Sustainability, Siekerka noted, must balance environmental protection, economic growth and social equity. In fact, the state is identifying brownfields and other locations for possible development for solar farms. And this week, the first solar panel manufacturing plant is opening in the state, she reported. “We want to see more in-state generation,” she said. “We’re the hottest place in the world for solar power.”

Offshore wind generation also will be important, Sierkerka noted. But even with the new possibilities for sustainable growth, and the work of her new department, developers are still skeptical. “It’s going to take time,” she warned. “You can’t turn the Titanic around in a day. “

Also at the lunch, the association presented its annual Excellence in Economic Development Award to Jeff Vanderbeek, chairman of the New Jersey Devils hockey team and the Prudential Center, as well as its Sustainable Economic Development Project of the year to Johnson & Johnson for its New Jersey Solar Power Initiative.

“Things are starting to gain momentum in Newark,” Vanderbeek told the audience, though 2011 will still have challenges. “We’re prepared for another year of pain,” though by 2014, the economy should be much better. Siekerka, on the other hand, said that 2011 will be stable. “As a country and as a state, we were so bloated,” she said. “It was a huge correction.”