TREEDC plans half-day workshop on July 27 in Cookeville
The Tennessee Renewable Energy and Economic Development Council (TREEDC) will hold its second annual Upper Cumberland Forum July 27 in Cookeville.
The half-day event begins at 8:30 a.m., at the Millard Oakley STEM Center, 155 West Seventh Street. It adjourns at 1 p.m. following a lunch sponsored by PHG Energy.
TREEDC is a statewide network of 82 city and county mayors and businesses working together to promote and connect renewable energy with economic development and energy efficiency for all Tennessee communities. Its creation was spearheaded by the University of Tennessee’s (UT) Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS), and MTAS Municipal Management Consultant Warren Nevad serves as TREEDC Director.
“The forum is an excellent opportunity for Tennessee businesses, governmental representatives and interested citizens to learn more about the various emerging renewable technologies available for economic development for our communities across the state,” Nevad said.
“We are also pleased that the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service has partnered with Tennessee Tech University to bring more awareness and business networking opportunities for TREEDC’s members.”
There is no registration fee, but pre-registration is encouraged and seating is limited to 175 attendees. Those interested in attending can register at http://treedc.us/forum_registrations/index.html. The full agenda can be found at http://treedc.us/upcoming_events/pdfs/TREEDC-TTU%202012%20Agenda.pdf.
Ducktown Mayor James Talley, who serves as TREEDC President, will preside at the opening session that will feature presentations on compressed natural gas (Pat Riley of the Tennessee Natural Gas Association), financing for solar projects (Tom Calaway of JBC Solar), and the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot grant program (Bruce Tonn of the Tennessee Solar Institute).
The balance of the program will feature a five-person panel focused on renewable energy opportunities for the Upper Cumberland Region. Panelists and their topics are:
- State of Tennessee Update on Energy Efficiency Grants – Molly Cripps, Energy Director Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development;
- Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Sustainable Initiatives – Lori Munkeboe, Director of the Office of Sustainable Practices;
- Tennessee Electric Vehicle Project Update – Stephanie Cox, Stakeholder Manager;
- Municipal Waste Conversion to Synthetic Fuels – Henning Bollerslev, 49 Green; and
- Powering Wampler Sausage the Clean Energy Way – Harvey Abouelata, ARiES Energy.
