Institute for Sustainable Energy
Board of Advisors
Board Meeting October 4, 2004

Members:
Arthur Diedrick, Board Chairman
Anne George, Commissioner Dept. of Public Utility Control for Donald Downes
Shirley Bergert, Public Benefits Taskforce Director, CT Legal Services
John Mengacci, Undersecretary, Strategic Management Division, OPM
Emily Smith, Managing Director, Government and Corporate Relations, CT Innovations

Guests:
Dr. Michael Pernal, Vice President, ECSU
William Leahy, Associate Executive Director, ISE
Dana Kubachka, DPUC
Laurel Kohl, ISE, Acting Secretary

The meeting was called to order by Arthur Diedrick at 9:35 AM.

Arthur Diedrick will continue as the Chairman of the Board. Dr. Carter has made a request for a change in the structure of the Board, with ECSU to name the Chairman of the Board of Advisors instead of CCEF.

Arthur Diedrick requested that the Advisory Board members consider the minutes of the August 9, 2004 meeting. A motion was made by Emily Smith to accept the minutes. It was seconded by John Mengacci. The motion carried.

 

Budget:
A budget of $766,000 has been requested from ECMB for calendar year 2005. The ECMB budget with this amount included is in public review.

A spread sheet showing the 2004 budget status for the Institute was also reviewed. ECMB had requested a percentage breakdown of personnel time spent per program and goal. The budget for the Institute had been reduced from $1.2 million in 2003 to $834k in 2004. The current Institute budget reflects much less spending in 2004 on outside consultants and a heavy reliance on student interns. In the category of Marketing and Outreach, changes have been made reducing the budget further. In 2003, the Institute held a major 2-day conference at Mohegan Sun while in 2004 the Institute has scheduled four separate conference/workshops all partnering with other organizations. (Details later in the minutes)

In light of 2004 budget reductions, the Institute significantly reduced staff early in 2004. At least one additional staff member is needed in the near future in the form of a project manager.

A question was raised about the likelihood of energy bills from the legislature leading to a request to the Institute to conduct a major study as was experienced in the past. It is thought that the newly reconstituted CEAB will answer to those needs and support funding for mandated legislative studies.

Grant Activities:
Grant money continues to be difficult to find. Currently funding for the $3.8 million ECSU Fuel Cell project is still short $1.5 million. The University team is currently seeking funding from the ECMB RD&D and renewable energy program, DOE at Oak Ridge and Homeland Security. The Deadline for securing the DOD funds is November 19, 2004.

ISE Energy Workshops:
November 9, 2004 – CT $hops conference for Connecticut purchasing agents. DAS, DEP, OPM, and ISE have teamed to produce a “Green Products” area, featuring Energy Star equipment, hybrid and low sulfur vehicles. Also, Barbara Moser of DAS and Bill Leahy will be conducting a workshop on purchasing Energy Star Products. The Event is held at the CT EXPO Center.

November 18, 2004 – ISE has partnered with OPM and Rebuild America to present “Let’s Talk About Energy Savings, a Peer Exchange for Municipal Leaders in Southwestern Connecticut. The half-day workshop, held at the Fairfield Board of Education office, will bring together leaders from 20 towns to discuss successful conservation projects in the region. The Mayors of Derby and Norwalk, the First Selectman of Fairfield and a representative of the Mayors office in Stamford will be presenting. OPM and ISE are planning future workshops in the Waterbury, Hartford, New Haven and Norwich areas in 2005.

December 2, 2004 -- ISE has partnered with CEAB to host “ Connecticut’s Energy Future,” a day-long workshop at the LOB with a focus on energy issues outlined in the CT Energy Plan. The session is being positioned in preparation for the 2005 legislative session with the main target audience to be legislators and their staff. Regional and national speakers are expected. The planning team is still defining the topics. Displays will be available on the Concourse. A suggestion was made that topics feature the impact of legislation on low income people and that workers from the CT Climate Action Plan be invited.

December 10, 2004 – A Connecticut Green Campus Initiative workshop is being planned with DEP to be held at CCSU. The workshop will focus on building a consortium of the 35 Connecticut college campuses to address the CT Climate Change Action Plan. ISE will present the 12-step Campus Model. In related activity, William Leahy will present at the October 16 New England University Collaborative meeting at University of New Hampshire.

2005 Program and Budget Planning:
High Performance Schools – DOE and NEEP are working together to build a regional standard for high efficiency school buildings. ISE is on the task force. One of the ISE interns is developing a Power Point message about the features and benefits of “Green” environmentally friendly, energy efficient schools that includes consideration for daylighting, air quality, energy efficiency and cost savings.

Benchmarking – ISE will continue with the Benchmarking of State and Municipal buildings. ISE is currently working with OPM (State facilities), Hartford, Trumbull, Derby, Stamford, Waterford and Norwich on benchmarking projects.

Sustainable Energy Studies Program – The new Chair, Dr. Fred Loxsom has joined the faculty at ECSU. His minor program in Sustainable Energy Studies, a collaboration of studies with Earth Sciences, Political Science and Business departments is in Curriculum Review process. A certificate program for both undergraduates and post graduates is also in development. There will be sustainable energy courses featured in the Spring 2005 catalog.

In other information, FERC will host a meeting on October 13, 2004 at the LOB, a technical meeting on topics of upgrading transmission.

It was suggested by John Mengacci that the Institute revisit its strategic plan and reflect upon the current activities in relation to the strategic plan.

 

Next meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 9, 2004 at 9:00 am.

A motion was made by John Mengacci to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Emily Smith. The meeting was adjourned at 10:45 AM.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Laurel Kohl

Acting Secretary