Welcome to the
Center for Rural Energy Security
About CRES
The University of Missouri launched the Center for Rural Energy Security (CRES) to lead national energy research from a Midwestern perspective—focusing on how federal and state energy policies and technology innovations affect rural communities, agriculture, and economic growth across the nation. CRES conducts independent, non-partisan research and analysis to inform decision makers and policy experts on rural energy security matters.
Who We Are
We can't do our work without a strong team of scholars, researchers, and support staff. Learn more about our team.
What We Do
CRES's mission is to generate scientifically sound, objective research that informs policymakers, regulators, and rural stakeholders on emerging energy issues.
News
Check out the latest news regarding CRES, our research team, research reports, policy analyses, and other rural energy updates.
CRES News Spotlight
Sep. 2, 2026
New research finds that renewable energy and agriculture can co-exist without harming rural economies
COLUMBIA, Mo. (Sept. 3, 2026) – Utility-scale wind and solar projects provide rural economic gains without weakening local agricultural economies, according to a study released today by the Center for Rural Energy Security (CRES), a rural focused think tank at the University of Missouri. The nationwide research report, “Powering Rural Prosperity: The Local Economic Impact of Utility-Scale Wind and Solar Developments,” puts data to a critical debate in rural communities across America: whether hosting renewable energy infrastructure harms local agriculture. Analyzing extensive data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Bureau of Economic Analysis and Bureau of Labor Statistics,…
Aug. 30, 2026
News Advisory: Center for Rural Energy Security to release first research paper on rural economies
COLUMBIA, Mo. (Aug. 31, 2026) – The Center for Rural Energy Security (CRES) will host a news conference and panel discussion to release its inaugural policy research paper, “Powering Rural Prosperity: The Local Economic Impact of Utility-Scale Wind and Solar Developments,” on Thursday, Sept. 3. The study, authored by CRES-affiliated faculty Adrienne Ohler, associate professor; Austin Landini, a Center-affiliated research consultant; and Michael Sykuta, CRES director and associate professor, is the first policy research paper published by the Center, a multidisciplinary unit spanning Mizzou’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; College of Arts and Science; and College…
Aug. 16, 2026
CRES Faculty Affiliate Spotlight: Seunghoon Lee
CRES Affiliated Scholar Seunghoon Lee, Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri Columbia, recently sat down with Senior Strategic Communications Consultant John Fougere to discuss his professional path and what motivates him as a researcher. What led you to pursue a career in higher education and more specifically, to become a researcher in areas like econometrics, and environmental economics? I have always cherished the freedom to work on questions that genuinely interest me and that I believe are socially useful—or, at the very least, socially harmless! Much of economics is about private incentives: how people…