World leaders in small-scale energy production will descend on Brighton for a major conference aimed at reducing the environmental impact of business.

Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks will open the event which aims to show companies how they can reduce their energy consumption and C02 emissions.

Professor Ali Sayigh, director general of the World Renewable Energy Network will give the keynote speech at the conference while Tony Juniper, executive director of Friends of the Earth, will provide the closing address.

Mr Wicks will be given a guided tour of Brighton Earthship, an entirely self-sufficient building at Stanmer Park Farm made from recycled materials.

He will go on to visit Crawley fuel cell specialists Ceres Power which is working with British Gas to put a power station in every home.

The AIM-quoted company has designed and built a lightweight fuel cell stack which can generate sufficient energy to heat and power the average home.

The conference, which is sponsored by Business Link Sussex, will cover all aspects of microgeneration including solar energy, wind power and ground source heat pumps.

David Ripley, from Business Link Sussex, said climate change and energy consumption was high on the agenda for the Government and businesses.

He said technology in the field was developing "at an incredibly fast pace" and the conference meant businesses in Sussex would get to hear about it first.

Engineers, planners and academics will be fed up-to-the-minute information on the latest products and initiatives designed to help them reduce their energy costs and drastically reduce their impact on the environment.

Mr Ripley added: "Microgeneration is all about producing energy at the place where it's needed. This means the use of technologies such as solar heating, wind power and geothermal energy. Although such equipment has been around for a number of decades, it is still developing and becoming more efficient.

"Newer technology such as fuel cells are also developing at a fast pace and will become more commonly available within ten years."

The conference should also be of interest to anyone wishing to act to reduce the impact of our buildings on the environment.

The event will have dedicated sessions focusing on a number of microgeneration technologies.

Examples of successful development projects will also be covered in a case studies session. The two-day conference will include an evening dinner event at which BBC News presenter and environment enthusiast Declan Curry will be speaking.

The event is at Westlain House, at the Falmer Campus of the University, on Wednesday and Thursday, June 28 and 29.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006