The 7th Annual LoLo ERBE Student Conference took place on Tuesday 26th May, held this year on Zoom rather than at UCL as planned due to the Covid-19 restrictions. While the format was adapted for online delivery, we were able to welcome 100 participants worldwide to listen to student speakers from the UK, Ireland and Colombia. As well as giving researchers the chance to present their work, the event was a valuable trial of online conferences, which will surely become more prevalent as academia seeks more sustainable ways of working.
The event was introduced by UCL’s director of the LoLo and ERBE CDTs, Professor Robert Lowe, who set the scene for the urgency of the conference theme: energy system innovation for a low-carbon future. There then followed presentations from research students and the audience voted for their favourites. Joe Pemberton, University of Salford, spoke about his findings from work on structural thermal breaks. Nicole Watson, UCL, gave the winning presentation on consumer engagement with local energy. Orlaith McGinley, National University of Ireland, Galway, explained her assessment of the key performance indicators of energy efficient residential retrofits. Juan M. España, EIA University, talked from Colombia on a peer to peer energy trading trial, and Rami El Geneidy, Loughborough, explained the implications of modelling and measurement uncertainties in energy flexibility of buildings.
The keynote speech, Energising Communities, was delivered by Professor Mark Gillott, Chair in Sustainable Building Design & Head of Department of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Nottingham. Prof Gillott gave an insightful talk on his involvement in an award-winning community energy development in Nottingham using battery technology. Mark received many questions from the audience, and we were glad that despite the challenges of the pandemic we could still learn from his experience in the innovative project. Anyone who missed these interesting talks can watch the recording online.
The recording of the LoLo-ERBE student conference is available HERE.
The organising committee would like to thank all those who assisted with preparations, gave presentations and attended the event. We look forward to the 8th conference and hope to welcome participants to Loughborough next year.