The co-founder of a North East green energy firm is taking his expertise stateside next week to address hundreds of delegates at the International Biomass Conference and Expo.
Neil Harrison, who established Alnwick-based re:heat with Ben Tansey in 2011, will be on the panel for two sessions at the event which will be held in Minneapolis in the state of Minnesota from 20-22 April.
“It’s a great opportunity to discuss the worldwide growth of the biomass industry and of course to further establish re:heat on the sector’s global map,” said Neil. “I will be discussing the opportunities that exist for biomass to play an even bigger role in the UK’s energy mix and I will share my thoughts on how well-developed policy and market-mechanisms can support this sustainable growth.”
The 1,400 delegates at the event, who will be representing 41 countries and 48 states of the USA, will have the opportunity to hear Neil speak at sessions on ‘Reviewing the Continued Momentum in the Growth of the Global Pellet Market’ and ‘How Policy is Deployed Locally, Nationally and Internationally to Create and Grow Biomass Markets’.
The International Biomass Conference and Expo, the largest event of its kind in North America, is organised by Biomass Magazine and its parent company, BBI International. Anna Simet, managing editor of Biomass Magazine said: “I am very excited to have Neil join our list of distinguished expert panellists. Neil is one of the most widely respected figures in the UK’s biomass industry so he speaks with great authority on topics that will be of real interest to our international delegates.”
In addition to his role with re:heat, Neil chairs the UK’s Wood Head Association and is heading up a government-backed Apprenticeship Trailblazers programme which aims to create up to 750 new biomass installation engineering apprenticeships by 2020.