We at CEP were thrilled to partner with the Kansas Department of Commerce in hosting the conference this year. The 18th Kansas Energy Conference brought over 260 attendees from across Kansas and the region. 59 speakers and moderators shared their expertise and led thought-provoking discussions about the energy opportunities in the state. The presentations can be accessed here.
Some take-aways:
- Although wind energy has experienced tremendous growth in the last 10 years, untapped future opportunities are abundant, with the right policies.
- Kansas is missing out on tapping our solar resource and economic growth from solar development. Stakeholders need to come together to work through barriers.
- Energy Efficiency has helped cities, utilities, and energy consumers save money and provide better customer service, but we need robust funding options and sources for meaningful energy efficiency implementations across the state.
- Electric Vehicles (EV) can drive economic growth in the region. But we must be proactive and thoughtful in creating welcoming EV infrastructure that is fairly-funded by the stakeholders.
- Transmission overload could slow economic investments in new generation. Privately-funded projects like Clean Line could open doors for more energy developments in the state.
- Technological innovations and more engaged consumers are changing the way energy is produced, transmitted, and used. Kansans have an opportunity to create an intentional vision for the energy future we want to see in the state.
The main conference wrapped up with prize drawing donated generously by Nest, Polsinelli, EDPr, Prosoco and the Kansas Department of Commerce.
One of the highlights for me, was the post conference Distributed Generation workshop. Hearing the diverse perspectives on distributed wind and solar reminded me of the complexity of the topic and the importance of those different voices of when forging future regulations that impact distributed generation.
We are grateful for our sponsors and exhibitors’ support, which made this conference possible: Apex Clean Energy, Clean Line Energy Partners, Cromwell Solar, Distributed Wind Energy Association, EDF Renewable Energy, EDP Renewables, Foley Power Solutions, Good Energy Solutions, ITC Great Plains, Kansas Electric Cooperative (KEC), Kansas Corporation Commission, KS Soybean Commission, MC Powe, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, Midwest Energy, Inc., NEC Energy Solutions, NextEra, Olsson Associates, Polsinelli, Prosoco/Build SMART, Seward County Community College, Stanion Wholesale Electric, Stantec, Tradewind Energy, US Small Business Administration, Westar Energy, Wichita State National Institute for Aviation Research, Wilson and Company.
Olga Khakova is Program Director of the Climate + Energy Project in Hutchinson.