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. 29, 2026
Powering Rural Prosperity
(This story appeared in the October 2026 issue of Public Utilities Fortnightly) It has been a long-standing, critical debate across rural America. In an era when the increasing needs for energy production and the infrastructure supporting it continues to spike across the country, what effect do hyper scale renewable energy projects have – economically, environmentally, and culturally – on the rural communities where most such projects are located? According to the first research study released by the Center for Rural Energy Security (CRES), a new think tank established in 2025 at the University of Missouri, Columbia,…
Sep. 17, 2026
CRES brings a rural perspective to the national energy debate
For decades, rural communities have been central to American energy production, but their interests have not always been well represented when energy decisions are made. Wind turbines and transmission lines cross farmland, power plants are built in rural counties, and the costs of the nation’s energy transition can fall disproportionately on people and communities that may not directly benefit from the infrastructure being built. A new research center at the University of Missouri aims to bring greater attention to those impacts. The Center for Rural Energy Security (CRES) was launched by the University of Missouri in 2025 to…
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,…