Will take place on July 16, 2015 at Illinois State University, Bone Student Center, Normal, IL

The Illinois Renewable Energy Conference will be held on Thursday, July 16, at Illinois State University. The conference will include plenary speakers on topics of interest to all areas of renewable energy, plus breakout sessions on renewable energy policy, technology, and case studies from around the state in the specific areas of wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and energy efficiency.

Event partners include the Center for Renewable Energy at Illinois State University, Illinois Wind Working Group, Wind on the Wires, Illinois Solar Energy Association, Illinois Biomass Working Group, Geothermal Alliance of Illinois and Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance.

"There are at least three legislative proposals for new energy policy for the State of Illinois," said David Loomis, director of the Center for Renewable Energy, Energy Learning Exchange and Institute for Regulatory Policy Studies at Illinois State. "Each proposal has drastically different implications for the growth of renewable energy and energy efficiency in the state. This conference is a one-stop-shop for information about these new proposals for seasoned professionals as well as a full introduction for beginners."

Plenary session speakers scheduled include Sarah Wochos of the Environmental Law and Policy Center and Anthony Star of the Illinois Power Agency. The conference is open to the public and will be of special interest to renewable energy companies, policy makers, government officials, county board members, zoning board members, universities, community colleges, schools, landowners, agriculture extension offices, lawyers, electric coops, manufacturers, contractors and environmental groups.

Early registration cost per person is $50 which includes lunch and continental breakfast at the event, and a networking reception for registered conference attendees the evening before. The regular registration rate of $70 will be effective as of June 1, and the late registration rate of $90 begins July 1. For more conference information and to register online, please visit www.RenewableEnergy.ilstu.edu. Conference schedule, topics, and speakers are subject to change. For questions, please email RenewableEnergy@ilstu.edu or call (309) 438-7919.
Conference sponsors include Stantec, Cultural Resource Analysts, EDP Renewables North America, Farnsworth Group, Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University, and Illinois Laborers' Employers Cooperation and Education Trust.

The Center for Renewable Energy at Illinois State University was approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education in August, 2008. The Center has three major functional areas: supporting the renewable energy major at Illinois State University; serving the Illinois renewable energy community by providing information to the public; and encouraging applied research on renewable energy at Illinois State University and through collaborations with other universities.