Solar Energy in Iowa: Policies and Practices at the Municipal, County, and State Levels

October 11, 2022
9:30 AM – 2:00 PM
October 11, 2022
9:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Levitt Auditorium, Boyd Law Building (BLB)

The Public Policy Center is proud to support this event hosted by the UI College of Law's Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative (HELI).

Join policy experts, researchers, industry members, public employees, and nonprofit representatives for a series of panel discussions focusing on solar policies and practices across the state of Iowa. Each panel will focus on solar topics at different levels - from municipal level issues (net metering), to county level (utility scale, land use, siting), and finally at the state level (storage, equity, transmission). Each session will consist of an introduction and speaker remarks from panelists. Following the panelists' presentations, a moderated Q&A session will take place, allowing the audience to engage with the panel experts.

The event is free and open to everyone - students at all levels, staff, faculty, and the public. A light breakfast, beverages, and lunch will be provided for attendees.

Please RSVP using the registration link! This event will also be offered in a hybrid format.

Panel Session 1: Solar at the Local Level: How Can Iowa Support Customer-Owned and Community Solar?

10-11 a.m. Moderator: Stratis Giannakouros - Director, UI Office of Sustainability and Member, City of Iowa City Climate Action Commission

  • Sarah Gardner - Climate Action Coordinator, City of Iowa City
  • Kari Gehrke - Manager, Demand Side Management, Alliant Energy
  • Travis Kraus - Director, Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities and Associate Professor, UI School of Planning and Public Affairs
  • Tyler Olson - City Council Member, City of Cedar Rapids and President, SiteGen Solar
  • Patrick Snell - Climate and External Affairs Associate, The Nature Conservancy

Panel Session 2: Land Use Considerations: Is Utility-Scale Solar Compatible with Current Land Use?

11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Moderator: Shannon Roesler, UI College of Law

  • Nick Boeyink - Executive Director, Iowa Conservative Energy Forum
  • Mark Crowl - Manager, Renewable, Development, Invenergy
  • Andy Johnson - Executive Director, Clean Energy Districts of Iowa
  • Charlie Nichols - Director of Planning and Development, Linn County
  • Becky Soglin - Sustainability Coordinator, Johnson County

Panel Session 3: Statewide Solar: What is Planned for a Reliable and Equitable Solar + Storage + Transmission Grid?

12:40-1:40 p.m. (lunch provided) Moderator: Steve Guyer, Iowa Environmental Council

  • Jennifer Easler - Consumer Advocate Attorney, Office of Consumer Advocate
  • Steve Guyer - Energy Policy Manager, Iowa Environmental Council
  • Josh Mandelbaum - Senior Attorney, Environmental Law and Policy Center and Des Moines City Councilmember
  • James McCalley - Anson Marston Distinguished Professor, London Chaired Professor of Power Systems Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Iowa State University
  • Bob Rafferty - Executive Director, Iowa Business for Clean Energy

With questions about this event, please contact HELI Program Director Blake Rupe at blake-rupe@uiowa.edu.

 

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Dragana Petic at dragana-petic@uiowa.edu.