EXTON, PA – Key players in the region’s energy industry gathered for the Chester County Economic Development Council’s 8th Annual Energy Briefing Tuesday.
Held by CCEDC’s Smart Energy Initiative (SEI), the briefing provides business and community leaders with valuable insights regarding 2020 energy markets, policies and opportunities in Pennsylvania and at the national level. Among them:
- Guidelines are being created for a cap and trade program in Pennsylvania that will help power producers reduce their carbon footprint and create a fund that could devote as much as $450 million dollars a year to energy efficiency-related projects.
- Large solar projects, as well as other alternative energy initiatives like geothermal, are proving to be cost-effective in Pennsylvania.
- At the national level, a report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration is projecting that the country’s production of renewable energy and natural gas will continue to grow.
“Our goal is to provide just the right amount of data to prepare businesses for the year to come, whether you’re an energy consultant, facilities manager, architect, engineer, developer or municipality manager,” says Kevin Wong, account manager at Honeywell Building Solutions and program chair of CCEDC’s Smart Energy Initiative.
“The annual energy briefing is just one of several key events working to support and strengthen our energy industry as a whole,” said CCEDC President and CEO Gary Smith.
Updates on public policy in the energy sector were provided by Denise Brinley of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Franz Litz, of Litz Energy Strategies, pinpointed recent developments in financing. Deployment of energy initiatives was the focus of Geoffrey Underwood of Glidepath Ventures.
Attendees of the event included SEI”s network of energy professionals, who gather regularly to promote the growth of the “smart” energy industry in the region. The energy briefing was hosted by Bentley Systems in Exton and sponsored by PECO.
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