The Illinois Wind Working Group (IWWG) will host their sixth annual Advancing Wind Power in Illinois Conference, July 17 and 18, at the Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Normal, IL. IWWG consists of 200 key wind energy stakeholders and is administered by Illinois State University’s Center for Renewable Energy. The organization is affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Powering America initiative.
“Illinois ranks fourth in the country for installed wind energy capacity and we have many more wind farms under construction,” said David Loomis, director of the Center for Renewable Energy. “In order to keep new jobs coming from wind energy, we need to see important state and federal policies in place. This conference in a one-stop-shop for answers to issues concerning wind energy in the State of Illinois.”
More than 40 speakers will share their knowledge and expertise during this two-day conference through plenary sessions, breakout seminars, and breakout panel sessions regarding wind energy topics.
The conference program agenda includes How New Entrants and New Technology in the Turbine Market are Changing Project Economics, Wind Turbine Engine Technology, How Electricity Markets Work in Illinois, What Landowners Need to Know, Wind for Schools, Enterprise Zones Versus High Impact Business, Small Wind Zoning, Transmission Expansion for Wind Energy, Community Scale Wind, Applications of Battery Storage of Wind Energy, Wind Energy Policy in Illinois, Curtailment of Wind Farms Output, Non-Traditional Power Purchase Agreements, current Issues with Environmental Compliance, Small Wind “How To”, a Wind Energy 101 Pre-Session, and a final Hot Topics panel to discuss Indiana Bat and Eagles, Siting & Zoning Ordinances, and Renewable Energy Procurement.
Gold level conference sponsors include BHE Environmental and Stantec. Silver level sponsors include enXco, Iberdrola Renewables, and the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University. Exhibitors include Cultural Resource Analysts, EDP Renewables North America, Rev1 Renewables, Terracon Consultants, and Tetra Tech.
The conference is open to the public and will be of special interest to landowners interested in wind turbines or leasing their land, county board members, zoning board administrators, wind development companies, elected officials, policy makers, environmental groups, economic development officials, contractors, manufacturers and schools and universities interested in wind energy.
The cost to attend the full two-day conference is $125 per person for early registration through July 2, 2012, including lunch and continental breakfast. The rate will change to $150 as of July 3, 2012. For a detailed conference agenda and online registration are available at www.RenewableEnergy.ilstu.edu , click on the IWWG Annual Conference in the list of Upcoming Events. Topics, speakers and schedule subject to change. For questions, please email RenewableEnergy@ilstu.edu, or call 309-438-7919.
The Center for Renewable Energy at Illinois State University was approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education in August, 2008. The Center has three major functional areas: supporting the renewable energy major at Illinois State University; serving the Illinois renewable energy community by providing information to the public; and encouraging applied research on renewable energy at Illinois State University and through collaborations with other universities.