A UT group is partnering with the US Department of Energy and statewide leaders to explore the growing field of solar energy.
UT’s SunShot Initiative Rooftop Solar Challenge is sponsoring the Tennessee Solar Summit in Chattanooga on Wednesday and Thursday, April 10 and 11. The conference will be held at the Sheraton Read House.
The goal of the conference is to educate attendees about the past and future of solar energy in Tennessee. It will include several speakers and breakout sessions. Breakout sessions will include historic zoning and land issues, impact of solar energy on property appraisals, large-scale solar installations, and unique case studies.
“Attendees will meet the diverse group of solar stakeholders we have in Tennessee and form new partnerships to keep the momentum going in moving solar power forward in our state,” said Bruce Tonn, principal investigator for UT’s Rooftop Solar Challenge grant at the Howard Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy.
Karl Dean, mayor of metro Nashville and Davidson County, will discuss the future of solar power on the second day of the conference.
Other speakers include Ted Wampler Jr., president and chief operating officer of Wampler’s Sausage Farm Company; Matt Brown, program manager of Renewable Energy Programs for the Tennessee Valley Authority; Jean Peretz, former director of operations for the Tennessee Solar Institute; and Eric Ogle, Baker Center research associate. Also, city officials from Knoxville, Franklin, and Nashville will present what they have accomplished with solar power in their cities.
The SunShot Initiative seeks to help Americans switch to solar power by streamlining the permit process, updating codes, improving connection standards, and increasing access to financing. It was started by the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office. UT’s Rooftop Solar Challenge team was one of twenty-two nationwide that received funding from the DOE.
For more information about the conference and for a complete schedule, visit the website.
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C O N T A C T :
Anne Freeman (865-974-3841, afreeman@utk.edu)