Agenda

For speaker bios, please click here.

9:15-10:00 Check in 

10:00  Welcome & Introductions

• Ron Celentano, President, PA Solar & Storage Industries Association (PASSIA)
• Sharon Pillar, Founder & Executive Director, Pennsylvania Solar Center

10:15   Opening Keynote

• David Althoff, Jr., Director, Energy Programs Office, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

10:30   Pennsylvania State Renewable Policy Updates

• Ron Celentano, PASSIA – Status of Solar in PA 
• Sharon Pillar, PA Solar Center – AEPS, Solar for All, and for Municipalities
• Leah Meredith, Director, Mid-Atlantic for State Affairs – Community Energy and Decommissioning 
  

11:15   Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (AEPS) Results Summary (2024) and Distribution Interconnection Regulations

• Joe Sherrick, Policy & Planning/Conservation Supervisor, PA Public Utility Commission (PUC)  

11:45      Buffet Lunch  

12:30    Governor Shapiro’s Lightning Plan

• Jacob Finkel, Deputy Secretary of Policy & Planning, Office Governor Josh Shapiro
• Sam Robinson, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of Governor Josh Shapiro

1:00         Federal Policy: Where Things Stand at 1:00 PM Today

• Alisa Petersen, Federal Policy Manager, US Program, RMI

1:45       The Waiting Game: PJM Queue Updates and FERC Initiatives

• Robert Roth, Policy Director, Pennsylvania, Climate & Energy, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
• Rob Altenburg, Director, PennFuture Energy Center

2:30  Sparking Clean Energy Economic Development in the Commonwealth

• Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania (RISE PA) Grant Program – Louie Krak, Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator and Manager of RISE PA  
• Solar for Schools Grant Program – Devin Gray, Director, CFA Programs Division, PA Dept. of Community & Economic Development  
• IRA as an Economic Development Tool for Southwestern Pennsylvania – Aaron Brickman, Senior Principal, US Program, RMI 

3:00    Break

3:15      From Solar, to Soil, to Sheep: Agrivoltaics Implementation & Research 

Moderator – Lucille Olszewski, Business Development Manager, UL Solutions

• Joshua Caplan, PhD, Research Associate Professor, Architecture & Environmental Design, Temple University
• Chris Kline, Development Manager, Doral Renewables, LLC
• Dan Dotterer, Daniel Dotterer Farms; Agrivoltaic Innovations; Metaglobal Technologies, Board Member -American Grazing Association

4:15     Almost Everything you ever wanted to know about Utility Scale Battery Energy Storage (but were afraid to ask!) in 30 minutes or Less

• Hanan Fishman, Director of Business Development – Renewables, Consolidated Asset Management Services (CAMS)

4:45    Resources for Partnering with Communities for Large Scale Development 

• Randy Francisco, Pennsylvania Clean Energy Organizer, Greenlight 
• Sharon Pillar, PA Solar Center – Municipal Guidebook and Model Ordinance for Large-Scale Solar

5:30    Building Solar in the Dark: How Hosting Capacity Maps and Distribution Queue Transparency Can Illuminate Pathways to Market (with Audience Participation) 

• Sophia Hill, Manager of Policy and Market Strategy (Eastern Region), Pivot Energy
• Dylan Kautz, CEO, US Solar Development
• Emma Azadan, Development Director, SunShare 

6:00    Networking Reception, Visiting Exhibitors, Appetizers, and Cash Bar 

8:00   Dinner at Grateful Goat Brewery (self-pay) – 1300 Camp Hill Bypass, Camp Hill, PA 17011 (within short walking distance from conference center)