Energy In-depth: Advanced Energy leaders to gather at State Capitol on March 14

Energy In-depth is a roundup of energy-related news.

ADVANCED ENERGY LEADERS TO GATHER AT STATE CAPITOL ON MARCH 14
The Arkansas Advanced Energy Association (AAEA) will host its third “Advanced Energy Day at the Legislature” on March 14, featuring advanced energy companies exhibiting in the Capitol rotunda throughout the day as well as a luncheon with policymakers. Gov. Asa Hutchinson has issued an official proclamation designating the day as “Arkansas Advanced Energy Day.”

“AAEA members are creating jobs and spurring economic development in communities across Arkansas by manufacturing, installing or utilizing a wide range of advanced energy technologies,” said AAEA Executive Director Katie Laning Niebaum. “Today, the advanced energy economy in Arkansas includes more than 770 companies and a workforce of 25,000 people. We look forward to celebrating Arkansas Advanced Energy Day and showcasing our innovative industry’s impact on the state’s economy.”

AAEA has invited legislators, staff members, government officials, business leaders, the public and the media to tour the dynamic Rotunda exhibits and learn more about the role this key industry is playing in Arkansas’s 21st century economy.

CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER, OPEC CHIEF AND SAUDI ARAMCO CEO TO HEADLINE HOUSTON ENERGY SUMMIT
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will deliver a keynote address at CERAWeek 2017 by IHS, March 6-10 at the Hilton Americas in Houston. Trudeau will participate in a special plenary and receive the CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award in recognition of his commitment to sustainability in energy and the environment.

H.E. Khalid A Al-Falih, chairman of the board for the world’s largest oil conglomerate, Saudi Aramco, and H.E. Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, secretary general of the Organization of Petroleum Export Countries (OPEC), will also be among the conference speakers. Visit www.ceraweek.com
for a complete and up-to-date list of speakers and program information.

AMAZON LAUNCHES ROOFTOP SOLAR ENERGY INITIATIVE AT FULFILLMENT CENTER
Amazon announced Thursday (March 2) a new initiative to generate clean energy by installing solar panels on its fulfillment facilities around the world. The company plans to deploy large-scale solar systems on rooftops of more than 15 fulfillment and sortation centers in the U.S. this year and is planning to deploy solar systems on 50 fulfillment and sortation centers globally by 2020.

The initial solar projects planned for completion by the end of 2017 will generate up to 41 megawatts (MW) of power at Amazon facilities in California, New Jersey, Maryland, Nevada and Delaware. Depending on the specific project, time of year and other factors, a solar installation could generate as much as 80% of a single fulfillment facility’s annual energy needs.

For example, solar panels installed on the rooftop of the Patterson, California, fulfillment center cover more than three-quarters of the 1.1 million square foot building’s rooftop and Amazon’s recent renewable energy projects include the company’s largest wind farm to date, located in Texas. In addition, a network of wind and solar farms in Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia are delivering energy onto the electric grid that powers AWS data centers.

To date, Amazon has announced or commenced construction on projects which will generate a total of 3.6 million MW of renewable energy.