What: Online Networking for Solar Energy in Alberta
When: Thursday, January 13 at 12pm MT
Why you need to be there:
- Meet business owners, entrepreneurs, executives and other professionals from the solar industry
- Receive insight about opportunities in Alberta’s growing solar industry
- Convenient events take a digital approach to professional networking
- Participate from your home or office
This 1.5 event will be hosted on Zoom and will use breakout rooms to promote smaller group chats. You will have the opportunity to meet multiple solar professionals. This event is intended for 18 to 29 year olds in Alberta
We promote a relaxed environment where you can be yourself and get to know professionals and peers in a fun atmosphere. Participate from the comfort of your home and grow your network.
Solar Professionals Attending
Ph.D., Solas Energy Consulting Inc.
Maureen Kolla has over eight years of experience in the renewable and alternative energy sector, most in technology development and funding. Maureen joined Solas Energy in 2021 after leading and growing the Renewable and Alternative Energy program with Alberta Innovates. Skilled in strategic planning, project funding and proposal development, technical evaluations, fostering collaborative relationships, and effective communications, she brings a diverse skillset. Maureen developed funding programs to support geothermal energy, energy storage, smart grid, and clean technologies. She has a deep understanding of the Alberta electricity framework and the electricity industry. Maureen is the founder of the Alberta Smart Grid Consortium, which consists of the Alberta Distribution Facility Owners, the Alberta Ministry of Energy, and Alberta Innovates. Maureen holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta and a Master of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Doctor of Philosophy in Aerospace Engineering from Ryerson University.
Sebastien Rioux
Business Administrator at Newo Energy
For the last 4 years I have been working in the solar industry in various capacities from installation to project management and everything in between. However, my belief along with the entire Newo team, is that technology alone won’t solve the issues of our current paradigm. Our shift to renewable energy resources must also coincide with a shift in our cultural narrative that emphasizes reconciliation with all of our relations, abundance, and generosity. To these ends, my passion lies in creating spaces and projects that allow for the fullest expression of these notions to bring the greatest ecologic, social, and economic benefit to our communities.
Nick is an electrical engineer currently working in the renewables consulting industry. He has over four years of experience in solar PV design and project management ranging from 10 KW residential rooftop systems all the way to 100 MW+ utility-scale ground mount systems. He has worked on over 11 MW of residential and commercial micro-generation projects and over 400 MW of utility-scale projects, including Canada’s largest municipal rooftop solar PV system at Genesis Place in the City of Airdrie.
Equipped with over 10 years of experience in branding, marketing and content creation, Vilasini P Pillay utilizes her skills to uniquely position and market SkyFire Energy in Western Canada. She manages SkyFire’s branding, advertising, sponsorships, website, graphic design, events and more. In addition to her role at SkyFire, Vilasini is one of the founding members and Director of Alberta Solar Co-op. As the co-op’s marketing lead, she spearheaded their successful crowdfunding campaign in 2016. Vilasini was previously the CEO of SPARK (Alberta’s first member-owned renewable energy co-operative). She assisted in developing Alberta’s first local Green Offset Program, which allows individuals and businesses to directly purchase locally generated Green Energy Offsets from small solar or wind generators.
Christine is a Business Development Manager at Radicle, where she leads new opportunity identification for nature based solutions in the carbon credit space. She leverages her experience working in the startup ecosystem to analyze potential areas for GHG reductions and develops go to market strategies to execute on new project types.
Christine’s work in the renewable sector focuses on informing and supporting businesses looking to transition towards renewable forms of energy, specifically solar power. Christine launched the solar carbon credit program at Radicle, which enables any individual or business with a solar panel in Alberta to generate carbon credits easily through Radicle’s software. Leveraging Radicle’s position in the market and experience generating offsets, Christine supports client’s looking for solar offset solutions for both aggregated and large-scale projects across Alberta.
Alyssa Bruce is a multi-disciplinary land professional with over 17 years of progressive experience in land asset administration and management in the upstream oil and gas industry. She is an alumna of the University of Calgary, with a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a concentration in Risk Management and Finance in 2005 and a Master of Science in Sustainable Energy Development graduate degree in 2020. Alyssa is inspired by the breadth of skills and expertise of fossil fuel workers that are transferable to the renewable energy sector and she is driven to raise awareness of opportunities for career diversification. Her SEDV capstone research project which investigated repurposing legacy oil and gas sites for small-scale solar PV installations led to opportunities to pivot her career and she is currently working in contract roles with both Iron and Earth and the RenuWell Project.