Center for Rural Pennsylvania’s Post

Curious about land development and utility scale solar? Check out the next Chesapeake Research Consortium Roundtable webinar, April 17. Solar energy is becoming less expensive and more efficient. However, the utility-scale solar panel installations being proposed and installed around the Mid-Atlantic region will transform land characteristics. Currently, guidance and understanding of best practices relating to the land development and management of solar installations in the Chesapeake Bay region is unclear. What is the state of science, what are current best management practices, and where are the opportunities for improving recommendations? Join us on Wednesday, April 17th, to learn about the solar situation in the watershed. Speakers: Lauren McPhillips, Assistant Professor, PennState Ryan Stewart, Associate Professor, Virginia Tech Mike Rolband, Director, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality  This event is free to attend, but registration is required. https://lnkd.in/eQkSdkbw About CRC Roundtable The Chesapeake Research Consortium (CRC) comprises seven research and education institutions around the Chesapeake Bay, convening with the goal of using science to inform management. The Roundtable is supported in part by the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office.

I’m thrilled to announce that my latest research article, titled “A Robust, Resilience, and Risk-Aware Solar Energy Farm Location by Bi-Level Programming Approach,” has been published in the RAIRO-Operations Research journal (Impact Factor: 1.8). 🌞 Overview: In this study, we propose a novel Bi-Level Programming (BLP) model to identify optimal locations for solar energy farms, prioritizing robustness, resilience, and risk awareness. Our findings highlight the importance of considering these factors to enhance energy production and supplier profitability, even in challenging circumstances. 🔗 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dZtJBp5D #RenewableEnergy #SolarEnergy #OperationsResearch #Sustainability #RiskManagement #EnergyEfficiency #Research #Innovation #CleanEnergy

How important is it to plan your #PollinatorHabitat around large-scale #SolarEnergy projects? It’s essential, which is why we are #StantecProud to have contributed to creating the newly published Solar Pollinator Implementation Manual. We worked with the University of Illinois Chicago’s Energy Resources Center for this guide that helps solar developers plan and implement their pollinator habitat. The guide is part of the Pollinator Habitat Aligned with Solar Energy (PHASE) research project. Learn more about the manual and PHASE here: https://lnkd.in/gdNupNrD

As we look toward fulfilling our global sustainability commitment, particularly in the context below, we witness value still available through our now waste farms. 1. What is obvious is the novel and creative approach to using solar power. 2. Can we also insure that the gases being generated by decaying garbage in our landfills globally are saved from leakage into ground water, so we may capture them for use as renewable fuel? When the top and the bottom of our current worldwide landfills are fully evaluated and technologically harnassed to meet our future goal commitment of sustainability, then we are moving closer to better air quality, a reduction in global warming, and protecting our already dwindling supply of fresh ground water. The safety engineers, managers and specialists certified by the World Safety Organization are working passionately toward supporting the goals of sustainability of the United Nations, through their dedicated work in their countries and with the companies they serve. World Safety Organization www.worldsafety.org Thanks to Frank Mozino for giving this topic life through his posting.

𝗨.𝗦. 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗢𝗹𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗺𝘀 In Annapolis, MD, officials have transformed a closed landfill into a solar park with over 50,000 solar energy modules, setting an example for utilizing brownfield sites for solar development. The untapped potential of over 10,000 disused landfills in the US could generate 63 gigawatts of electricity. The federal government is preparing to release new funding for solar development, including on brownfield sites. Landfill solar projects not only help cities meet renewable energy goals but also reduce power bills, generate revenue through land leasing, and address environmental justice concerns associated with landfill locations.

The Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center and National Renewable Energy Laboratory collaborated to create a report on County Land-Use Regulations for Solar Energy Development in Colorado over the past year. The results of this collaboration are found in this report: https://lnkd.in/gsv9eCWw For all those looking into solar siting in Colorado, especially those looking into the proposed legislation around solar siting permitting in our state, this document is comprehensive in its review and mapping out the solar-siting regulations on farmland of all 64 of Colorado's Counties. Western Resource Advocates / Colorado Solar and Storage Association (COSSA) / Interwest Energy Alliance / The Nature Conservancy / Center for the New Energy Economy. Thanks so much to our colleague and lead author Allison Jackson for making this report her passion over the past year, and thanks to the main authors Kate Doubleday, Ph.D. and Brittany Staie for all the code reviews, writing, and editing they both did. We hope this work helps provide all those interested in #solar #solardevelopment in Colorado a better view of how our counties currently regulate solar siting and permitting. #Agrivoltaics and #ecovoltaics are certainly means to support the rollout of solar throughout our state! Thanks to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign team that published a similar report on Illinois' counties more than a year ago that helped inspire this work.

How important is it to plan your #PollinatorHabitat around large-scale #SolarEnergy projects? It’s essential, which is why we are #StantecProud to have contributed to creating the newly published Solar Pollinator Implementation Manual. We worked with the University of Illinois Chicago’s Energy Resources Center for this guide that helps solar developers plan and implement their pollinator habitat. The guide is part of the Pollinator Habitat Aligned with Solar Energy (PHASE) research project. Learn more about the manual and PHASE.

How important is it to plan your #PollinatorHabitat around large-scale #SolarEnergy projects? It’s essential, which is why we are #StantecProud to have contributed to creating the newly published Solar Pollinator Implementation Manual. We worked with the University of Illinois Chicago’s Energy Resources Center for this guide that helps solar developers plan and implement their pollinator habitat. The guide is part of the Pollinator Habitat Aligned with Solar Energy (PHASE) research project. Learn more about the manual and PHASE.

COMPATIBILITY WITH AGRICULTURE - Solar sites can benefit agriculture both indirectly through biodiversity enhancements for pollinators, or directly through incorporation of agrivoltaic practices onsite. Careful seed mix development and vegetation management can support crop pollination in adjacent lands with pollinator-friendly vegetation. Vegetation can also help restore soil health and biological productivity.