Energy infrastructure plays a central role in shaping how societies transition to renewable energy. Decisions about where and how infrastructure is developed, whether charging networks, renewable energy siting, or grid investments, are not only technical but also political and social. These decisions influence efficiency, equity, and long-term justice outcomes across scales.
This emerging strand of my research investigates how U.S. energy infrastructure planning interacts with existing inequalities, and how governance choices affect who gains or loses in the transition to clean energy. I analyze both large-scale infrastructure systems, such as electric vehicle charging networks, and farm-level innovations, such as agrivoltaics, which integrate solar energy with agricultural production. Together, these projects advance a broader agenda on environmental justice, energy governance, and sustainability.
Research Questions
- Drivers of infrastructure development. What political, economic, and social factors shape decisions about energy infrastructure, and how do these vary across contexts?
- Scale and equity. How do infrastructure decisions made at national, regional, and local scales shape inequities in access to clean energy?
- Agrivoltaics and rural adaptation. How do farmers weigh the risks and trade-offs of adopting agrivoltaics, and what policies and incentives could expand equitable adoption of this dual-use technology?