This week we speak with Sarah Mills, a Senior Project Manager, at the Graham Sustainability Institute, and Lecturer at the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan. Uniquely for this podcast, we are learning about the Midwest of the United States and my home state of Michigan. For me, this was one of the most eye-opening interviews I've done in a very long time. I realize that sounds really odd, but I was surprised by a lot of the research Sarah has done of who supports and who doesn't support the development of renewable energy projects at the community level. This rural community level is our focus this week. As you'll hear throughout our conversation, the acceptance or rejection of wind farms and even solar is dependent on community members' perspectives on the use of the land. Farmers support wind, while those that have a second home on a nearby lake may oppose energy projects. Sarah explains that the rollout of renewable projects that impact the landscape is only recent, stemming from our historical reliance on coal-fired power plants which took up less space. Sarah describes how a change in land use is a real challenge for community zoning boards who lack the expertise and experience to balance the polarized views of the community. In this discussion, we look at how policies in Washington will be impacting communities across the US. Specifically, we discuss the expansion of tax credits to foster more renewable energy projects on a huge scale. This is the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act and also the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in the US. I really enjoyed my discussion with Sarah, and as you'll hear, there remain important obstacles for renewable energy that communities must deal with. Is it fair to standardize zoning regulation or is it better to have different requirements every six miles or so, aligning with the different zoning areas for local government units? We have a brief discussion about energy justice and local versus state or national standards. IS it really fair to exclude the locals in deciding to build energy projects? The subtext of our conversation is about that today. What do we do if we have ambitious targets to roll out renewable energy, but local communities say not-in-my-backyard? As you'll hear, this is not a theoretical argument, but happening more and more often across the US.

Research Professor of Climate and Society at the Finnish Environment Institute. She holds a long research record focused on energy efficiency, decarbonization, and innovation. One of her current projects is focused on national defense and the low-carbon energy transition. This is our starting point to understand the changes Finland is experiencing in its shift away from Russia and how energy security is reframed.

As you'll hear towards the end of the interview, Paula introduces the concept of landscape shocks. How multiple crisis impact and shape the roll-out of the energy transition. How regimes emerge (51:00) and shift over time. The landscape was viewed as external, but how do these big events (like pandemics) influence the energy transition?

Essentially, in our conversation, we work backward looking at the small changes that are building up and fostering and driving the energy transition. From Finland's shifting relationship with Russia to the role that energy efficiency can play in national security.

The undertone of our conversation is how we conceptualize the energy transition. For example, energy security is moving away from stockpiles of natural resources to thinking about the impact of renewable energy production and the role this will play in the future. Therefore, demand response becomes important not only for grid management but for security.

Further informing the landscape events, are issues of energy justice and security. How global justice is tied to resource flows from the global south, and the role this plays in the energy transition and impact on energy security. Perceiving this through different scales. If the north becomes more secure with renewable technologies with resources from the global south, what happens to those countries selling their resources for our security?

You'll find our conversation wide-ranging, but academically engaging. Paula has published widely on a range of energy topics and she's well-versed in Finnish, British, and EU energy policy topics. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

A final note, this interview was done for my 2022 role as an Open Society University Network, Senior Fellow at Chatham House, The Royal Institute of International Affairs. Funding was generously provided to produce the podcasts for the episodes recorded in 2022. And now it is 2023 but I still have a few more in my back pocket.

David Schwartz is a theatre director, lecturer and activist. He holds a PhD, wrote and produced plays focused on the impact of energy prices and the shuttering of coal mines in Romania.

This week we have a special guest with David Schwartz. How does the theater fit within the energy transition? As policymakers are discovering society matters. Unfortunately, this is more true in some countries than others. David's focus on Romania deals with economic transitions experienced through the people. His productions highlight the plight of people unable to afford the bare essentials to exist in modern society.

From my experience when I think about the policy making and promises that come from national politicians and even at the EU level, I often think about what is the real impact on the ground for people on the economic margins. David has created plays reflecting these personal and local struggles.

On one hand, David comes across as a radical instigator of performative art. But as you'll hear in part of our conversation, he takes the real experiences of people and presents it through theatrical performances. And what is more true than the real experiences of people or a fictional representation drawn from real experiences?

I think as an academic I often get caught up in the policy or technology aspects of the energy transition, and I don't know or don't see those that suffer in energy poverty.

When we hear about big policies and money to assist vulnerable groups, like that in the EU's Social Climate Fund, which is planned to contain €87 billion, I have my serious doubts about how this money will be distributed. From my conversation with David, you'll also get an impression he likewise holds limited faith in governments to assist citizens.

When I said you'll hear part of our conversation, I have to admit I had a bit of technical difficulty. So I wasn't able to record some of the most essential parts of our conversation. So I both David an apology and you, as a listener for this failure.

But I can certainly attest to David's in-depth knowledge and research skills at collecting and understanding how people experience and suffer from energy bills. The fact that he brings this to the stage demonstrates his skills in capturing social phenomena that we often only read about, and is hard to experience. My profound respects go out to David those working with him to raise this issues in a more engaging format that is usually emotionally detached from reality.

Before we begin, I want to thank Roxana Bucata for putting me in touch with David and all her work in organizing the interviews I did in Romania in November 2022.

A final note, this interview was done for my 2022 role as an Open Society University Network, Senior Fellow at Chatham House, The Royal Institute of International Affairs.