GLREA 2021 'Year End - Year Begin' Annual Event

The Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association (GLREA) will be holding its 20201 'Year End - Year Begin' Annual Event on Saturday, December 4, 2021.  This year is particularly special because GLREA is celebrating its 30th Anniversary of its founding as a non-profit educational and advocacy organization. This year's event theme is 'Building for Change.'

This will be an on-line meeting with Zoom  because of continuing concerns with COVID.  Once you register and purchase a ticket, the Zoom link will be sent to you as we get closer to December 4th. 

The Meeting will begin at 9:30 am with a preliminary 'coffee networking' among Members and Guests, with the main Program beginning at 10:00 am and running to 3:00 pm with a 30 minute break at 12:00 noon (although we will be presenting our traditional Renewable Energy Photo contest during this time). 

Our Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Missy Stults, the Sustainable and Innovations Manager of the City of Ann Arbor.  She will be explaining the concept and the reasons why Ann Arbor is developing a new 'Sustainable Energy Utility.'  This would be a new municipal utility that Ann Arbor would create that would sidestep many legislative barriors that currently prevent Ann Arbor from implementing new renewable energy initiatives.  But under this new utility model Ann Arbor would be able to agressively promote solar and geothermal energy, implement on-bill financing that will help low and moderate income families pay for renewable energy and energy efficiency measures and promote micro-grids.  If successful, this Sustainable Energy Utility could be used by other cities in Michigan to ramp up renewable energy and sidestep the big utilities, who are currently blocking forward thinking renewable energy policies in the Michigan Legislature.  

The following is the Agenda for the Event:

9:30 am  Coffee Hour  Networking and Catching Up

10:00 am   Welcome     John Freeman, Executive Director, GLREA

                                               Kendal Kuneman, President, GLREA

10:10 am   Session I  Building GLREA and the Renewable Energy Market

                      Moderator: Ken Zebarah, Harvest Energy and GLREA Board

                      Speakers:   Generating Interest in Solar - Julie Roth, Solarize Ann Arbor

                                              Latest Offerings - Patrick O’Boyle, Michigan Saves

                                              Building GLREA’s Membership - John Freeman, GLREA

                                              State Efforts to Promote Renewable Energy - MI Dept EGLE

11:00 am   In Remembrance – Mike Linsea of Solar Winds

                      Speaker:  Tyler Kanczuzewski, Inovateus Solar

11:10 am Session II    Understanding Utility Opposition

                     Moderator:   Melanie McCoy, GLREA Board

                     Speaker:  Understanding Utility Tactics - Matt Kasper, Energy and Policy Institute

                                          Why Utilities Oppose Residential Solar - John Richter, Senior Policy Analyst GLREA

12:00 noon   Break – Photo Contest: Dave Konkle, GLREA Board

12:30 pm   GLREA Year End - Year Begin Report

                       ·  Year End - Review                               Kendal Kuneman, President of the Board

                       ·  Year End - Financial Report            Cary Church, Treasurer of the Board

                       ·  Year Begin - Planning for Future  Diane Van Buren, D2Solar, GLREA Board

                       ·  Year Begin - Plans for 2022            Marshal Clabeaux, Mosaic Energy Coop, GLREA Board

                                                                                             John Freeman, Executive Director, GLREA

1:00 pm   GLREA Awards   Mark Clevey, Vice-Chair GLREA Board, Galen Hardy, City of Ann Arbor and GLREA Board

1:30 pm   Session III  Key Note Address:  ‘Ann Arbor Sustainability Energy Utility’

                    Introduction:  Kendal Kuneman, President of the GLREA Board

                    Speaker:           Dr. Missy Stults, Sustainability and Innovations Manager, City of Ann Arbor

2:10 pm  Session IV  Working Together to Expand Renewable Energy

                  Moderator:        John Kinch, Michigan Energy Options and GLREA Board

                  Roundtable:      ‘Role of Effective Communication’ - Bob Allison, MI League of Conservation Voters

                                                  ‘Working Conservative Legislators’ - Ed Rivet, MI Conservative Energy Forum

                                                  ‘Promoting Solar in Urban Areas’ - Rev. Joan Ross, North End Woodward Com Coalition

                                                  ‘Advocating on College Campuses for Clean energy and Climate Justice’

                                                     - Aaron Boockvar-Klein, Students for Clean Energy

                                                     - Katie McMahon, School for Environment and Sustainability, U of M

2:50 pm  Election Results    John Sarver, GLREA Board

2:55 pm  Wrap-Up and Adjourn   Kendal Kuneman, President of the GLREA Board

After the presentations by the panelists, we will open it up for questions from attendees.

So register and purchase a ticket for the GLREA 2021 'Year End - Year Begin Annual Event and encourage your friends, colleagues and family members to also register and join us!  We need to get more people involved in this renewable energy movement, so everyone is welcome! The price of the tickets are tax deductibe because GLREA is a non-profit organization. 

If you have any questions, feel free to contact John Freeman at Jfreeman13@comcast.net or (313) 655-7945.