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Background, Interest,
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| | University of California, Santa Cruz | Charlie Chesney | PhD Candidate |
Academic
|
Solar
| State-local solar development conflict | I study sustainable solar energy development in California's deserts, including state-local conflict. One of my chapters focuses on San Bernardino County's Policy 4.10, which excludes utility-scale solar development from Rural Living districts and Community Plan Areas, and California's Assembly Bill 205, which enables the California Energy Commission to approve development on state-owned land without county approval. I will be conducting a literature review of academic and grey papers and conducting interviews to determine if deeper historical reasons influence today's solar development conflict, such as relating to Home Rule and Proposition 13. I am also using a multicriteria decision analysis to compare potential future state responses to county solar conflict, including legal action, community benefit agreements, consensus-building model, shifting policy towards decentralized solar development.
I see potential to collaborate to explore variations in state-local solar development conflict across the US, such as by comparing California to Texas and New York. |
| CA |
| | Colorado School of Mines | Salman Mohagheghi | Associate Professor |
Academic
|
SmartGrid
| | My background is in optimal design of power systems with renewable energy resources, including large scale solar. Specific to this FOA, I am interested in analyzing the community benefits and burdens due to large scale solar deployment from the angles of power quality, grid reliability, and localized environmental impacts. In addition, I have experience in developing community surveys to solicit feedback from community members on grid expansion and modernization strategies. |
| CO |
| | American Farmland Trust | Ethan Winter | National Smart Solar Director |
Non-Profit
|
Solar
| | Leading national farmland organization with expertise in state and regional level analyses to inform development of agrivoltaic tools, models and projects. Demonstrated capabilities in: Agricultural soil health and water quality research, characterization, quantification, and analysis; agricultural dual use solar project design and best management practices; Land use and energy siting policy (including stakeholder engagement, spatial mapping); Smart solar siting and dual use solar policy innovation; Cross-sector partnerships to advance sustainable solar; Farmer and landowner engagement (including farmer outreach and education, technical assistance, relationship management between farm/agricultural sector and solar industry). |
| NY |
| | Northeastern University | Sara Constantino | Assistant Professor |
Academic
|
Cross-Cutting
| Public acceptance and resistance to siting of large scale solar. | My background is at the intersection of public policy, climate politics, economics and decision sciences / psychology. I am currently running a study on the local oppositions to and opportunities for large scale solar siting and development in Appalachia, and have also conducted large scale public opinion work to understand the features of LSS that increase or decrease bipartisan public support among local elected officials and the public. I use a mix of experiments, descriptive surveys, administrative data, and qualitative interviews to understand how oppositional and supportive dynamics emerge at various stages of the siting decision. |
| MA |
| | The Nature Conservancy | Elizabeth Kalies | Lead Renewable Energy Scientist, North America |
Non-Profit
|
Cross-Cutting
| | Founded in 1951, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world's toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. One of our core values is our commitment to diversity. Therefore, we strive for a globally diverse and culturally competent workforce. Working in 72 countries, including all 50 United States, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners.
The overarching goal of our renewable energy deployment strategy is to accelerate the transition to clean energy to advance climate goals, conserve nature, and benefit communities by driving renewable energy deployment to previously developed and low-impact areas, and avoiding areas of high biodiversity. Many organizations have a single-minded focus on climate and clearing hurdles to the deployment of renewables. Others are focused squarely on conserving lands and waters. Because of our unique mission and history, we seek to identify and advance solutions to both. We do that by bringing science and policy expertise to the table to explore whether this approach is possible and, if so, what policy interventions are needed to make it faster, easier, and cheaper to locate renewables on low impact lands and to do so, with partners, in ways that integrate diversity/equity/inclusion/justice and community considerations into decision-making. |
| NC |
| | Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PhilaPort) | Ryan Mulvey | Director, Government & Public Affairs |
State and/or Local Government
|
Buildings
| Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered Port Equipment | PhilaPort is the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's landlord for the Port of Philadelphia's 14 terminals along the Delaware River. PhilaPort is interested in participating as a stakeholder, as set forth in the FOA, for an eligible Applicant Team. |
| PA |
| | Kansas Health Institute | Emma Uridge | Analyst |
Non-Profit
|
Cross-Cutting
| Community Impacts, Acceptance and Opposition | The Kansas Health Institute supports effective policymaking through nonpartisan research, education and engagement. KHI believes evidence-based information, objective analysis and civil dialogue enable policy leaders to be champions for a healthier Kansas. KHI’s work often leads to publications used in our educational offerings for policymakers – arming them with credible analysis on topics such as community health, public health, insurance coverage and more. In addressing the matter of large-scale solar siting, we recognize the importance of meeting the needs of our communities through evidence-based policy.
Over the course of nearly 30 years, we’ve developed a deep understanding of Kansas policy issues, systems, opportunities and challenges. With this in mind, we have crafted an array of services to meet the needs of our local, county, state and national partners. Our expertise includes policy review and analysis, qualitative and quantitative research, and technical assistance. We are keenly interested in contributing our expertise to large-scale solar siting initiatives, leveraging our extensive knowledge of Kansas policy landscapes to support informed decision-making in this critical area. |
| KS |
| | Great Plains Institute | Dr.Monika Vadali | Senior Program Manager |
Non-Profit
|
Solar
| | GPI has worked in the area of LSS siting with multiple stakeholders in the past and also has a current DOE SolWeb project that is exploring the social science aspect of solar farms in communities. We have a great partnership and network with university partners, solar developers, tribal nations in the midwest, state agencies and communities nationwide and would like to find partners to reach more communities to address barriers to LSS and provide creative solutions. |
| MN |
| | Solar & Storage Industries Institute | David Gahl | Executive Director |
Non-Profit
|
Solar
| All | Research & analysis on siting and land use issues w/r/t large scale solar projects across the country. SSII is the non-profit charitiable and education arm of the Solar Energy Industries Association. |
Website: www.ssii.org
Email: dgahl@ssii.org
Phone: 518-487-1744
Address: 1425 K. Street NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC, 20005, United States
| DC |
| | Alliance for Energy Independence | Natasha Healey | President |
Small Business
|
Solar
| Community Acceptance and Opposition, Permitting and Land Use Planning Processes and Outcomes, Community Impact Evaluation | Alliance for Energy Independence is a bi-partisan story-telling organization focused on celebrating the stories of rural resilience born of the clean energy economy.
Alliance identifies the most compelling stories of community development generated by clean energy partnerships and shares those stories in the communities that comprise the next battlegrounds of solar development.
Alliance intentionally focuses on the messaging that resonates most in renewable energy communities across the country: national security, energy independence, land preservation for family farmers, and community benefits that improve health, safety, education, and infrastructure in rural communities.
Alliance identifies areas of interest where large amounts of solar energy are registered in the queue in counties and townships across the country. It shares the real stories of project partnership success with the communities that need to hear it most.
Alliance for Energy Independence is on a mission to cultivate a sense of pride surrounding the enormous and mission-critical opportunity rural America has to participate and prosper from the new energy economy. Shifting the renewable energy conversation to focus less on carbon and climate and more on national security and local benefits is an essential aspect of reaching 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035.
Alliance for Energy Independence was formed in Q4 of 2023 with a grant from The Energy Foundation and will be launching its website and 6-month pilot program in Q1 of 2024. The organization was hatched out of Bantam Communications, a leading independent consultancy and provider of integrated public affairs support with a singular focus on clean energy deployment.
Bantam has supported over 2,300 megawatts of successfully permitted large-scale wind and solar projects onto the grid in communities across the United States. |
| VA |
| | Rice University | Cymene Howe | Professor of Anthropology |
Academic
|
Renewable Energy Integration (REI)
| community response to renewable energy projects | extensive community-based research on responses renewable energy infrastructures and climate adaptation techniques. ethnographic research (interviews, focus groups, surveys) skills including multimedia approaches; diverse international experience with field work in Mexico, U.S., South Africa, Greenland and Iceland on issues of climate mitigation and adaptation; strong publishing skills with several books and and dozens of articles on renewable energy topics; NSF-sponsored research in southern Mexico on wind power and community responses; specializations in inequalities (eg racial and gendered), Indigenous peoples, rural settings, urban contexts, Spanish-language, politics and policy regimes. |
Website: www.cymene.xyz
Email: ach1@rice.edu
Phone: 4152034346
Address: 6100 Main St. MS-20, Anthropology, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005-1827, United States
| TX |
| | City on a Hill | Art Serna | CEO |
Non-Profit
|
Strategic Programs
| | In response to the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) FOA, our organization proposes a project aimed at enhancing large-scale solar (LSS) siting processes. The focus is on generating actionable insights to improve outcomes for host communities, particularly disadvantaged ones, and the solar industry, aligning with the Biden Administration's goals for a clean, equitable energy economy and net-zero emissions by 2050. The historic Milwaukee Hospital campus, managed by City on a Hill, offers a prime opportunity for the prototyping and validation of technologies and processes tied to this FOA.
Project Goals:
Innovative Social Science Research: Conduct research on the social dimensions of LSS siting to produce insights that can accelerate deployment while ensuring equitable benefits for host communities. This involves exploring community perceptions, needs, and potential impacts of LSS projects.
Community-Centric Approach: Develop frameworks for engaging with local communities in the decision-making process, ensuring their needs and concerns are addressed, and their participation in LSS initiatives is meaningful.
Environmental Justice and Inclusion: Prioritize projects in underserved communities, focusing on environmental justice and the inclusion of these communities in the benefits of LSS development.
Policy and Stakeholder Engagement: Work with policymakers and stakeholders to integrate research findings into practical guidelines and policies for LSS siting, ensuring smoother implementation and community acceptance.
Educational Outreach: Implement educational programs to raise awareness about the benefits of solar energy, and the importance of sustainable and equitable energy practices.
Partnership Opportunities:
Research Institutions: Collaborate on social science research related to LSS siting and community engagement.
Local Governments and Policy Makers: Partner for policy development and implementation based on research findings.
Community Organizations: Engage with local communities to understand their perspectives and incorporate their feedback into LSS projects.
Solar Industry Stakeholders: Collaborate with solar energy companies and industry experts to ensure that the LSS siting processes are technologically sound and economically viable. |
| WI |
| | Greenbacker Capital | Shannon Scarbrough | Sustainability Program Manager |
Large Business
|
Solar
| | Greenbacker is a financer and independent power producer of renewable energy projects across the US. We have interest and experience in working collaboratively with project and community stakeholders to support research that advances sustainable solar development that advance environmental and social outcomes. We have experience in implementing agrivoltaics and hosting other research activities on our project sites. |
| VT |
| | Oak Ridge National Laboratory | Melrose Pan | Postdoc |
Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC)
|
Joint Office of Energy and Transportation
| | Background: My expertise lies in transportation, urban planning, and social/behavioral sciences, exemplified by my dissertation on applying behavioral science in transportation. My research focuses on conducting controlled experiments to explore mental biases (e.g., inertia, present bias, confirmation bias) affecting people's reluctance to use public transportation, such as buses and shared mobility. This interdisciplinary background extends to understanding human trust in new solar technologies, and I have additional experience in energy justice. Utilizing nationwide multi-year census data, I investigated contributing factors in electric vehicle (EV) ownership and assessed resource distribution related to EVs.
Interest: I am eager to apply my diverse skill set to the realm of solar siting.
Capabilities: Proficient in randomized controlled trials, survey design, quantitative equity measurement and assessment, as well as Census data and spatial data processing. |
| TN |
| | New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting | Mairead Milan | Renewable Energy Siting Specialist |
State and/or Local Government
|
| | The New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) is a first-in-its-kind state agency, solely dedicated to the expedited siting and permitting review of renewable energy projects 25 MW or greater. The Office is closely involved siting review and decision-making for large scale solar in New York State. ORES is interested in partnering with social science research organizations that seek to conduct research on LSS siting interventions and practices. |
| NY |
| | Virginia Tech | Ron Meyers | Associate Professor of Practice |
Academic
|
Solar
| Meaningful public engagement, sustainable siting | Qualitative and quantitative social scientist. Testing early, meaningful public engagement process that incorporates co-research, co-decision making to do-develop early site concept plans. Testing how to provide stakeholders with information on best practices for their consideration. Interested in use of geo-spatial information systems to provide data stakeholders request. |
| VA |
| | Epsilon Innovation Group Inc | Asmerom Gilau | Principal Researcher |
Incorporated Consortia
|
Renewable Energy Integration (REI)
| | Epsilon Innovation Group Incorporated provides innovative consulting and R&D services in the policy and technical aspects of climate change, clean energy, the environment, economics, and risk analysis. In those areas, especially on renewable energy siting, we have conducted several feasibility studies and specifically conducted a public perception assessment of LPG sitting in the coastal cities of the Eastern US. We have also developed a clean energy workforce development planning tool to determine the job creation impact of clean energy technologies. Thus, we are technically capable of addressing the technology, social, and economic aspects of clean energy technologies for achieving high impact in a community. |
| DC |
| | Foundation for Renewable Energy & Environment | Job Taminiau | Research Director |
Non-Profit
|
Solar
| Social Dynamics of Large-Scale Solar (LSS) Siting | Background and Capabilities: The Foundation for Renewable Energy & Environment (FREE) is a leading non-profit organization committed to advancing renewable energy and energy efficiency through robust research and community engagement. Our extensive research program is deeply rooted in examining the social aspects of renewable energy deployment, with a particular focus on community dynamics and participatory models. Our interdisciplinary team, comprising experts in energy policy, urban planning, economics, political economy and other relevant fields, has dedicated efforts to understanding and fostering community ownership models in renewable energy projects. This involves exploring how these models impact local acceptance, and the broader socio-economic and environmental outcomes of renewable energy implementation. Our publications are accessible at freefutures.org/publications.
Interest in SEEDS 4 FOA: FREE is keenly interested in contributing to the Solar Energy Evolution and Diffusion Studies 4 (SEEDS 4) under the Department of Energy. Our interest specifically lies in:
1. Community Acceptance and Opposition: Leveraging our experience in community-based research to develop actionable insights into how communities perceive and interact with large-scale solar projects. This includes consideration of community-owned models of solar energy development in relation to large-scale solar siting (LSS).
2. Community Impact Evaluation: Applying our research approach to assess the socio-economic impacts of LSS projects on host communities, especially those that are disadvantaged.
We believe our research aligns seamlessly with the goals of SEEDS 4, particularly in enhancing the siting processes and outcomes for large-scale solar energy projects in a way that benefits host communities and stakeholders. |
| NY |
| | Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center | Byron Kominek | Executive Director |
Non-Profit
|
Solar
| County Level Solar Siting Permitting & Social Acceptance | The Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center showcases clean energy generation coupled with local food production to inspire and educate our community into taking action to improve land stewardship within solar arrays. Located at the premier site for agrivoltaics in our country, Jack's Solar Garden in Boulder County, Colorado, we engage with thousands of people within the solar array each year to educate the community about solar energy and land stewardship while working through their questions and concerns about large-scale solar deployment. Over the past year, our team has researched and analyzed the permitting requirements for solar on farmland in all 64 counties in Colorado. We will be publishing a report in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory by end of Q1 2024. Our staff has engaged with numerous county level officials regarding their land use codes for solar siting and even hosted a webinar in September 2024 about these land use codes with three Colorado county planning directors. We have participated in stakeholder engagements with both Colorado's State Government and the Center for New Energy Economy as they seek to answer similar questions as this SEEDS 4 program is. We are a small and nimble nonprofit team with an international audience consuming the media we publish on our website and social media channels.
We are interested in partnering with larger organizations that have experience administering federal grants. We can provide on the ground expertise in interacting with farmers, ranchers, rural communities, urbanites, county and state officials, and solar developers. We can help buildout surveys and methods for interacting with all categories of stakeholders. We can supply test case model land use code language to vet with stakeholders for greater acceptance of solar siting with a preference towards improving land stewardship and agricultural access to solar arrays. We can serve as a location to convene stakeholders to showcase what's possible and widely acceptable in solar development. |
| CO |
| | Loyola University Chicago | Gilbert Michaud | Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy |
Academic
|
Solar
| | Area of Technical Expertise: Energy policy, Economic/workforce development, Electric utilities
Brief Description of Capabilities: Economic impact modeling, Interviews, Survey research, Policy evaluation, Regression analysis |
| IL |
| | Vermont Law and Graduate School | Genevieve Byrne | Professor of Law |
Academic
|
Cross-Cutting
| Solar siting and permitting policy | The VLGS Farm and Energy Initiative conducts research on solar siting and permitting regulatory requirements, land use incentives, and policy. We are available for teaming to provide legal and regulatory research at the federal, state, and local level. |
| VT |
| | Rare, Inc. | Travis A. Niles | Sr. Program Manager, Energy |
Non-Profit
|
Integrated Strategies
| Social science research | Rare combines social science and energy expertise for persuasive community change. Rare's Center for Behavior & the Environment is the world’s first center dedicated exclusively to behavioral science and design for the environment. We have a team of behavioral and social scientists, designers, and trainers on staff, as well as subject matter experts in clean energy and clean transportation. We field our own research and connect existing literature with and design thinking to practitioners at all levels of the clean energy transition. Our research has touched the sustainability campaigns of Fortune 500 companies in the United States and abroad. |
| VA |
| | Hawaii State Energy Office | Stephen Walls | Deputy Energy Officer |
State and/or Local Government
|
Cross-Cutting
| 2 | The State of Hawai'i set the country's first economy-wide decarbonization requirement, and the utility's current capacity expansion plan will require the vast majority of land available for solar on O'ahu to be developed. Despite the state's leadership to date, the additional solar required for decarbonization calls for significant improvements to permitting and community acceptance processes. |
| HI |
| | NREL | Alexis Pascaris | Agrivoltaics Researcher |
Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC)
|
Cross-Cutting
| | Social science; community engagement; community impact evaluation; participatory planning; energy-agriculture nexus; agrivoltaics |
| CO |
| | Rice University | Dominic Boyer | Professor of Anthropology |
Academic
|
Solar
| Renewable energy development and diffusion | I have extensive experience doing field research on the community side of energy transition, which a special focus on the political dynamics of different stakeholder groups in energy development projects (particularly wind and solar). I have developed a conceptual paradigm (energopolitics) that explains how energy infrastructure conditions human politics and vice-versa. I have done extensive interview and survey work with communities impacted by rapid deployment of renewable energy (particularly the Mexican wind sector). |
| TX |