30th April 2020, 11:30 to 16:00 @ Your inbox!
SHREC 2020 – the show must go on – coming to a screen near you!
The Coronavirus outbreak may have prevented the Highlands and Islands’ renewables sector from gathering physically. However, it can’t stop them from celebrating the Scottish Highlands and Islands Renewable Energy Conference (SHREC) on 30 April.
That’s why, for the first time ever, the SHREC team are going to deliver a digital SHREC experience.
The full SHREC has, of course, been postponed, with both the conference and the Highlands and Islands Renewable Energy Awards now being held on 24 September.
But before that, the original date will be marked by bringing the views of our expert renewables speakers to a screen near you.
What can you expect from virtual SHREC
To allow for as many people who are interested to view our virtual SHREC, we are planning to deliver a recording of the conference to your inbox on 30 April.
Originally, the 11th Annual SHREC was set to tackle the theme of climate change and take a wider look at the environmental and economic benefits that renewable energy brings to the Highlands, Islands & Moray.
That will still be a theme, but led by Paul Wheelhouse MSP, Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands, our speakers from the original SHREC programme have agreed to deliver their insights which will no doubt reflect the sector’s, and the country’s, coronavirus experience.
Other contributors include our own David Bone, Head of Energy and Natural Resources at Harper Macleod and the only man to have spoken at every SHREC, Audrey MacIver, Director of Energy and Low Carbon at HIE, and George Baxter, Director of Development at Green Power International, one of the leading independent renewable energy developers in the UK.
The team are also delighted to say that Nicky Marr, who will once again host the Awards when they take place, will still host a panel discussion. Nicky is going to be joined in video conversation by a panel of people looking at renewables in the Highlands and Islands from a different perspective, including:
- Terry Stebbings is the co-founder of Proterra Energy, which was set up in 2012 to design and install micro hydro schemes in Scotland;
- Ryan Felber is the local Implementation Adviser at Resource Efficient Scotland, which helps organisations reduce costs by saving energy and water, reducing raw materials use and managing waste efficiently.
These local organisations incorporate renewable and energy efficiencies into what they do and they’ll share the reasons for doing so and their journey to where the currently find themselves.
Free and available to watch at your convenience
It promises to be a fascinating package which we are sure will be appreciated by virtual delegates. And, like the original SHREC conference, it will be free to access.
David Bone, Head of Energy and Natural Resources at Harper Macleod and the only man to have spoken at every SHREC said: “Taking a prompt decision to postpone the event was, of course, the only responsible course of action but it also gave us time to come up with an alternative way of delivering SHREC on the day it should have gone ahead on.
“We are delighted that along with our friends at Highland News and Media and all of our speakers, we will be able to provide the SHREC audience will some great content.”
Until then, stay safe and we look forward to seeing you again soon.
Don’t miss out
The Conference is free to view. If you want to find out how, please use this link.
Highlands and Islands Renewable Energy Awards
The second annual Highlands and Islands Renewable Energy Awards will celebrate the very best of the region’s green energy sector on the evening of SHREC on 24 September.
Last year, more than 200 guests representing a cross-section of the industry’s most influential figures in the north of Scotland, attended the glittering evening ceremony. The event showcases the achievements of the sector, while also recognising and rewarding the contribution that renewable energy makes to the Highland and Islands economy and the businesses at the heart of it.
The awards are supported by Harper Macleod, which founded SHREC in 2010, and Highland News & Media, publisher of the Executive and 18 newspaper titles across the Highlands and north-east Scotland.
You can find out more about the Awards, including how to enter here.
