February 12th - Naas Racecourse - W91 ED00
Event details
The Solar & Heat Renewables Show for Installers is an initiative by a collective of solar businesses and branch organisations operating in Ireland. With the speed of product innovation, regulation changes and supply chain uncertainties it can be difficult to keep up to speed with this ever evolving industry!
The Solar & Heat Show 2026 will be an event of information, innovation, product demo’s, networking and lots of craic! The perfect way to kick off the “Solar Season”!
We have put together a program that makes your journey worthwhile, even if you live in Kerry or Donegal! If you have only an hour to spare or want to make it day out, we guarantee it’ll be worth the trip!
Speaker Programme
Presentations begin at 9:30am
9:10 - Welcome to the Show! (Marc Thornton)
9:15 - 9:35 - Huawei - Here to Stay! (Baolin Liang)
9:35 - 10:00 - Overview of SEAI Grants
Grants & Funding Schemes (SEAI, Eoin O Cullen)
10:30 - 11:45 Commercial Solar
Energy audits - (Energy Wolf, Michael Norton)
Financing commercial (Orkestra, Mark Gardiner)
Transitioning to Commercial: Avoid technical pitfalls and common mistakes to achieve greater success. (Volira, Aaghaz Ahmed)
12:30 - 1:30 Heat Pump Design
Maximising Return - Why customer proposals matter in heat pump and solar PV (Midsummer Energy, Rhys Gwynn)
Heat Pump System Design (NRG Awareness, Harry Rae)
Non-Domestic Heating Grants for Businesses (SEAI, Eamonn Shiels)
2:00 - 3:15 Best Practice
Working with the new regulations - FusionSolar Residential Solution: Smart, Safe, and Backup-Ready (Huawei, Mauricio Olmos)
Working at height (Rothoblaas, Gary Sowerby)
Panel Discussion: Training, Good Design, & Compliance
- Chevron College, Paul Savage
- K2 Systems, Stuart Woodman
- SEAI, Eamonn Shiels, Shane Prendergast
- MREF, Ciaran Kells
- Huawei, Mauricio Olmos
- Rothoblaas, Gary Sowerby
3:15 MREF - Watch this space! + Farewell and Thank you - Time for a toast! (MREF, Ciaran Kells)
Confirmed Speakers for our 2026 Show!
Ciarán Kells, Chairperson Micro-Renewable Energy Federation
Ciarán Kells is the newly appointed chairperson of the Micro-Renewable Energy Federation (MREF) in Ireland, taking over from founding chair Pat Smith in late 2024 As CEO and founder of Eco Horizon, a solar energy solutions company, Kells brings significant expertise in renewable energy systems and battery storage technology to this leadership role
Aaghaz Ahmed, Founder & Technical Advisor, Volira
Aaghaz Ahmed is a renewable energy expert and the founder of Volira, where he champions growth and innovation across solar and energy solutions. With hands-on experience driving strategic partnerships and project expansion, Aaghaz brings fresh perspectives on advancing solar deployment and scaling sustainable energy technologies. His expertise spans project delivery, market development, and connecting industry stakeholders to unlock new opportunities in the renewable sector — making him a valuable voice at the Solar & Heat Renewables Show.
Gary Sowerby, Technical Consultant, Rotho Blaas
At Rothoblaas, we offer customised solutions based on our in-depth knowledge of standards and technologies for securing complex environments. Where mandatory lifelines have not been installed, Rothoblaas steps in with the design of the fall arrest system best suited to the building's roof and the photovoltaic system installed.
Rhys Gwynn, Software BD manager (Heat Punk) Midsummer Energy
Rhys is an expert in heat loss and heat pump system design, drawing on hands‑on experience from leading a national installer’s design team. He brings a practical, real‑world perspective to helping businesses use Heatpunk to improve system design, streamline workflows, and scale their heat pump operations. This talk will help you sell the full benefits of residential and commercial PV and heat pump installations and equip your customers to maximise returns from their system by educating them about energy management tariffs and more.
Stuart Woodman, UK Sales Director at K2 Solar Mounting Solutions
Stuart has a genuine passion for the environment and sustainability with a demonstrated history in the renewables and environmental industry. With his 15 years of experience working with K2 he will be discussing the importance of good design for PV installations both on residential and commercial installations.
Paul Savage, Program Leader for Chevron Colleges
Paul is a degree-qualified Electrical Design Engineer and electrician with 28 years of industry experience. Paul is the owner of a company called Sav Electrical Systems (formed in 2007) which operates in the renewable energy sector, and is the program leader for Chevron Colleges solar PV implementation & micro renewable generator training courses. Paul has collaborated with customers nationwide, designing, installing and commissioning automated electrical control systems, and renewable power systems.
Mark Gardiner, Head of Sales for UK & Ireland at Orkestra Energy
Mark Gardiner is Head of Sales for UK & Ireland at Orkestra Energy, the company behind advanced solar cost analysis software used to model and optimise project financials. With a background spanning solar, battery and VPP businesses, and energy data management across the UK and New Zealand, Mark combines deep technical knowledge with hands-on commercial experience. He previously helped scale Raven Renewables from startup to a multi-million-pound installer in the social housing sector. At the Solar & Heat Renewables Show, Mark will share practical strategies to help installers confidentlyassess, optimise and win commercial solar and battery projects.
Michael Norton, Founder, Energy Wolf
Having worked across energy research, energy services, energy supply and utility companies in Belgium, Norway, Chile and Ireland, Michael founded Energy Wolf to help businesses use less energy and pay less for it. Michael works with SMEs across Ireland to identify practical, cost-effective energy savings and decarbonisation opportunities. In this talk, he will walk through the energy audit process, what businesses can realistically expect from an audit, and the practical next steps to reduce both energy costs and carbon emissions.
Shane Prendergast,SEAI Programme Manager – EV Charging Infrastructure & Policy, Mobility and Smart Networks
Shane Prendergast, Programme Manager for EV Charging Infrastructure & Smart Networks at Ireland's Sustainable Energy Authority (SEAI), drives national strategies for electric mobility and grid innovation. A key figure in Ireland's renewable transition, he brings expertise in integrating solar energy with smart transportation systems to the Show.
Eamon Shiels is a Chartered Engineer and Programme Manager – Commercial Retrofit with SEAI, bringing over 20 years of building services experience. He works at a national level to support and drive low-carbon retrofit across the commercial sector, with a strong focus on energy performance, operational costs and sustainable outcomes.
Eamonn Sheils, SEAI Programme Manager - Commercial Retrofit
Eóin Cullen has been with SEAI for nearly four years and has worked firstly managing the Support Scheme for Energy Audits (SSEA) on the SME Team. He is now responsible for delivering the Non-Domestic Microgen Scheme (Solar PV) which provides grant aid to businesses for Solar PV.
Eoin Cullen, SEAI Programme Manager - Commercial Retrofit
Marc Thornton is an experienced marketing consultant and trainer with over two decades of expertise in strategic marketing, sales tactics, and customer relationship management. As Managing Director of DTA Marketing, he has worked with 400+ companies across sectors, including hospitality, retail, and renewable energy, delivering award-winning programs in customer care and business growth. Marc will be joining us again as our show host!
Marc Thornton, Marketing Consultant - Our Host for the day!
Mauricio has over 12 years of experience working in 3 continents on PV and Storages, training teams all over Europe. He is based in Germany and is a passioned Irish fan.
Mauricio Olmos, Senior PV & BESS Expert/Solution Manager - European Digital Power Smart PV Residential Solution, Huawei
Harry has worked in the heating industry since 1970 with a wide range of experience including; commercial and industrial installation, on to running a very successful boiler service business and finally changing direction to heating systems design and product innovation.
Harry Rea, Director of R&D and Training - RG Awareness
Venue details
Naas Racecourse is a premier horse racing venue located in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland. Known for its thrilling races and vibrant atmosphere, it's a popular destination for both locals and visitors. We chose this venue for the solar event because it has a nice ‘homely’ feel, is conveniently located, offers flexible room configurations, has stunning views and the Naas Racecourse team is very easy to work with.
How to get there:
By Car: Naas Racecourse is easily accessible by car. It's located just off the N7 motorway, and there's ample parking available on-site.
By Train: You can take a train to Sallins Station, which is a short taxi or bus ride away from the racecourse.
By Bus: Bus Éireann operates services to Naas town center, from where you can walk or take a taxi to the racecourse.
