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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Oct. 2, 2024 — Penn State Sustainability and the Pennsylvania GreenGov Council will host the sixth annual Commonwealth Sustainability Week on Oct. 5-9, a free online event designed to help residents, small businesses, and local leaders understand how the state's energy system is changing. Each weekday brings a one-hour webinar on a different piece of the clean-energy puzzle: from the regional electric grid to EV charging, storage, and efficiency programs. Pre-registration is required via Penn State's event page.
The sessions are scheduled for noon–1 p.m. EDT each day, so working people can tune in during their lunch break. Organizers say the content is aimed at a general audience, not just energy professionals. If you have ever wondered why your utility bill fluctuates, what a battery island looks like, or how Pennsylvania is spending federal dollars on charging stations, this is a good place to start.
This kickoff session goes back to basics: how Pennsylvania's electrical grid actually works. Skyler Marzewski and Matthew Bernstein from PJM Interconnection will explain the regional transmission organization's role in managing the flow of electricity across 13 states plus D.C. They'll cover why Pennsylvania is part of a wholesale market, how power prices get set, and what "reliability" really means when supply and demand shift minute to minute.
For anyone who has watched a polar vortex spike in energy prices and wanted a plain-English explanation, this session is the place to start.
Batteries are no longer just for phones and laptops. Utility-scale storage is becoming essential for managing the intermittency of solar and wind. Kevin Wright from Protogen and Tom Beresnyak from Penn State Extension will walk through why storage is increasingly important and how communities evaluate large-scale battery siting.
Expect practical details: what makes a good storage site, how fire-safety considerations affect permitting, and why storage projects are springing up alongside solar farms in rural Pennsylvania. The message is that storage isn't an accessory to the grid; it's becoming a load-bearing part of it.
The electric vehicle conversation is shifting from "will I buy one?" to "where do I charge it?" Colton Brown from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will give an update on the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program and the state's evolving EV charging portfolio. Hannah Moyer of Duquesne Light will discuss how the electric grid is preparing for growing EV adoption.
This session will be especially useful for anyone who drives a plug-in hybrid and has wrestled with public charging reliability. It also covers the less glamorous side—utility upgrades, grid capacity, and the difference between Level 2 and DC fast charging.
Pennsylvania's Act 129 program has quietly paid for thousands of efficiency upgrades, yet many ratepayers still don't know they qualify. Pat Beck from Egis and Darren Gill from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will highlight available incentives, including free or low-cost energy audits and rebates for heat pumps.
The session is a reminder that energy savings don't always require a major solar install. Sometimes it's as simple as sealing ducts, upgrading insulation, or swapping a resistance heater for a heat pump. The presenters will also cover how to find approved contractors and sort through the paperwork.
The week closes with a deep look at manufacturing, a sector often overlooked in sustainability conversations. Jill Regets of VAP Steel and Rishabh Bahel of Purina will highlight the RISE PA program, which helps industrial companies invest in clean energy and efficiency. Attendees will hear real-world examples of how steel and food production facilities are reducing emissions while staying competitive.
This session is especially relevant for economic development officials and plant managers who want concrete case studies rather than abstract climate talk.
The Commonwealth Sustainability Week lands at a pivotal time for Pennsylvania energy policy. The state remains one of the nation's largest natural gas producers, but federal funding and market forces are pushing utilities and businesses to diversify. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Pennsylvania consistently ranks among the top five states for electricity generation, meaning changes to the grid here have outsized implications for the mid-Atlantic region.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection updated the state's Climate Action Plan in 2023, reinforcing an economy-wide goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 relative to 2005 levels. Programs like Act 129, RISE PA, and NEVI are the practical tools that make those goals feel less abstract. They connect utility bills, highway charging sites, and factory energy use to broader climate commitments.
There is also a growing equity angle. Energy transitions tend to leave low-income households behind if they can't access rebates or financing. The webinar series is free and open to all, which removes one barrier to entry. Organizers hope that teachers, municipal staff, and community group members will carry the information back to their own networks.
The learning doesn't stop on Oct. 9. Penn State Sustainability and the GreenGov Council will launch the eighth annual GreenGov Webinar series on Friday, Oct. 16, at noon. That monthly series continues on the third Friday of each month and opens with a focus on sustainability efforts in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia—two cities with different infrastructure strengths and deeply different housing and transportation challenges.
For those who cannot attend the live sessions, Penn State says the webinars will be recorded and made available on the event page. That gives people flexibility to catch up after work, especially in communities where lunchtime is not free.
Registration is open now. Full speaker bios, session abstracts, and the link to pre-register are available on the Commonwealth Sustainability Week webpage. For questions, contact Peter Boger at pgb45@psu.edu.
