The DUSP Center for Renewable Energy and Climate Justice

The Center for Renewable Energy and Climate Justice is housed in the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP). It is dedicated to advancing renewable energy teaching, research, and public service. Our mission is to help build consensus among diverse local stakeholders—residents, landowners, public officials, environmental advocates, and energy developers—at sites where large-scale renewable energy projects have been proposed. We focus on siting and permitting. By addressing local attitudes and preferences and federal, state, and local political dynamics, we try to help the parties resolve disagreements and conflicts swiftly and respectfully, reducing the need for litigation and speeding up the siting/licensing process.

The Center aims to feature six key activities integral to our mission: (1) help develop actionable plans to generate agreement on needed reform of offshore wind siting regulations, (2) make it clear how community benefits agreements (CBAs) ought to be negotiated and implemented as part of the renewable energy siting process, (3) share knowledge with and catalyze other universities that want to launch university-based clinics like ours (11.092/11.592 MIT Renewable Energy Clinic), (4) provide ongoing technical assistance to communities with which we have partnered, (5) launch a renewable energy and climate justice scholars program for undergraduate students, and (6) organize multiple renewable energy hackathons each academic year. The Center welcomes the participation of other faculty, students, and staff from across campus. We are also partnering with academic institutions internationally (particularly in the global South).