The commissioner of the Public Utilities Commission in Rhode Island is among the keynote speakers at a virtual energy conference based in Hawaii.
The Ninth Annual Hawaii Energy Conference will convene virtually on May 10 and 12, focused on the electrification of Hawaii’s power grids and transportation infrastructure. Abigail Anthony, RIPUC commissioner, will be joined by Amy Meyers Jaffe, an energy research professor at Tufts University in Massachusetts; and Shelee Kimura, president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric.
Conference attendees will wrestle with the opportunities and challenges of electrifying homes, offices, industries, and transportation. Sponsored by the Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB), and supported by Maui County, the conference will bring together a broad spectrum of key movers in Hawaii’s energy industry to share insights and strengthen the professional community.
“The audience is diverse,” said Frank De Rego, director of business development projects at MEDB and conference program committee co-chair, in an exchange with Pacific Business News. “It includes energy professionals and developers, policy makers, decision makers in private industry and government, environmentalists, community activists and more. It attracts a local, national, and international audience.”
The event program includes keynote addresses, panel discussions, interviews, a virtual exhibit hall and videos about Hawaii energy initiatives.
“There is no doubt that the push to electrification will affect our way of life,” said De Rego in a statement. “A study by Princeton University predicts that by 2050 electrifying transport and buildings could double the amount of electricity consumption in the U.S. Our communities will need to develop disciplined, proportional responses to the challenges electrification poses. Strategies for energy efficiency and the equitable distribution of electrification’s benefits must balance building capacity for increased consumption.”
Sponsors of the Energy Conference include the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, Hawaiian Electric, Ulopono Initiative, Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, Elemental Excelerator, infrastructure company Burns & McDonnell, G70, Hawaii Gas, Canadian energy developer Innergex and U.S. energy producer AES.
Attendance has grown steadily from almost 300 participants in 2014 to 650 in 2020. According to organizers, more than 20% of conferees will join from the Mainland and internationally.
Tickets are open and available to the public. Prices start at $20 for full time students, and $95-$125 for full event participation. Details can be found on the program website: www.hawaiienergyconference.com.
