Rural Renaissance

Revitalizing America's Hometowns through Clean Power

L. Michelle Moore

• Publisher: Island Press
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN:
  9781642831962
• eBook ISBN:
  9781642831979
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Energy Industry

For decades, we’ve heard that local, renewable power is on the horizon, and cheaper technologies will one day revolutionize our energy system. Michelle Moore has spent her career proving this opportunity is already here—and any community, no matter how small, can build their own clean energy future. Rural Renaissance: Revitalizing America’s Hometowns Through Clean Power is the inspiring and practical guide to igniting this transition today.

In Rural Renaissance, Moore argues we don’t have to wait for new legislation or technologies to begin our work. From the White House to her hometown in rural Georgia, Moore has gathered the tools needed to bring the far-reaching benefits of clean power to small communities, particularly in rural America. In this accessible guide, Moore provides an overview of the current energy landscape, including the federal, state, and local policies that will shape each community’s unique approach. Next, she describes five pathways to clean power in rural America and strategies for achieving them, including energy efficiency, renewable power, resilience (including microgrids and battery storage), the electrification of transportation, and finally, broadband internet. Throughout this journey, Moore shares stories of challenges and successes and encourages readers to design programs that address inequality.

Clean energy shouldn’t be reserved for the wealthy or for sleek and modern city centers. Rural Renaissance offers a vision of thriving rural communities where clean power is the spark that leads to greater investment, vitality, and equity. We can start today—and this book provides the toolbox.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Subscribe to Island Press
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Prologue
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: The Roots of Rural Power
• Chapter 2: Localization: Our Energy Futures
• Chapter 3: Thousands of Local Energy Democracies
• Chapter 4: Growth for the Greater Good
• Chapter 5: Energy Efficiency: The First Fuel as a First Step
• Chapter 6: Solar: The Last Crop
• Chapter 7: Energy Resilience and Self-Reliance
• Chapter 8: EVs: The Transformation of Transportation
• Chapter 9: Rural Broadband, Smart Grids, and Rural Power
• Chapter 10: Scale without Losing Local Control
• Conclusion: Sharing Power
• Epilogue: Going Home
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• Index
• About the Author