Rural Energy Efficiency, with Mary Shoemaker of ACEEE (Ep. 57)

In this episode we focus on energy efficiency in rural America. My guest is Mary Shoemaker, State Policy Analyst at ACEEE, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Our conversation focuses on both challenges and solutions, and we cover a broad range of issues, starting with what makes rural America unique in terms of energy efficiency and its overall energy burden.  We discuss a number of topics including what ACEEE has been doing to address the rural space; the importance of broadband; different financing solutions; data and customer engagement, and economic development and job creation. Mary offers a number of specific examples where these programs are being implemented, and we also spend some time talking about Appalachia in particular because Mary is part of a team developing policy recommendations for the Central Appalachian Network.

Show references include:

ACEEE publications: 

• Reaching Rural Communities with Energy Efficiency(report)
• Rural Energy Burdens(report) + accompanying fact sheet
• State Energy Efficiency Scorecard(report) + accompanying fact sheet
• Rural Energy Conference(conference page and presentation PDFs)

Other references: 

• Ameren Missouri proposal offers customers fast-charge electric vehicle stations, improved air quality and new choices(Cision PR Newswire)
• Oncor’s MainStreet Efficiency program
• Southern Virginia Higher Education Center
• Efficiency Vermont
• Co-Mo builds on Connect to launch SmartHub (Co-Mo Electric Cooperative blog post)
• USDA’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Loan Program (EECLP)
• USDA’s Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP)
• Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED)’s How$martKY
• Minnesota’s Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs)
• Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI)
• Central Appalachian Network (CAN)
• Natural Capital Investment Fund
• Rural Support Partners
• Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia

 

Recorded December 11, 2018. Published December 17, 2018. 

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