The Clean Energy and Sustainability Analytics Center (CESAC) at Montclair State University is excited to organize its 7th Annual Clean and Sustainable Energy Summit to accelerate actionable solutions in the field of clean energy. This summit presents an invaluable opportunity to advance discussions around the evolving clean energy economy throughout the State of New Jersey and beyond.
The theme of this year’s summit is Energy Affordability, Surging Demand and Market Uncertainty. The energy sector is currently facing a “perfect storm” defined by a rapid, unprecedented surge in electricity demand, severe affordability constraints for consumers, and significant market uncertainty regarding future infrastructure and regulatory landscapes. These issues have become tightly intertwined challenges, shaping energy policy, regulatory strategy, and investment decisions across the country. We are entering a new era where electricity becomes the dominant energy carrier, and meeting that demand will require faster grid expansion, more storage, flexible clean resources, and streamlined permitting and interconnection.
Several converging forces are driving the fastest load growth the grid has seen in decades. AI workloads are far more energy-intensive than traditional cloud computing, with hyperscale data center campuses drawing as much power as small cities. EV adoption is accelerating, with fleets, buses, and logistics hubs adding concentrated load pockets. Building electrification via heat pumps and electric appliances is shifting winter peaks upward across many regions. Industrial reshoring of semiconductor fabs, battery plants, and clean-tech manufacturing is driving multi-gigawatt regional demand spikes. Affordability is becoming increasingly urgent as the cost of meeting rising demand is growing faster than household incomes. Key pressures include massive capital investment needs across transmission, distribution, generation, and storage; higher interest rates raising the cost of utility borrowing; aging infrastructure requiring full replacement; extreme weather driving reliability and insurance costs; and decarbonization mandates accelerating the retirement of legacy assets. The summit discussions will center around the following topics:
- Powering Progress: Aligning Demand Growth with Grid Capacity
- The Affordability Challenge: Balancing Energy Goals and Reliability in a High-Cost Era
- The New Age of Electricity: Understanding the Demand Surge
- Breaking the Bottleneck: Modernizing the Grid for a Clean Energy Surge
The summit will bring industry experts, policymakers, academia, investors, technology startups, environmental groups, and a wide range of stakeholders for informed, participant-driven discussions on clean energy technology, policy and acceptance. The goal is to address uncertainty by encouraging collaboration and project development to support state and local governments in meeting their clean energy, environmental goals, and resilience.
Further, to support K-12 education, the summit is hosting the K-12 Keep Our Planet Green artwork contest that showcases artwork from New Jersey students and teachers for a chance to win prizes in elementary, middle school, and high school categories.
Since the founding of CESAC in June 2018, the Center has continued efforts to advance the sustainable clean energy economy providing research, analysis, education, and outreach on policies, technologies, and practices. The Center’s approach is rooted in objective analysis, using science-based environmental and economic techniques for energy and environmental planning. CESAC’s work provides real-world insights to regulators, businesses, and the public. While the Center fosters faculty and student research in clean energy and sustainability analytics, another key effort has been to facilitate collaborative discussion between energy stakeholders and policy makers. We hope that this year’s annual summit will be an invaluable opportunity to address the evolving clean energy transition in New Jersey and beyond, and that together we can move toward a cleaner and more resilient energy future.
Speakers
Benjie E. Wimberly
NJ Senator (D-35), Community and Urban Affairs
Linda Greenstein
NJ Senator (D-14), Assistant Majority Leader, Vice Chair Environment and Energy
John McKeon
NJ Senator (D-27), Energy and Environment Committee Innovation Partnerships at New Jersey Economic Development Authority
Vin Gopal
NJ Senator (D-11), Majority Whip and Chair Education
Elizabeth Noll
Senior Strategist for Energy State of New Jersey
Ravi Bhalla
NJ Assemblyman (D-32), Environment and Solid Waste
Wayne DeAngelo
Assemblyman (D-14), Chair, Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee
Ed Potosnak
Commissioner, NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Stuart Nachmias
President and CEO, Con Edison Transmission
Jonathan Koppell
President, Montclair State University
Mark McDonough
President, NJ American Water
Marian Abdou
Commissioner Emeritus, NJ BPU
Zenon Christodoulou
Commissioner, NJ BPU
Binaya Srikanta Pradhan
India Consul General
Kathleen Coviello
Chief Economic Transformation Officer, NJ EDA
Dan Fatton
Director Clean Energy, NJ EDA
Michael Egenton
Executive Vice President, Government Relations NJ Chamber of Commerce
Erick Ford
President, NJ Energy Policy Coalition
Bob Gordon
Former Senator
Former Commissioner, NJ Board of Public Utilities
CESAC Advisory Board
Lora Billings
Dean, College of Science and Mathematics, Montclair State University
Pankaj Lal
Founding Director, CESAC
Jason Lemme
Managing Partner, Hartree Partners
Richard Henning
President and C EO, NJ Utilities Association
Andrew J. McNally
Senior Director, Government & Regulatory Affairs, South Jersey Industries
Upendra Chivukula
Senior Advisor, CESAC and Commissioner Emeritus, NJ BPU
Glen Thomas
President, GT Power Group
Christine Bator
Commissioner Emeritus, NJ BPU & Professor of Counsel Pearlman Miranda
Jeffrey Grant
Owner, EnergyPlus Solutions
Monica J. Hlinka
Senior Principal Analyst, S&P Global Energy
David Wand
Assistant Rate Counsel
NJ Division of Rate Counsel
Judith Sheft
Executive Director, NJ Commission of Science, Innovation and Technology
Adam Zellner
President, Greener by Design
Raj Barua
Senior Research Fellow, CESAC
Steven Goldenberg
Chair, Energy, Climate Change & Public Utilities Practice, Group. Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla, PC
Our Sponsors
View directions to campus and from the parking deck to the event.