All Eyes on Kansas to Reinvigorate America's Heartland

On September 27th the Clean Energy Business Council (CEBC) and Kansas Department of Commerce in partnership with the Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA) will host a half-day Distributed Generation (DG) Workshop following the Kansas Energy Conference (September 26-27) at the DoubleTree by Hilton Wichita Airport in Wichita, Kansas. The half-day DG Workshop will follow the conference on September 27th and is available as a complimentary add-on for full conference attendees and available to others at a nominal cost. Space is limited and registration is required. 

The DG workshop will kick-off the CEBC's "Around the State" initiative, which will include a total of four community workshops aimed at increasing exposure about market opportunities in renewable energy within Kansas. The workshop will also mark the beginning of a series of state-focused distributed wind outreach events to be hosted by DWEA and member companies as part of DWEA's State Policy Program. 

"The Clean Energy Business Council (CEBC) is exploring how businesses can capitalize on distributed energy resources in Kansas and the Greater Kansas City Metro. The DG workshop is a perfect venue for stakeholders to discuss the opportunities and next steps to make Kansas a leader in distributed generation. While Kansas has excelled in utility scale wind power, we've barely scratched the service for distributed solar and wind. We're excited to see the synergy distributed wind and solar companies create through the CEBC," said Dorothy Barnett, Executive Director of CEBC. "Many of our business members have expressed an interest in developing the Kansas distributed wind market. Distributed wind provides unique opportunities for farmers, businesses, homeowners, and communities to control their energy costs and boost their bottom lines by producing their own clean, renewable energy. Kansas, with its abundant wind and land resource, presents a significant opportunity for on-site power projects. We are thrilled to partner on this event," said Jennifer Jenkins, Executive Director of DWEA. 

Workshop attendees will hear from distributed wind and solar manufacturers, project developers, and operations and maintenance providers as well as policy makers and industry experts on the fundamentals of DG, success stories, policy updates, and market opportunities in Kansas. 

"On-site energy technology, like distributed wind, is a tool for creating local economic prosperity. Not only can a small wind system help a farmer stabilize their electricity rates and ultimately save over the long-term, but growth of the industry in Kansas will lead to the creation of great local jobs and attract new industries looking to procure on-site renewable energy," said Jason Kaplan, General Counsel at United Wind, as well as DWEA and CEBC member. 

Rural cooperatives and utilities, farmers and agricultural producers, state and local policy makers, cleantech industry members and advocates, project developers, corporate purchasers, and all other interested parties are invited to participate. The full Kansas Energy Conference and Distributed Generation Workshop agenda, registration information, and additional details are available at http://cleanenergyforbusiness.com//ks-energy-conference

Clean Energy Business Council | www.cleanenergyforbusiness.com

Distributed Wind Energy Association | www.distributedwind.org