When: Wednesday, June 15, 7:00-8:30 AM                                
Where: Town and Country Club, 300 N Mississippi River Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55104
Cost: $30 Fresh Energy members/Government employees/Students, $45 General admission
*Early Bird tickets available for $10 off through May 31. Registration will be open through Thursday, June 9.* 

Communities and organizations across the country, including Minnesota’s own Camp Ripley National Guard site, are creating models for how solar energy can enhance community preparedness and security, especially in times of emergencies. Large disasters can knock out power, stranding residents and threatening lives because of lack of electricity to power critical services. Fresh Energy believes solar power can help communities become more prepared when disasters strike. Hear from Michael Burr of Microgrid Institute and Jennifer Peterson of Minnesota Power about how solar, storage, and microgrids can help Minnesota become more prepared and secure.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

MICHAEL BURR is founder and director of Microgrid Institute and Burr Energy LLC. He leads collaborative initiatives to accelerate adoption of advanced energy technologies. Michael has produced more than twenty volumes of energy industry journals, and led numerous workshops and authoritative research studies. From 2007 through 2014, he served as editor-in-chief of Public Utilities Fortnightly, the journal of record for the U.S. investor owned utility industry. Michael lives in Minnesota with his wife of twenty-eight years and their three sons.

JENNIFER PETERSON is a policy manager in Regulatory Affairs at Minnesota Power, an investor-owned utility based in Duluth, Minnesota. Her responsibilities include leading company regulatory filings and representing Minnesota Power at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. Jennifer’s areas of concentration include distributed generation, renewable energy, energy conservation and efficiency, alternative utility regulation and natural gas initiatives. She has fifteen years of military experience and currently serves as an intelligence officer in the Minnesota Air National Guard.