CPES rang in the holiday season at our 2025 Holiday Celebration & Annual Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, December 3rd.

This joyful evening featured opportunities to network and learn about the 2025 CPES annual award winners over festive holiday refreshments.

2025 Awardees:
– Rising Star Awardee: Pete Myers, Senior Policy Director, CBIA
– Luminary Awardee: Will Herchel, Co-Founder & CEO, Verogy
– Excellence in Energy Awardee: Robert Marconi, Assistant Attorney General, State of Connecticut
– Distinguished Professional Service Awardee: P.J. Cimini, Founder & Principal, Capitol Strategies Group
– Service to CPES Awardee: Tom Guerra, VP/Director of Operations, CBIA

On Tuesday, December 9th, the New Energy Professionals (NEPs) hosted a guided tour, which featured an inside look at how fuel cell technology supports Coca-Cola’s East Hartford bottling facility!

Coca-Cola first installed fuel cells to ensure reliable power, reduce water use, lower energy costs, and support its environmental goals. The site now operates two next-generation HyAxiom fuel cells that provide efficient combined heat and power, with waste heat used directly in the bottling process.

During the tour, we visited the fuel cells located just outside the facility to learn how natural gas is converted through an electro-chemical process into hydrogen and electricity. We then headed inside for a guided tour from a Coke shift supervisor to see how the full bottling operation comes together.

Networking immediately followed at Elicit Brewing in Manchester, CT.

Date: Tuesday, December 9th
Time: 3:00 – 4:30 PM
Location: Coca-Cola Bottling Company – 451 Main Street, East Hartford, CT 06118

CPES hosted our 11th annual joint event with the New England Women in Energy and the Environment (NEWIEE) on Tuesday, October 7th, from 5:00-7:30PM. Attendees engaged in a thoughtful discussion about the impacts of our rapidly changing energy policy, supply chain issues, and funding for energy infrastructure.

Date: Tuesday, October 7, 2025
Time: 5:00-7:30PM
Place: Robinson+Cole – 1 State Street, Hartford, CT 06103 

Featured Speakers:
(Moderator) Julia Frayer, London Economics International
Alexandrea Isaac, FuelCell Energy
Erin Engstrom, Eversource Energy
Valessa Souter-Kline, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)

The CPES New Energy Professionals hosted a guided tour of Canton Hyrdro’s Upper Collinsville Hydroelectric Power Plant on Wednesday, September 10. Run by Canton Hydro, the hydroelectric plant on the Farmington River produces enough electricity to power approximately 500 homes with clean energy and is expected to offset 3.2 million tons of CO2 annually. The project also features upstream and downstream fish passages created in coordination with CT DEEP.

The tour began at the Canton Historical Museum with a look back at the history of the dam, originally built in 1867. We then take a short walk to the Farmington River for a guided tour of the power plant, followed by networking at the Historical Museum.

Date: Wednesday, September 10
Time: 2:30 – 4:30 PM
Location: Canton Historical Museum – 11 Front Street, Collinsville, CT 06019

The CPES New Energy Professionals hosted a guided tour of Verogy’s 5.96 MW Enfield Solar One project site on Wednesday, October 1. The project features an innovative agrivoltaics setup, where Hillview Farm’s flock of sheep graze beneath photovoltaic panels. Attendees discovered how this dual-use approach supports clean energy production while promoting sustainable, land-efficient farming.

Networking followed at Powder Hollow Brewery in Enfield, CT.

Date: Wednesday, October 1
Time: 3:00 – 4:30 PM
Location: 110 North Street, Enfield, CT, 06082