NJIT Conference Will Explore the Tech Behind Offshore Wind Development

Leaders from the wind power industry, state and federal agencies, venture capital firms and higher education will gather at NJIT in December for a conference about the technology driving the development of energy from wind.

The two-day conference is part of an inaugural New Jersey Wind Week, which also includes a boot camp for professionals interested in the wind industry — the second that NJIT has offered in six months. Leading the charge are Philip Pong, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, Chad Watson, renewable development manager at Public Service Electric & Gas, Sotirios Ziavras, vice provost for graduate studies and dean of the graduate faculty and Michael Edmondson, an associate provost for continued learning.

“NJ Wind Week at NJIT represents a vibrant and valuable resource for anyone interested in the offshore wind industry,” Edmondson said.

The N.J. Offshore Wind Technology Conference and Exhibition will blend panel discussions, research sessions, individual speakers and networking opportunities. A half-dozen wind developers will participate, including Atlantic Shores, Attentive Energy, Rise Light & Power and Invenergy.

The research sessions will highlight new developments in tech related to the wind industry, with professors and students from NJIT, Princeton, Rutgers, Stevens, Montclair State and Rowan.

Individual speakers include:

• Connie Gillette, chief, community engagement and partnerships, renewable energy, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, U.S. Department of the Interior
• Jian Fu, program manager, grid integration, Wind Energy Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy
• Jen Becker, vice president, offshore wind and managing director, Wind Institute for Innovation and Training, N.J. Economic Development Authority 
• Judith Sheft, executive director, N.J. Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology, N.J. Economic Development Authority
• Zenon Christodoulou, commissioner, N.J. Board of Public Utilities 
• Duncan Turner, general partner, SOSV, a venture capital firm

Two executives from PSE&G — New Jersey’s largest utility — will also speak: Offshore Wind Director Jason Kalwa and Offshore Wind Development Manager Rafael Wilches. 

The conference will take place Dec. 6-7 at NJIT’s Campus Center. 

The full schedule can be found here: https://web.njit.edu/~wp24/Conference_Program.pdf. To register, please go here: https://learn.njii.com/courses/nj-offshore-wind-conference.

The boot camp will immediately precede the conference, with two days of training, also at the Campus Center. The training is designed for university students, researchers and engineers who are interested in working in the offshore wind industry. To register, please go here: https://learn.njii.com/courses/nj-offshore-wind-bootcamp-training-winter23.