Civios Podcast

Persistent link for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11299/218208

In-depth discussions of the story behind the public affairs research by academics affiliated with the Humphrey School.

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Browsing Civios Podcast by Subject "Energy"

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    Episode 28: Community Solar Intermediaries: Bridging the Gap Between Policy and Practice
    (2020-12-10) Harrington, Elise; Welter, Emma
    In the fall of 2020, Elise Harrington joined the Humphrey School as an assistant professor in the science, technology, and environmental policy area. In her new role, Harrington hopes to continue the research she began with MIT's Tata Center for her PhD, which brought her to both India and Kenya to study innovation in small-scale solar technologies. In this podcast episode, she speaks with us in more depth about her work in Kenya, where she's been investigating ways to close gaps between policy and practice in distribution models and consumer education for off-grid solar technologies like lanterns. Harrington is especially interested in the role played by "frontline solar intermediaries": individuals who act as go-betweens on behalf of solar companies. Intermediaries travel to communities to inform people about solar technology, sell products based on a variety of pricing models, and act as a resource for ongoing help with solar. When it comes to building a more resilient electricity infrastructure, Harrington says,"social interactions really matter”—and these intermediaries play an important role.
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    Episode 2: Public Funding for Energy Research and Development
    (2017-01-30) Chan, Gabriel; Conners, Kate
    Effective decision making to allocate public funds for energy technology research, development, and demonstration (R&D) requires considering alternative investment opportunities that can have large but highly uncertain returns and a multitude of positive or negative interactions. In this podcast, Gabriel Chan, assistant professor at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, explores the utility of applying new methods to improve the cost-effectiveness and environmental performance in a deliberative approach to energy R&D portfolio decision making.