Where does the water go? Stormwater management in the solar energy future

Are solar farms a threat to water quality, or a community asset? How can we create a solar-friendly permitting process that also enhances water and ecosystem services for the host community? Join us on September 28 to find out!

Register here.

A recording of the webinar will be emailed to all registrants after the event.

Thanks to the PV-SMaRT project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Solar Energy Technology Office, we are excited to debut the first solar-specific national study on stormwater dynamics and modeling. Project members include Great Plains Institute (GPI), DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Fresh Energy, and the University of Minnesota.

The team used field research on five existing ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) solar sites across the United States, three-dimensional hydrologic modeling, and feedback from solar developers, site managers, state and local regulators, and other stakeholders to assess the opportunities. And results are flooding in!

Based on the project’s findings, researchers have now developed a stormwater runoff calculator tool and best practices recommendations for local and state permit officials and solar industry practitioners. On Wednesday, September 28, join hosts Fresh Energy, GPI, and NREL and special guests for the inside scoop on how the tool has worked so far.

Meet the speakers:

• Brian Ross, GPI
• Dr. David Mulla, University of Minnesota
• James McCall, NREL
• Todd Smith, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
• Robert L. Goo, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water
• Lee Strait, EOR
• Moderator: Briana Kerber, Fresh Energy