UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Earth and Environmental Systems Institute's Fall 2022 EarthTalks series will explore the development of solar energy through multiple, and intersecting, lenses. The seminar series resumes on Sept. 19 and continues through Nov. 14. Talks will take place at 4 p.m. on Mondays in 112 Walker Building on Penn State's University Park campus.
As the effects of climate change grip the planet, and the globe continues to warm, current sources of energy production may no longer continue to be adequate. The fall 2022 EarthTalks series is titled "Exploring the Multiple Dimensions of Solar Energy."
With both a local and global scope, the series will present the latest perspectives on policies, environmental management and the technological advancements toward the dual use, and social and cultural implications, of solar energy. Through these perspectives, the series aims to foster discussion around how society can achieve just and sustainable transitions in building solar and renewable energy capacities, both locally and globally.
The fall series will feature the following speakers:
- Sept. 19: “An Energy Justice Framework for Applied Research on Women, Solar Energy Use and Agriculture,” Stephanie Buechler, associate research professor, Ag Sciences Global, Penn State.
- Sept. 26: “Snapshot of Pennsylvania’s Solar Sector — and Programs and Policies to Grow It,” Allen Landis, executive director, Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
- Oct. 3: “Solar Policy and Politics in Pennsylvania,” Rob Altenburg, director, PennFuture Energy Center.
- Oct. 10: “Towards Solar Justice in Pennsylvania: tensions of land, farming, and power,” Kaitlyn Spangler, postdoctoral fellow in geography, Penn State.
- Oct. 17: “Utility Scale Solar and Pennsylvania — Trends, Impacts, and Implications,” Tom Murphy, director, Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research, Penn State.
- Oct. 24: “Agricultural Integration and Solar Facilities: Agrivoltaics in Context,” Lexie Hain, director of agrivoltaics and land management, Lightsource bp, and founder of American Solar Grazing Association.
- Oct. 31: Title of talk TBD, Nelson Dzade, associate professor, Energy and Mineral Engineering, Penn State.
- Nov. 7: TBD.
- Nov. 14: “Effect of Sheep Stocking Rate on Ecosystem Parameters in Ground-mounted Solar Arrays,” Niko Kochendoerfer, postdoctoral fellow in animal science, Cornell University.
The series also can be viewed via Zoom. To find more information visit the fall 2022 EarthTalks series webpage.