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. 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,…