One of the more exciting Indiana events focused on clean energy, the 10th annual Richard G. Lugar Center for Renewable Energy Spring Forum, took place at the Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus on May 15. The event attracted more than 100 attendees from a variety of disciplines, including academia, the renewable energy industry, politicians, Indiana utilities, investors, and municipalities. The theme of this year’s forum was “The ThrEEEs: Energy, Economics, and the Environment” and featured keynote speeches and speaker panels delving into a range of topics tied into the main theme.
To kick off the day, Professor Gabriel Filippelli of the Earth Sciences Department at IUPUI discussed the numerous ways that Hoosiers can expect to be affected by climate change in the coming decades. By 2095, he said, we will have the same climate and weather as Oklahoma, unless more serious steps are taken to address carbon emissions. Rising temperatures have caused the tick population to increase considerably in the state, leading to a quadrupling of the number of Lyme disease cases across Indiana in just 12 years. Filippelli also pinpointed the high number of respiratory and heart disease cases in southern Indiana, home to some of the country’s dirtiest coal plants.
The panel sessions included some lively discussions on topics such as the changing needs of the electric grid and the value of distributed generation. One of the more engaging panelists was Josh Cisney of Hoosier Power and Light Electric Cooperative, who described the enormous strides the co-op has been making to increase the amount of renewable energy installed capacity on its system. As recently as 2010, Hoosier Power and Light relied on coal power for 100% of its electric load. Today, that number has dropped to 58%. The co-op polled its members and found that 92% of those surveyed wanted more renewable energy in the generation portfolio. Hoosier Power and Light responded accordingly, completing seven 1 MW solar farms, with three more PV power plants breaking ground this month.
Ken Perkins, VP and senior commercial lender for First Farmers Bank and Trust, discussed the increased interest shown by the financial sector in solar energy. As power purchase agreements (PPAs) become more available across the country, banks are taking notice and reaching out to solar developers to take advantage of rates of return that often beat those of more traditional investment options, he said. At Inovateus, we have certainly seen more financiers looking to get their foot in the door of funding solar development.
Another impressive speaker was Jessica Davis, the director of the Office of Sustainability at IUPUI. The IU network has accomplished some amazing things recently, including a “Gold” rating award from the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). She described how the university instituted a rule which states that every new building constructed after 2017 must be LEED Gold rated. The IU system has 19 LEED certified buildings, the most among Big 10 university systems.
Thought-provoking and packed with useful information, the Lugar Center’s spring forum offered more proof that solar and other renewable energies are necessary and viable energy sources for Midwest co-ops, utilities and universities that are making the transition away from fossil fuels to renewable power.
By Tim Powers, strategic research administrator, Inovateus Solar
