PGW Hosts the Energy Innovation Symposium
Posted on: Feb 28, 2023Expert Panelists Discuss Philadelphia’s Clean Energy Transition
Conversations among energy experts at Philadelphia Gas Works’ (PGW) Energy Innovation Symposium offered a blueprint for the City’s clean energy present and future. Hosted at Temple University’s Howard Gittis Student Center, the symposium featured three panels comprised of national and local energy experts that explored: The Future of Hydrogen Energy; Low-Carbon Energy Technologies; and Our Clean Energy Future.
The panelists discussed the environmental benefits of new energy technology, how to address growing costs and regulatory challenges, the consequences of policy driven change, and the potential creation of thousands of new, skilled jobs in the energy sector.
In driving the conversation on the clean energy transition, PGW’s President and CEO Seth Shapiro stated that “We, at PGW, focus on the four things that are touchstones every day in what we do: safety, reliability, affordability, and sustainability. If we don’t balance how we prioritize each of them at any given time, one or more could be negatively impacted.”
Our Clean Energy Future - Panelists include: Seth Shapiro (moderator), PGW President & CEO; Daniel Lapato, Managing Director of State Affairs, American Gas Association; Gladys Brown Dutrieuille, Commissioner and Chairman, PA Public Utility Commission; Donald Chahbazpour, Director of Policy and Regulatory Strategy, National Grid; and Jerome Shabazz, Executive Director of the Overbrook Environmental Education Center and JASTECH Development Services, Inc.
While discussing how hydrogen can play a key role in clean energy generation, several panelists pointed to last year’s United States Inflation Reduction Act’s Clean Hydrogen Tax Credit to spur investment in hydrogen to blend with natural gas systems, or to power wind or gas turbines as a way to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
“The economic growth aspect is huge,” said Adam Walters, Senior Energy Advisor for the Pennsylvania Office of Energy. “We want to bring this hydrogen technology here. We want to make sure these projects are in our state, in our area, and we’re getting bipartisan interest all over the country.”
Attendees at the PGW Energy Innovation Symposium on February 24, 2023 enjoying light refreshments and networking before panel discussion and programming begins.
Dr. Jennifer Wilcox, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management at the U.S. Department of Energy, spoke about new federal funding opportunities for first-of-a-kind carbon-capture projects including two in the natural gas sector.
As renewable energy technology develops, natural gas will continue to play a role in clean energy, not only in Pennsylvania but worldwide, according to Brian Hlavinka, Vice President, New Energy Ventures, Williams Companies. “You can liquefy natural gas and send it all over the world today and reduce emissions more impactfully than anything else we can do in the next five years, period.” he said. “And do it in a way that is equitable from a cost standpoint.”
The Hydrogen Economy - Panelists include: Manny Citron (moderator), Chief of Staff the City of Philadelphia; Collin O’Mara (moderator), President and CEO, National Wildlife Federation; Maurizio Costante, Senior Director, Marketing Logistics, PBF Energy; Adam Walters, Senior Energy Advisor, Pennsylvania Office of Energy; and Connor Dolan, Vice President of External Affairs, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association.
Gladys Brown Dutrieulle, Commissioner and Chair of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), expressed that from an economic regulator’s point-of-view the PUC is supportive of new energy solutions, but is deliberate in its decision-making on behalf of Pennsylvania consumers. “We have a requirement to look at the least cost,” she said of approving new energy ventures.
The responsibility of the energy sector to improve quality of life in a just manner was also an important matter highlighted by Jerome Shabazz, Executive Director of the Overbrook Environmental Education Center and JASTECH Development Services, Inc.
“It’s important to have the discussion around [new energy systems] impact, not just its production,” Shabazz said. “We’re looking at what [energy] system that’s provided is doing to someone’s health, what it’s doing to the economy, what it’s doing to their neighborhoods, what it’s doing to housing values?”
Low-Carbon Energy Technologies - Panelists include: Saleem Chapman (moderator), Director, Chief Resilience Officer, City of Philadelphia, Office of Sustainability; Victor Pascucci III, Co-Founder & Managing General Partner, Energy Capital Ventures; Brian Hlavinka, Vice President, New Energy Ventures, Williams Companies; Dr. Jennifer Wilcox, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, Department of Energy; and Brian M. Jones, Partner, Climate, Sustainability, and Transaction, Environmental Resources Management (ERM).
Shapiro hopes that the symposium is the catalyst for many conversations that lead toward an energy transition. PGW is among the leading voices in Philadelphia’s clean energy future, having set a target of reducing methane emissions by 80 percent by 2050, and in helping the City reach its 2050 carbon-neutral goals.
The PGW Energy Innovation Symposium was made possible thanks to Temple University, the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, and the following sponsors:
- Concord Engineering
- Steamfitters 420
- DCO Energy
- Eckert Seamans
- Galileo Engineering
- Pennoni
- Burns
- IEEE
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