What would happen if money-saving energy upgrades could be installed in any sound building without upfront costs or occupants taking on a debt obligation?
California’s utility regulators recently ordered investor-owned utilities to develop a tariff for inclusive utility investments, answering a key recommendations in the state’s 2019 Energy Efficiency Action Plan and the CEC’s landmark Low-Income Barriers Study. Tracing decades of work to integrate equity as a central policy factor in energy transition paths, this up-tempo talk will feature current frontiers for scaling deployment of essential grid-edge upgrades with inclusive financial solutions.
Dr. Holmes Hummel leads Energy Equity & Just Transitions activities at Stanford University’s Institute for Energy. Through courses such as Quest for Inclusive Clean Energy Economies, Holmes draws attention to the importance of investment strategies for hazard mitigation, energy resilience, and disaster recovery through the lenses of energy policy, technology, and finance. Previously, Dr. Hummel served as the Senior Policy Advisor in the Department of Energy’s Office of Policy & International Affairs (2009-2013), working with the federal policy frameworks for preparedness. In collaboration with field partners, Dr. Hummel is also the founding co-director of Clean Energy Works, a public interest organization that accelerates adoption of inclusive financial solutions for energy upgrades at the grid-edge that improve resiliency, such as inclusive utility investments.
