The Isle of Man will host an international conference focusing on renewable energy later this month, with experts from the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Norway and Faroe Islands.

The ‘Building A Low-Carbon Island Economy’ conference at The Comis Hotel on October 27 has been organised by the Energy and Sustainability Centre Isle of Man (ESC) which is an independent, not-for-profit, Isle of Man charity.

ESC – which is sponsored by KPMG, The Peel Group, and Zurich on the Isle of Man – is led by former MHK, Ralph Peake; environmental specialist, John Boucher, and Dr Dave Quirk, chair of the Manx Geological Survey, who will be speaking at the conference.

Ralph Peake said: ‘Attending this conference is a must for anyone involved in sustainability-related roles in the public or private sectors.

It will be an excellent opportunity to learn first-hand from internationally respected experts who have developed strategies to achieve 100% renewable energy as early as 2030.’

In addition to Dr Quirk, key speakers at the conference include: Professor Henrik Lund, editor in chief of Elsevier’s international journal ENERGY; Professor Poul Alberg Østergaard from Aalborg University, Denmark, where he is a professor in energy planning; Terji Nielsen, Head of the R&D Department at Faroe Islands power company SEV, and Professor James Curran FRSE, honorary fellow of Scottish Environment LINK.

In 2019 the government commissioned Dr Quirk to produce a climate action report, so he has a very detailed understanding of the island’s energy infrastructure and the challenges it faces to achieve net-zero targets.

At the conference, ESC will explain how it is building models and creating options to help move the Isle of Man from its current dependence on fossil fuels to future self-sufficiency in low-carbon power.

That work involves building computer generated simulations of wind and solar schemes, energy storage and electricity transmission.

The conference will feature videos sponsored by Zurich on the Isle of Man which illustrate ESC’s vision of what a low-carbon future could look like here in the island.

l The Building A Low-Carbon Island Economy conference runs from 9.30am to 5.30pm on October 27 at the Comis Hotel in Santon.

For full details, and to book tickets, go to https://www.greenfutureisland.im/