Marist to again host energy conference with NY Business Council and Hudson Renewable Energy Institute

POUGHKEEPSIE (June 21, 2016) – Business leaders and energy experts from across New York and the nation are expected to attend the 2016 Renewable Energy Conference, which takes place on June 28-29 at Marist College.

Organized in association with the Business Council of New York State and the Hudson Renewable Energy Institute, the event is considered the premier renewable energy conference on the East Coast.

"The majority of attendees are from New York State, with quite a few from the Hudson Valley area," says Maribeth Riley, director of conference development for the business council, but Georgia, Washington, and North Carolina are also represented."

The conference will focus on energy policy, both at the state and national level. In 2013, the state Public Service Commission announced its Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) plan, which aims to create a more affordable and efficient energy distribution system by encouraging development of rooftop solar, residential wind, and other renewable energy sources. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Order 1000 includes requirements for large-scale regional planning for the transmission of energy.

"Historically, transmission was only authorized by FERC if there was a reliability or positive cost benefit," says Allan R. Page, chairman of the Hudson Renewable Energy Institute and a conference organizer and speaker. "With this order, public policy projects, which were not needed for reliability of the system or to save money, were allowed."

Keynote speakers at the conference include Robert B. Catell, chairman of the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center at Stony Brook University; Michael Mosher, President and CEO of Central Hudson Gas & Electric; Kenneth Daly, President of National Grid of New York; Richard L. Kauffman, Chairman of Energy and Finance for the State of New York; and Eric M. Markell, a former executive with Puget Sound and founder and CEO of Markell and Company, a business advisory service.

For a complete list of speakers, as well as the full conference agenda and registration information, please visit bcnys.org/events/renewable-energy.

"The Marist School of Management is delighted to be hosting our annual Renewable Energy Conference," says Dean Lawrence Singleton. "We are happy to provide a forum for business executives to learn from and interact with experts on renewable energy initiatives and policy."