The Pennsylvania Sustainable Energy Board, in conjunction with the Public Utility Commission will hold its annual meeting at 11 a.m., on January 10 in Hearing Room 1 of the Commonwealth Keystone Building, Harrisburg.

“The PASEB’s annual meeting provides a welcome opportunity for the state’s four sustainable energy funds to highlight their most important programs,” said Commissioner Wayne E. Gardner, who will make opening remarks.  “This meeting is a valuable opportunity for the Commission and the community to hear more about new opportunities for renewable and sustainable energy production services and enterprises.”

The meeting will also provide an opportunity for the regional funds to collaborate on larger projects that may be of interest to collective funds and provide updates from the regional SEFs and is being held to update Commonwealth agencies and other interested groups on activities of the regional sustainable energy funds, and the market status of sustainable energy technologies and projects.

Some of the projects being discussed at the meeting will include the following:

-- PPL Electric Utilities Corp. Sustainable Energy Fund will highlight The Sustainable Energy Symposium and Energypath 2013, which are the fund’s educational initiatives, as well as the fund’s financial initiatives, the Instant Rebate Program and Traditional Loan Program.

-- West Penn Power Co.’s. Sustainable Energy Fund will discuss the Pittsburgh-based Aquion Energy, which is producing modules that can be assembled into economically compelling electricity storage systems ranging from kilowatt (kW) scale household products to hundreds of megawatts (MWs) to manage energy use at the grid scale.

-- The Metropolitan Edison Co. (Met-Ed) and Pennsylvania Electric Co. (Penelec) Sustainable Energy Fund discussions will focus on a loan the fund received that was approved for $100,000 to One Solar Energy, who is a manufacturer of silicon for use of crystalline based solar cells and is based of New Castle.

-- The Sustainable Development Fund, operating in the PECO service territory, will present information about its building energy lending work, its support for community and small wind and its interest in supporting community solar, a new model for purchasing solar energy.

Representatives from the Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Consumer Advocate, the Department of Community and Economic Development, and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council have been invited to attend.

The PASEB was originally established by the Commission in 1999 to provide oversight, guidance and technical assistance to the regional sustainable energy boards that fund projects such as wind farms, solar power systems, smart thermostat programs and the construction of buildings using energy efficient technologies. 

On August 7, 2003, the Commission issued an order further defining the role of the PASEB.  That order charged the PASEB with holding an annual meeting; enhancing communications among the four funds and state agencies; and establishing bylaws and a “best business practices” model.

1/7/2013