February 29, 2016

Regional Energy Forum set for March 11

by Tim Crosby

CARBONDALE, Ill. – The future of energy in Southern Illinois is the topic of the next Regional Energy Forum at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

The forums, which began last fall, are sponsored by the Advanced Coal and Energy Research Center and are designed to bring together interested parties to explore issues and solutions for the future. Organizers also hope the forums provide inspiration and resources to create energy initiatives and jobs in the region.    

The next forum is set for 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, March 11, in Morris Library’s first floor rotunda and John C. Guyon Auditorium, and is titled “Campus and Community Energy: Making Plans for the Future.” Panelists will discuss potential growth in certain sectors of the energy industry, including renewable energy and improvements in efficiency. They also will discuss possible new, long-term areas of interest, including waste-to-energy and biomass technologies. 

Craig Pals, vice president and co-founder of Tick Tock Energy Inc. will discuss renewable energy, while James Mathias, associate professor of mechanical engineering and energy processes, will discuss efficiency technologies. Brent Ritzel, director and co-owner of Equitech International LLC, will discuss waste-to-energy technologies and Ira Altman, chair of the Department of Agribusiness Economics, will talk about biomass energy technologies. 

The event is free and open to the public. Go here for more information and to register. 

ACERC organizers aim to develop a regional resource center to help meet the challenges of the energy industry. To do so, they hope to determine the basic skills and knowledge that all employees should have, and develop areas of study and career tracks for students in community college or a university. They also hope to identify job placement channels based on feedback. 

Follow ACERC at @SIUEnergy.