The Sustainable Energy Research Project (SERP) is an initiative of the Environmental and Land Use Law Program aimed at understanding and advancing legal frameworks to support sustainable energy development. The Project is associated with Florida State University's Sustainable Energy and Governance Center and is supported by the interdisciplinary Institute for Energy Systems, Economics and Sustainability (IESES) — a public resource at Florida State University which performs scholarly basic research and analysis in engineering, science, infrastructure and the social dimensions of the sustainable energy economy.

In coordination with the environmental law faculty, the law school’s Visiting Scholar in Energy and Land Use Policy, Uma Outka, will direct the project as it takes up questions of practical importance to this rapidly evolving area of law, nationally and in Florida. For example, how do existing Florida laws and local land use codes facilitate or impede the location of renewable energy production facilities and other innovative energy infrastructure designed to respond to the state’s present and future energy needs? What policy considerations and trade-offs are presented by the shift toward renewable energy and what best practices can be employed to balance competing goals and interests?

Florida State Law students are encouraged to participate in SERP’s sustainable energy research as part of their environmental and land use course of study. Opportunities include participating in the Sustainable Development seminar Professor Outka will teach during the spring semester, enrolling in Directed Independent Study on topics related to SERP under the direction of one of the environmental law faculty members, or coordinating their Environmental and Land Use Certificate Program final presentation topic under the direction of Professor Outka.

Click here for more information about Professor Uma Outka.