The Rail Innovation Group and Energy Garden Summer BBQ 2026
Schedule
Wed Jul 15 2026 at 04:00 pm to 08:00 pm
UTC+01:00Location
Energy Garden Office | London, EN
About this Event
Our annual Summer BBQ returns on Wednesday 15 July, 16:00 to 19:00, hosted by the Energy Garden at their Westminster sustainability hub.
This forms part of our wider 10-year anniversary activity, bringing together rail leaders, infrastructure partners, sustainability practitioners and innovators from operators, suppliers, public bodies and the SME community for a relaxed, networking-led evening focused on practical delivery, lessons learned and future opportunities.
The choice of venue is deliberate. The wider UK conversation has shifted significantly toward activating public assets, rooftop solar, community benefit models and rail infrastructure for the energy transition. Energy Garden has been delivering exactly this in practice for over a decade. Their work spans community-owned solar on rail infrastructure, green corridors across London, youth training pathways, biodiversity programmes and a working circular model where energy revenue funds long-term community resilience.
This is the model in action. Patagonia and GTR have been part of the story since 2022, with Energy Garden supplying community-generated electricity to GTR trains and Patagonia's UK retail stores. Rail-based organisations including Network Rail and RSSB are increasingly engaged on the integrated sustainability agenda.
Format
Light, informal, and weighted toward open networking. Expect a short welcome and a brief Energy Garden case study moment near the start, then BBQ, drinks and conversation through the rest of the evening. There will be a chance to sample Energy Garden's pale ale, brewed using community-harvested hops grown in their gardens. The evening will also feature interactive case study exhibits and informal discussions covering:
- rail solar and infrastructure delivery
- biodiversity and stewardship across the rail estate
- circular economy and reuse
- social value frameworks and partnerships
- community engagement and volunteering
- lessons learned from approvals and implementation
Speakers
- Deb Carson, Head of Initiatives, Rail Innovation Group
- Agamemnon Otero, Founder and CEO, Energy Garden
Why attend
Visit and network with rail professionals and peers on a working sustainability site, at the moment when the conversation is moving from policy to delivery.
Why attend
Visit and network with rail professionals and peers on a working sustainability site, at the moment when the conversation is moving from policy to delivery.
Listen before you come
Energy Garden recently recorded a long-form podcast covering rail infrastructure, community energy and urban resilience. Listen on Spotify and Apple.
Open to All: This event is open to members and non-members.
Sponsor this event
Sponsorship is still available and the timing has rarely been stronger. Sponsoring this event puts your organisation in front of a curated room of senior rail decision-makers, on a site that demonstrates exactly the kind of community-benefit infrastructure model the wider conversation is now calling for. Speaking slot, sponsor stall, joint guest curation and pre/post event promotion included. Get in touch via railinnovationgroup.com
Where is it happening?
Energy Garden Office, 43 Ebury Bridge Road, London, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 0.00
