The new Stormont enterprise minister vowed yesterday to draw on his past experience as a social worker - and also call on his predecessor - to ensure the north's economy comes out of its recent rut.
Jonathan Bell's first day in the job involved an early morning get-to-know-you with Invest NI hierarchy (including its chief executive Alistair Hamilton) ahead of the agency's results announcement next Tuesday, and ended in London at a Brazilian Chamber of Commerce dinner.
In between, he mingled with Ulster rugby stars as he helped launch a solar solution from Kingspan and ESB which the joint venture partners claim can save Northern Ireland businesses more than £300 million in electricity cost savings over the next 25 years.
The Strangford MLA insisted his front-and-centre priority will be on jobs - "promoting them and helping create more of them".
He said: "During 20 years in social work I've seen what getting a job can mean to a young person or adult in terms of their physical and mental wellbeing. It dramatically changes their lives for the better.
"My role is to be a friend of those companies wanting to create jobs here - and I'll go anywhere to sell this place to the world."
Mr Bell recalled studying at Queen's University 25 years ago with Arlene Foster, who he succeeded into the Stormont economy portfolio.
"I'm not precious - and I'll use her as my mentor," he said, adding: "I'll be happy to stand on the shoulders of a giant."
His first public address in his new role was to urge businesses in the north to explore the competitive advantages offered by solar technology.
Speaking at the launch of Kingspan Energy-ESB ‘Funded Solar’ initiative - which aims to help the business and commercial sectors use their roof space to generate clean, renewable electricity free of any upfront capital costs - he said: “Energy costs are a significant factor in day to day operations for many local companies who are competing in a global marketplace.
"The ‘Funded Solar’ initiative offers significant benefits to business by reducing and fixing a portion of their energy costs."
Through the initiative, Kingspan-ESB provides all the capital to instal a photovoltaic (PV) system on the roof, while the business owner provides a lease to Kingspan-ESB and purchases the green electricity from the PV system at a reduced rate.
The partner providers claim the 'Funded Solar' solution removes the final barrier to generation of cheaper, greener energy and will enable Northern Ireland businesses to benefit from a potential £320 million electricity cost savings over the next 25 years (or £5.6 million each year).
"This can make a massive difference to customers' bottom line," said ESB's Cera Slevin.
"It is a significant step forward for the development of the Northern Ireland renewable energy industry."
Gilbert McCarthy of Kingspan Insulated Panels said: "This partnership with ESB can play a significant role in Northern Ireland reaching its target of 40 per cent renewable generation by 2020.
"By removing the financial barrier to the adoption of rooftop solar PV, our fully funded solution strengthens the case for businesses to benefit from green, lower cost power and improve their long-term competitiveness.”
