UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The second annual Penn State Solar Law Symposium will be held via webinar from noon to 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 16.

The event, co-sponsored by Penn State Extension and Penn State’s Center for Energy Law and Policy, is designed for those with beginning and intermediate levels of knowledge. The webinar will build on the information presented in last year’s symposium, with an introductory session to allow first-time attendees to catch up.

The symposium will feature topics such as solar development in Pennsylvania; lessons municipal officials have learned from previous and existing solar development projects; special concerns posed by development projects on agricultural lands; expected effects of the Inflation Reduction Act on solar development; and PJM Interconnection’s proposed approach for addressing a backlog of solar projects in the generation-interconnection queue.

Symposium speakers will include:

— Tom Murphy, director, Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research, Penn State Extension

— Dan Brockett, energy, business and community vitality educator, Penn State Extension

— Brook Duer, staff attorney, Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law

— Michael Helbing, staff attorney, Penn State Center for Energy Law and Policy

— Paul North, of counsel, Zator Law

— Raymond Stolinas, county planning director, Centre County

— Lisa Holm, senior planner, Mercer County Regional Planning Commission

— Charles Schmehl, president, Urban Research and Development Corp

— Jason Shoemaker, manager of interconnection projects, PJM Interconnection LLC

At the conclusion of the event, attendees will have a broad understanding of legal facets related to the many utility-scale solar development projects proposed in Pennsylvania, as well as a sense of how development is likely to progress in coming years. Four hours of Substantiative Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education credits are available with this session.

Registration is required — $119 with CLE credits and $69 without — and must be completed by 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 15. Registrants will receive access to the webinar recording, in addition to the presentation material files from the event.

Founded in 2018, the Penn State Center for Energy Law and Policy is a major part of Penn State’s efforts to become the nation’s “Energy University,” serving the commonwealth, nation and world through cutting-edge interdisciplinary research and partnerships. The center provides an innovative national model for how a major public research university can contribute to important energy law and policy issues through research, education and stakeholder engagement. The Center for Energy Law and Policy is a collaborative effort across Penn State’s many disciplines, research centers and campuses, which makes it the only energy research center in the country that can fully harness the strengths of a leading land-grant research university to assemble collaborative and interdisciplinary teams.

Penn State Extension is dedicated to delivering science-based information to people, businesses and communities. In support of Penn State's land-grant mission, extension educational programs promote a vibrant food and fiber system, a clean environment, and a healthier population in Pennsylvania and beyond. With support from federal, state and county governments, the organization has a tradition of bringing unbiased information and support to the citizens of Pennsylvania for more than 100 years.