How Rural America Can Lead the Energy Transition

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How rural electrical cooperatives can become champions for clean energy—insights from the Yale School of the Environment’s panel, “Winning the Future of the Energy Transition in Rural America”. 

 

The energy transition will largely take place in rural America. Cheap, flat land, rich in wind and solar irradiance, will help meet the mounting energy demand of industry and electrification in cities. Utility-scale renewables and transmission lines are actively reshaping rural America, and this transformation will only accelerate with increased adoption of renewables. Therefore, rural communities across the country are reasonably afraid of what this transition means for their way of life. This growing opposition mirrors a larger trend across the United States: from 2024 to 2025, Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law noted a 32% increase in the number of contested renewable energy projects [i]. Prohibitive and burdensome zoning and land use laws are the result of community opposition, making it more difficult to get projects built.  

 

Rural communities aren’t inherently opposed to more renewables, yet land agents acting on behalf of renewable developers sometimes engage in exploitative practices reminiscent of previous extractive industries.  As private entities, the interests of developers therefore may not always align with a greater mandate to serve the public, needed to fully consider public concern. Enter Rural Electrical Cooperatives.  

 

The history of rural cooperative begins in the 1930s with the electrification of America. During this period the federal government formed integrated power monopolies that still exist today (e.g. the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Bonneville Power Authority), yet they also provided funds for electrification that farmer cooperatives quickly utilized [ii]. From the early electrification of farms, rural coops have expanded to provide power to 42 million Americans and cover 56% of the United States land area [iii]. There are around 830 rural co-ops, which only operate a distribution system [iv]. However, these co-ops band together to form a smaller number of generation and transmission cooperatives which, as the name suggests, provide the much more costly generating assets and transmission infrastructure. 

 

As cooperatives, they are made up of members and governed by the following key principle: democratic representation whereby board members are elected and represent the interests of the co-op members. Rural electric cooperatives are open to anyone who can reasonably use their services, i.e. you can’t connect to a co-op's distribution if you’re in a neighboring county outside their service area. At its core, cooperatives thus act in principle in the best interest of its members. Therefore, large parts of rural America have a long-standing system of energy provisioning within their community, specifically mandated to service their interests as members. In the face of mounting renewable opposition, organizations committed to transparency and rendering tangible, community benefits can make real gains. Overall, the public mandate of co-ops can be a powerful tool for the inclusive development of clear energy in rural areas. 

 

Seeing the opportunity for rural cooperatives to drive community-centric clean energy development across the United States, advocates for clean energy can reshape rural electric cooperatives’ board of directors. By supporting candidates for clean energy, organizations can bring fresh ideas and innovation to co-ops, lower long-term costs through affordable energy assets, and promote energy independence. Cooperative boards have very low turnout, and 1/3 of the board is up for reelection on a yearly basis. Moreover, these elections are often not partisan, creating the right conditions for strategic campaigning. 

 

The current moment represents the opportunity for change.  The historic flip of board seats on the Western generation and transmission cooperative of Tri-State, represents a potential movement. By 2030, it is estimated that 70% of generation within the co-op will come from renewables [v].  

 

Strategic campaigning for clean energy adoption within co-ops is based on the following principles: 

 

  1. Start small and create beacons of reform to build creditability. 

  1. Put pressure on generation and transmission of suppliers to close their dirtiest assets. 

  1. Once established, introduce innovative local programs to increase electric demand and promote a positive cycle of growth to increase the rate base.  

  1. Rely on narratives of energy independence and the competitive economic nature of clean energy assets. 

 

Of course, relying on rural electric co-operatives to promote clean energy is not without its challenges. Cooperatives often struggle with rural brain drain, demographic shifts, and ephemeral government funding. Moreover, it's often difficult to identify potential clean energy advocates without sufficient social capital to win elections. However, supporting clean energy development through cooperatives is a potentially powerful way for millions of rural families to be active beneficiaries in the clean energy transition.

 

References

 

i. Matthew Eisenson, Jacob Elkin, Ivonne Norman, Rebecca Coombs, Chadol Kim, Rex Koenig, Suzan Michalski, Eric Quiroz, Josepi Scariano, Ava Teasdale, Victor Tong, & Annabel Williams, Opposition to Renewable Energy Facilities in the United States: June 2025 Edition, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, June 2025. Available at: https://scholarship.law.columbia.edu/sabin_climate_change/251 

ii. National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. (2025). https://www.electric.coop/our-organization/history  

iii. National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. (2025b). https://www.electric.coop/electric-cooperative-fact-sheet

iv. National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. (2025b). https://www.electric.coop/electric-cooperative-fact-sheet 

v. Tri-State. (2025). https://tristate.coop/tri-state-files-ERP-implementation-plan