Rural America & The Clean Energy Transition
About this Event
Anchored by Canary Media's flagship reporting series on rural America, this event puts a spotlight on the communities that too rarely make the headlines.
The day features main stage conversations with Canary journalists, expert panelists, and partners, alongside breakout sessions and workshops diving deeper into the topics shaping clean energy's next chapter.
Space is limited. Please join the waitlist and we'll notify you when a spot opens up.
A reception rounds out the day, giving attendees space to connect with the clean energy leaders who are doing the work.
Thank you to our sponsors.
- Presenting: Advanced Energy United, CleanCounts, GoodPower, Invest in Our Future, MacArthur Foundation
- Signature: Rural Climate Partnership
- Supporting: McKnight Foundation, Outrider Foundation, SEIA
Interested in sponsoring this event? Contact us at [email protected]
Main Stage & Lounge
🕑: 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Doors open and networking
🕑: 01:00 PM - 01:20 PM
A mayor’s fight for clean energy in rural America
Host: W. Mondale Robinson
Info: Mondale Robinson didn’t return to Enfield, North Carolina to manage decline. He came back to
change it. Since his election as the town's mayor in 2022, he’s been assembling the pieces of a full community energy transformation, including solar, geothermal, weatherization, and grid modernization, in one of the poorest towns in the state. This conversation breaks down how he’s doing it, what’s working, and what the rest of the country can learn from a small town betting everything on a clean energy future.
🕑: 01:40 PM - 03:10 PM
Breakout sessions #1
Info: Breakouts spotlighting rural clean energy topics. See tabs above for more details.
🕑: 03:10 PM - 03:30 PM
Lighting the way: Clean energy access and the future of tribal communities
Host: Suzanne Singer
Info: Suzanne Singer is the founder and executive director of Native Renewables, a nonprofit built around a problem most of the country has ignored: tens of thousands of homes on tribal lands with no connection to the grid. Native Renewables is working to change that, donating solar systems to unelectrified homes and training local residents to install and maintain them. But Singer is already thinking about what tribal communities will need as new demands around water, connectivity, and data infrastructure put pressure on these communities. This conversation covers where Native Renewables started, what they're doing now, and where they're headed.
🕑: 03:50 PM - 05:20 PM
Breakout sessions #2
Info: Breakouts spotlighting rural clean energy topics. See tabs above for more details.
🕑: 05:20 PM - 05:25 PM
Build it, make it flexible, make it affordable
Host: Heather O'Neill
Info: Sponsored by Advanced Energy United | With energy affordability top of mind for voters this election cycle, Heather O'Neill will share a roadmap for building a flexible, resilient, and cost-effective grid that delivers reliable power for all communities, including rural households.
🕑: 05:25 PM - 05:45 PM
Fireside keynote with Tim Pawlenty
Host: Tim Pawlenty
Info: Gov. Pawlenty is the incoming President & CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the national trade association for America's solar and storage industry. He previously served two terms as governor of Minnesota, where he led bipartisan initiatives in renewable energy that were widely viewed as among the most innovative in the nation. He’ll join us to explore where he sees the solar and storage industry headed and its role in rural communities.
🕑: 05:45 PM - 07:00 PM
VIP reception and networking
Breakout Sessions #1
🕑: 01:40 PM - 03:10 PM
From opposition to ownership: How small towns are reclaiming clean energy
Host: Peter Colavito
Info: Sponsored by Invest in Our Future | Some of the strongest examples of successful clean energy development come from communities that were once among its fiercest critics. Leaders from different southern communities will discuss how they have navigated contentious local debates, addressed community concerns, and ultimately found paths forward that delivered tangible local benefits. The conversation will highlight lessons on economic development, workforce opportunities, permitting, and community benefit agreements that other communities can adapt to their own clean energy projects.
🕑: 01:40 PM - 03:10 PM
Data center reckoning: What will mistrust of Big Tech mean for clean energy
Host: Julia Tilton
Info: While some have predicted a surge in data center construction will bring a golden age for clean energy, the rapid rollout has been met with a bipartisan wave of public opposition and deepening mistrust of technology companies, roiling communities across the country. This panel will explore how rural communities, at the forefront of planned data center construction, could be impacted by the facilities, and how clean energy advocates and developers can respond to the moment to work towards a vibrant and equitable future.
Breakout Sessions #2
🕑: 03:50 PM - 05:20 PM
Building durable conservative support for the renewable energy transition
Host: Scott Jennings
Info: Sponsored by GoodPower | New energy infrastructure will be built with the support of rural and conservative America, or not at all. Today’s large-scale renewable power plants are mostly being built in these communities, and despite the benefits these projects can bring, they’re losing ground with conservative audiences. This conversation explores how to engage audiences with messages grounded in energy independence, affordability, economic strength, national security, and American competitiveness. Join CNN’s Scott Jennings, and executives at GoodPower and The Rainey Center, to hear how we win the support needed to ensure the next chapter of American energy is reliable, affordable, and keeps the United States moving forward.
🕑: 03:50 PM - 05:20 PM
The road to energy affordability goes through the governor's mansion
Host: Heather O'Neill
Info: Sponsored by Advanced Energy United | This election season, energy affordability is a headline issue for voters, who will soon be casting ballots in three dozen governors' races across the country. Join Jay Inslee, former Governor of Washington and principal for the State Power Project, and Heather O'Neill, President and CEO of Advanced Energy United, as they share their insights and stories from meetings with gubernatorial candidates and incumbents this election cycle. They'll discuss the policy solutions and coalition infrastructures necessary to leverage clean and advanced energy solutions, so we can achieve energy abundance and make the grid work for everyone, including rural communities.
🕑: 03:50 PM - 05:20 PM
"Showing up is 90% of the battle": How to rally local support for clean energy
Host: David Roberts
Info: A live recording of the Volts podcast, hosted by David Roberts, featuring Matt Traldi, founder and CEO of Greenlight America. Across the country, clean energy projects are losing by forfeit, blocked not by popular opposition, but by a small, organized minority showing up when supporters don't. Join this live recording of Volts to hear how Greenlight America is working to turn the tide by mobilizing local supporters and giving them the tools to advocate effectively at critical government meetings.
🕑: 03:50 PM - 05:20 PM
What works in agrisolar: Lessons from the field and from local communities
Host: Loran Shallenberger
Info: Sponsored by CleanCounts | When Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory surveyed nearly 1,000 people living within three miles of a solar project, neighbors of agrisolar sites stood out as the most positive, with favorable views outnumbering negative ones by more than seven to one. What can other projects learn from that experience? In this session, leading practitioners will get specific about what’s working — from sheep grazing and crop production to pollinator habitat — and what it takes to make these practices work at scale. They’ll also share what they’re hearing from landowners and communities, and the lessons other clean energy projects can take from agrisolar.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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