Title

Renewable energy utilities: who they are, what they think and how they talk to local communities

Mentor

Inhwan Ko, Ph.D.

Department

Political Science

Biosketch

Inhwan Ko, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of environmental policy in the Department of Political Science at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is an environmental political scientist whose primary research interest is renewable energy and climate change policy. Currently, his research project is looking at why some people dislike and oppose the idea of building more renewable energy projects in their neighborhoods and throughout the country. You can find more information about his works on his website.

Project overview

Previous works that study why some people dislike and oppose renewable energy mainly focus on who those people are, what they think and how they react to renewable energy projects. However, renewable energy utilities that propose and operate renewable energy projects have been relatively understudied. When local communities are less willing to see renewable energy projects in their neighborhood and everyday life, what do utilities do and think about it? Which utilities would be willing to have conversations with them, and which would not?

A PREP awardee will work with Ko to address these questions, as shown in the title: How do renewable energy utilities interact with and talk to local communities, depending on who they are and what they think? Would large utilities be more willing to talk to them? Would utilities that are headquartered locally be more willing to listen to their complaints? The undergraduate student will collect information on various renewable energy utilities’ company profiles, strategies, and their existing and future projects. Most of the research will be internet-based, and the list of renewable energy utilities to investigate will be provided to the student in advance. A promising candidate should demonstrate an active interest in renewable energy policy, excellent web research and software (e.g., Excel) skills, and well-organized work practices and ethics.

Pack Research Experience Program information and application