UMaine To Host Energy Conference
Contact: Mohamad Musavi, chair of UMaine’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, (207) 581-2223; Aimee Dolloff, (207) 581-3777
ORONO, Maine – The University of Maine College of Engineering will host the Haskell Energy Conference: Electricity’s Role in Meeting Our Energy Needs from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 2, at the Hilton Garden Inn, 250 Haskell Road, Bangor.
The conference will focus on the important energy challenges ahead and the path forward for building a smart electrical grid.
In response to President Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress’s call to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, UMaine is aiming to assist the state electric utilities in the implementation of a Maine Smart Grid (MSG). Several of Maine’s major electric utility companies, including Central Maine Power Company, Bangor Hydro-electric Company, Maine Public Service Company, actively are participating and will benefit from this initiative.
The integration of the MSG with existing renewable energy sources, such as wind power, not only will satisfy the state’s energy needs but also the needs of other states resulting in significant economic development opportunities for Maine. MSG will be a digital, connected, and controllable electrical energy network that will provide reliability, efficiency, security, and access to the state’s vast energy resources.
Specifics of the MSG project will be discussed at the Haskell Energy Conference, which is designed for industry personnel, students, researchers, and the public.
The event will feature a keynote address by Larry Kazmerski, executive director for Science and Technology Partnerships, National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy.
Other presenters will include representatives from Bangor Hydro Electric Company, Central Maine Power Company, Ocean Renewable Power Company, First Wind, Maine Public Utilities Commissioner Jack Cashman, and several UMaine researchers.
The day will conclude with a panel discussion titled “Building Maine’s Energy Future – Challenges and Opportunities.”
Participants can receive six Professional Development Hours toward the state’s professional engineering educational requirement for attending.
The registration deadline is Thursday, March 26.
The Haskell Energy Conference is funded with support from the Haskell Professorship in UMaine’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.
Robert N. Haskell graduated from UMaine in 1925, and was the former president and chair of the Bangor Hydro-Electric Company Board. He also served in the Maine House of Representatives and Maine Senate. Haskell’s contributions shaped the foundation of the electric energy network in Maine.
For more information, call (207) 581-2223.