Energy day a renewable shot in arm

Ken Payne spends a lot of time listening. The head of the R.I. Office of Energy Resources takes to the road at least once a week to hear from Rhode Islanders about how they use energy and their views on emerging renewable energy technologies. On June 5, he will head to the University of Rhode Island in South Kingstown to hear from a diverse array of people curious about sustainable energy projects.
Organizers of “Sustainable Energy in Rhode Island: Make it Happen” say they expect about 200 people, including municipal officials, business executives and private residents. Besides Payne, U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse – a Democrat from Rhode Island – is scheduled to deliver an address along with Paul Ryan, chair of the R.I. Energy Efficiency and Resource Management Council. The conference is free.
“I think people are going to leave with connections, a lot of connections, to the experts in the state, people who are technical experts, people who know what all the financing opportunities are and people who have implemented projects successfully,” said Rachel Sholly, a program coordinator at the URI Energy Center, which is organizing the day.
People involved with planning the day say it comes at an interesting time for Rhode Island. Payne said that the state received about $53 million in federal stimulus money for energy-related projects. Of that, about $8.5 million remains. Sholly said municipal officials on the receiving end of some of the money need help in understanding how to maximize its use.
Meanwhile, the offshore wind farm proposed by Deepwater Wind has dominated news headlines for months. Ryan said he hoped the URI event – the first meeting his three-year-old council has sponsored – will broaden the view of renewable energy beyond Deepwater’s wind farm.
“I think it’s more important from the public standpoint to know that they can, through their own efficiency measures, maybe have a greater impact on energy consumption than Deepwater may ever have,” Ryan said.
The state budget also looms large, said Bob Chew, president of the wind division of Alteris Renewables Inc., which is also sponsoring the conference. Chew said he hoped conferences such as the one at URI would demonstrate to government officials the importance of maintaining public programs that support renewable energy systems. A proposal on Smith Hill would slash $1 million from the state’s Renewable Energy Fund, which provides grants and loans for renewable energy projects. And Chew said the state is losing its competitive edge compared with other states that are maintaining budgets that support renewable energy systems.
“We see Rhode Island becoming a very poor place to do renewable business,” Chew said.
Chew said such a reputation is unfortunate, because investments in renewable energy could prop up Rhode Island’s sagging economy and lead to a host of offshoot businesses.
The day will also provide a chance for the R.I. Energy Efficiency and Resource Management Council to explain what it does. The three-year-old council is just finding its footing after spending its inaugural year racing to fulfill statutory requirements and the next year outlining its direction.
At the urging of council member Joe Newsome, the body this year is attempting to become more visible and detach itself from the Office of Energy Resources, a separate organization but one often confused with the council, Ryan said.
The little-known nine-member panel recommends energy policies and advises the R.I. Public Utilities Commission, the General Assembly and the governor. The council includes business and education leaders, a representative from National Grid, a former building commissioner and a representative from the oil industry.
The URI day will provide the council an opportunity to display its work and hear concerns from residents, government officials and business people, Ryan said. Council members will take that feedback and incorporate it into future policy advice.
Ryan said the council is already planning a second event later this year in Providence and hopes to hold events at least twice a year moving forward.
The university will also show off its Energy Center established in 2007. The center, a cross-disciplinary team of URI researchers and students, advises government agencies and the public on energy usage and researches energy policies. &#8226