Celebrating its 14th year in Cincinnati, the GovEnergy workshop and trade show opens at the Duke Energy Convention Center and runs from August 7-10. The theme of GovEnergy 2011: A River of Energy Solutions.

The conference offers energy management training to federal employees and government stakeholders. Sessions at the show educate and encourage the best application of practices, products and services as they relate to energy efficiency, renewable energy and water efficiency within the federal sector.

At the conference, attendees can access the tools, techniques and best practices needed for meeting both daily and long-term energy management goals. The networking sessions help develop effective partnerships among federal energy professionals.

Besides federal energy managers, procurement officials, facility administrators, contracting officers and lawyers, other professionals who would benefit from attending GovEnergy 2011 include:

State and local government officials

Utility and energy service companies

Equipment manufacturers

Energy management service providers

Private-sector facility and energy professionals

Keynote speakers include:

Larry Falkin, director of the Cincinnati Office of Environmental Quality

Craig E. Hooks, assistant administrator for the Office of Administration and Resources Management in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Martha Johnson, administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration

Dorothy Robyn, deputy under secretary of defense for installations and environment at the U.S. Department of Defense

Timothy Unruh, Federal Energy Management Program manager at the U.S. Department of Energy

Technical tours include:

AWBERC & University of Cincinnati Tour

The tour covers the Andrew W. Breidenbach Environmental Research Center (AWBERC), which is an EPA facility, and the University of Cincinnati’s green campus and cogeneration plant. AWBERC, the second largest R&D facility owned and operated by the U.S. EPA, has a LEED Gold annex and is replacing its 35-year-old HVAC system with energy-saving equipment and controls. Topics covered on the tour include variable air volume, heat recovery, high-performance fume hoods, water conservation, storm water management and other features of the retrofit project.

In addition to being home to six LEED-certified buildings (including new construction and renovations), the University of Cincinnati campus runs a state-of-the-art 48-MW combined-cycle cogeneration facility. The tour covers the facility’s green roofs, storm water management systems and cogeneration plant operations.

Duke Energy Envision Center

At the center, attendees will discover how new energy technologies are transforming today’s power delivery system into tomorrow’s smart grid. The center has an interactive exhibit that demonstrates integrated smart grid technologies.

Cincinnati Zoo

The zoo is retrofitting existing buildings with green features whenever possible. It is the first zoo in the U.S. to pledge its pursuit of LEED certification for all new construction projects.