Harrisburg University Distinguished Speaker Series Adds Solar Energy Program April 23, State Of Climate Science Presentation April 25

Harrisburg University's Center for Environment, Energy and Economy (E3) has scheduled two new presentations in its Distinguished Speaker Series on Climate Disruption and Sustainable Development--

-- April 23: R. Brent Alderfer, Founder/CEO of Community Energy, Inc., will discuss The New Economics Of Solar Power.   Alderfer has a 20-year track record developing renewable energy projects with a company committed to climate change solutions in the power industry.

With 70 to 80 percent cost reductions since 2010, solar photovoltaic electricity technology has transformed the economics of power generation.  

Efficiency improvements in solar cell performance, manufacturing processes and field installation, combined with economies of scale at each stage, have ushered in the era of competitive solar power.

Now the fastest growing source of electric generation capacity globally, solar power has climbed quickly from fractional percentages of power a few years back to grid-scale development providing real-world data for the smooth integration and potential of this fuel-free resource.

The results in the mid-Atlantic are surprisingly favorable for both reliability and cost of power for consumers small and large.  

Rounding out the economic picture are impressive statistics on private capital investment, rural economic development, farmer income, tax revenues and jobs that come from building out the new solar technology.
The program will be held in the 14th Floor Auditorium, Harrisburg University, 326 Market Street from 11:30 to 1:00.

-- April 25: Donald A. Brown, Scholar In Residence and Professor, Sustainability Ethics and Law at Widener University Commonwealth Law School and Richard Alley, the Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences and an associate of the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute at Penn State University, will do a presentation on The State Of Climate Science And What It Means.

This lecture takes place the evening prior to a landmark legal conference the Environmental Law and Sustainability Center at Widener University Commonwealth Law School and the Center for Environment, Energy, and Economy (E3) at Harrisburg University will co-present at Widener Law School in Harrisburg April 26.

Dr. Alley  will review the scientific conclusions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and discuss sustainable energy systems during his lecture. We enjoy the good we get from our use of energy, now mostly from fossil fuels.  

But, the carbon dioxide from the use of fossil fuels changes the climate based on unavoidable physics, and the climate changes they are causing will become increasingly damaging if we continue to raise carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

Strong scholarship shows that if we make wise use of our knowledge on risks and opportunities, we can move toward a sustainable energy system that supports a larger economy with more jobs and greater national security in a cleaner environment with improved health more consistent with the Golden Rule.

Today’s students are the first generation in history who know they can do this.

Brown will discuss issues citizens around the world urgently need to understand about climate change in light of the most recent climate change science. They are:

-- The enormous magnitude of GHG emissions reductions needed to prevent catastrophic warming.

-- The speed of GHG emissions reductions needed to prevent catastrophic warming.

-- No nation may either legally or morally use national self-interest alone as justification for their failure to fully meet their obligation under the UNFCCC.

-- No nation may either legally or morally use scientific uncertainty as justification for their failure to fully meet their obligations under the UNFCCC.

-- Developed countries must legally, morally, and practically reduce their GHG emissions more aggressively than developing countries.

-- Developed countries must legally, morally, and practically help finance mitigation and adaptation programs in poor developing countries.

-- The need for broad understanding among civil society of these issues follows from several recent scientific reports on climate change that lead to the conclusion that the international community is facing an urgent existential crisis that threatens life on earth.
The program will be held in the 14th Floor Auditorium, Harrisburg University, 326 Market Street starting at 6:00 p.m.

For more information and to RSVP, visit the Distinguished Speaker Series on Climate Disruption and Sustainable Development webpage.

For more information on programs, initiatives and other upcoming events, visit the Harrisburg University's Center for Environment, Energy and Economy (E3) webpage.