W&J energy webinar, chamber’s ‘state of the county’ event ahead
Courtesy of Pittsburgh International Airport/Blue Sky News
Washington & Jefferson College’s Center for Energy Policy and Management will present “First in the World: An Airport That Generates Its Own Power” at 11 a.m. Feb. 16 as part of its lecture series.
Scott
Srivastava
Agbede
The ascent of Pittsburgh International Airport’s microgrid project will be the focus of the next webinar presented by Washington & Jefferson College’s Center for Energy Policy and Management.
“First in the World: An Airport That Generates Its Own Power” will take off at 11 a.m. Feb. 16 as part of CEPM’s Energy Lecture Series. The virtual event will be free and open to the public, but registration will be required.
Pittsburgh International Airport – located in Findlay and Moon townships – last year became the first airport worldwide to be powered entirely by a natural gas/solar energy microgrid. A microgrid is an electricity source that can operate autonomously while staying connected to the traditional grid.
The airport thus can generate 100% of its electricity requirements, and would be able to operate even if a major grid power outage occurred. The airport also saves money on energy bills.
Pittsburgh International Airport’s grid features five natural gas-fired generators, using gas sourced from Marcellus Shale wells on airport property; and about 10,000 solar panels, which can produce about 20 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 13,000 residential homes.
The Allegheny County Airport Authority board, in 2019, awarded Peoples Natural Gas a 20-year contract to design, build, maintain and operate the microgrid at no cost to the airport. IMG Energy Solutions owns and operates the solar component.
A representative from each of those entities will participate in the webinar: Tom Woodrow, senior vice president of Engineering and Intelligent Infrastructure for the airport authority; Jeff Nehr, vice president of Business Development for Peoples; and Jamie Habberfield, IMG’s business development manager.
To register, visit Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/first-in-the-world-an-airport-that-generates-its-own-power-tickets-255264241217?aff=ebdssbdestsearch.
The seminar is approved for Continuing Legal Education in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. For more information, email the Washington County Bar Association at wcba@washcobar.org.
State of the Economy
The national economy, despite the pandemic, grew 5.7% in 2021, the fastest full-year pace since 1984. And it continues to gain momentum, fueling positive projections throughout 2022.
Will that be the case here? Elected officials, energy executives and a top college educator will discuss their views on the local economy Feb. 24, when the Washington County Chamber of Commerce conducts its 10th annual “Washington County: State of the Economy” event.
Three sessions are scheduled in-person, with a virtual option, from 8:30 to 11 a.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh/Southpointe. Because of the pandemic, last year’s State of the Economy program was done virtually and over three days.
The county’s successes, challenges and economic outlook for 2022 will be addressed. County commissioners Diana Irey Vaughan, Larry Maggi and Nick Sherman will discuss the current economy and their plans for 2022.
David Callahan, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, will lead an energy roundtable featuring a panel of industry experts who will assess local, national and global energy markets.
Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson – interim president of California University of Pennsylvania, Clarion University and Edinboro University – also will speak. She will talk about the new Pennsylvania Western University; the upcoming consolidation of schools in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education; and opportunities for students.
CNX Corp.
Southpointe-based CNX Corp. has a new board member and has added to its executive team.
Robert O. Agbede has joined the board of directors. He is chairman and CEO of Chester Group Inc., a holding company for technology, engineering and energy-related investments. Agbede previously was CEO and owner of Chester Engineers, the nation’s largest African-American-owned engineering, water/wastewater treatment, energy and environmental engineering firm, before a 2017 merger with Hatch Associates. Agbede also is chairman and CEO of Chester LNG, LLC, a subsidiary of the Chester Group.
Ravi Srivastava and Hayley F. Scott have joined the executive team.
Srivastava is president of New Technologies, and is responsible for developing and commercializing emerging technology opportunities. He previously was vice president of Data Operations at CNX.
Scott is chief risk officer, overseeing the management and governance necessary to identify, evaluate, mitigate and manage CNX’s strategic, operational, compliance and reputational risks. She had been vice president of Internal Audit & Advisory Services.