The State Energy Conference of North Carolina is just around the corner, taking place next month on April 28-29, 2026, at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh, NC. This annual event will bring together energy professionals, policy makers, innovators, and businesses to explore the trends, technologies, and strategies that are shaping the energy sector today.

Over two days, an expected 800+ attendees will connect with fellow industry leaders and peers, discover best practices and proven case studies, and engage in important discussions on policy, innovation, and sustainability. The event includes a sold-out exhibit hall, with over 40 organizations looking forward to networking and forming partnerships with attendees.

The conference is ideal for professionals such as:

• Architects and engineers
• Decision makers and executives
• Energy and sustainability managers
• Facilities and operations personnel
• Property and asset managers
• Legal and regulatory professionals
• City and regional planners
• Researchers, educators and thought leaders

Individuals working across the energy sector and beyond will benefit from the connections and professional development that this event offers. Attendees often represent the following sectors:

• Energy and utility companies
• Businesses serving the energy industry
• Universities and research institutions
• State and federal agencies
• Consulting firms and service providers
• Nonprofits and non-governmental organizations
• Municipal and community energy programs

Keynote topics were recently announced; these plenaries are a central part of the event where participants come together to hear the most pressing issues the industry faces and explore what solutions are available to overcome them. The event will kick off at 8:30am on Tuesday with the keynote plenary session, “Meeting NC Clean Energy Goals in an Era of Load Growth.” In this panel, regulators and lawmakers will discuss how they are planning to meet North Carolina’s electricity demand with an eye toward reducing emissions.

During lunch on Tuesday, attendees will have the chance to witness a live recording of the Squeaky Clean Energy Podcast during the second keynote plenary session, “Containing Rising Electricity Costs While Maintaining Reliability.” Speakers in this panel will identify the reasons for rising electricity rates, the tactics utilities are using to maintain reliability and affordability, and will discuss the policy solutions under consideration across the United States.

Day two of the conference will begin at 8:30am on Wednesday with the keynote plenary, “Building North Carolina’s Energy Future: How We Do Big Stuff.” This panel will feature business leaders who will discuss how utilities and developers are building new energy infrastructure to meet the challenges of an evolving grid.

Attendees will have the opportunity to choose from 30 breakout sessions that are each tailored to provide valuable insight on topics the energy industry currently faces. This year, NCCETC has developed six new tracks that will house the various sessions:

• Grid Scale Resources
• Distributed Resources
• Electrification & Industrial Loads
• Load Flexibility
• Energy Efficiency & Building Technologies
• Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Fulfill Continuing Education Credits at the Conference

Individuals can also earn professional continuing education credits by checking in to each session they participate in during the conference. Continuing education credits can be earned for engineers, architects, lawyers, energy managers, energy auditors, and other self-reporting professional organizations. The State Energy Conference has applied and been approved for the following credits:

• AIA Member Architects: AIA LUs and LU|HSWs
  • Expected individual credits: 11.75 AIA LUs or HSWs
• Building Professionals: Green Business Certification Inc (GBCI) General CEs
  • Expected individual credits: 5 GBCI CEs
• North Carolina State Bar: Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Credits
  • Expected individual credits: 11.75 CLEs
• NC professional engineers, CPAs, Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) members, and other self-reporting professionals:
  • 1.25 PDH for each complete breakout session
  • 1.5 PDH for each morning plenary and keynote
  • 1.25 PDH for each lunch plenary and keynote

Final details regarding which sessions have been approved will be provided on the conference website approximately two weeks before the event. These details will also be available in the event materials during the conference. For more information about continuing education credits, visit this page.

Join our Pre and Post Conference Events

This year, the State Energy Conference offers pre- and post-conference events for attendees to add to their experience while connecting with industry peers in smaller settings. On April 27, 2026, guided tours will take place at NC State University’s Agrivoltaics Training Site and NC State University’s PULSTAR Nuclear Reactor.

At the Agrivoltaics Training Site, participants will explore how solar grazing systems are developed, taught, and advanced through interdisciplinary collaboration. These tours are intended for those who are interested in how agrivoltaics are tested, taught, and scaled in practice, and who want to help shape the future of these systems in the Southeast. Tours will be available at 1:00pm and 3:00pm on Monday, April 27.

Behind-the-scenes tours of the PULSTAR Nuclear Reactor control room and facility will take place at 12:45pm and 2:45pm also on Monday, April 27. The PULSTAR is a 1-MW pool-type nuclear research reactor and is administered by the Nuclear Reactor Program at NC State. This is one of two PULSTAR reactors ever built, and is the only one still in operation.

Learn more and sign-up for the tours here.

Directly after the conference on Wednesday, April 29 at 3:15pm, NCCETC will host the Updated Utility Scale Solar and Storage model Ordinance Review. During this event, the Center will debut the updated Utility-Scale Solar and Storage Model Ordinance, which is designed to be adopted and adapted by local governments to best serve their interests. NCCETC will present the model ordinance in its entirety, explain how the document is best utilized, and celebrate the collaborative effort that went into the creation of the ordinance. Registration is not required for this event.

Also on Wednesday, April 29 at 3:15pm, the World Resources Institute will hold a session titled, Unlocking the Value of SEEM: Evaluating Participation and Identifying Improvements to Increase Customer Savings. The Southeast Energy Exchange Market (SEEM) launched in November 2022 and aimed to increase the efficiency of energy trading between market participants in the region. In this session, speakers will evaluate the performance of SEEM and present recommendations for incremental improvements that could lead to enhanced customer savings. Improving SEEM can be considered as a way to address the challenges of increased load growth and rising electricity bills that the Southeast region is currently facing. Registration is required for this event, click here to register.

The State Energy Conference has numerous opportunities for attendees to advance their knowledge and connect with a growing network of energy industry leaders and peers. This event will examine the impacts of energy technologies, policy, and finance on customers at all levels of the energy marketplace, and is a momentous opportunity for individuals looking to build relationships that could lead to partnerships, collaborations, and more.

Learn more and register for the conference here.