnership will see the houses benefit from free electricity produce by the panels, with the Local Authority receiving a roof rental and once the debts have been serviced the remaining funds will be distributed through a community energy fund.

Presentation: Renewable energy generation in the East of England

Renewables East is the renewable energy agency for Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Essex - the East of England. This session will share experiences of delivering renewable energy projects in partnership with local authorities, the NHS, and the wider public sector.

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Stephen has extensive experience of the energy sector and not for profit financial services. After graduating in Physics from Bath University with a First Class Honours degree Stephen joined BP where he worked in the UK and overseas for 24 years in a variety of commercial and operational roles. These included leading BP Exploration and Production Strategy and Planning in 1993/4 and Business Unit leader in the Middle East.

He joined the BG Group in 1999 where he was a main Board Director of Transco and latterly Group Director of Strategy and Business Development for the Lattice Group Plc after the company was de-merged from BG. He left Lattice in 2002 to take up the position of CEO of the Charities Aid Foundation, one of the principal providers of financial services to UK charities and donors in the UK and overseas.

He joined PfR in April 2007. Established by the Carbon Trust, PfR develops renewable energy projects on the public sector estate. It is currently working with British Waterways, the Environment Agency, the Ministry of Justice, the Coal Authority and the Forestry Commission plus several local councils and has more than 700MW of renewable energy projects in development.

Presentation: Developing renewable energy projects

Set up by the Carbon Trust to develop, construct and operate renewable energy projects on public sector land, Partnerships for Renewables provides a way for public sector bodies to access the economic and environmental benefits associated with renewable energy and contribute towards the fight against climate change without diverting public sector resources away from frontline services.

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