Center for the Market Diffusion of Renewable Energy and Clean Technology

The Center for the Market Diffusion of Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (formerly Renewable Energy for Rural Economic Development) is a new research and educational outreach center in the Jon. M. Huntsman School of Business that is funded by congressionally-directed and competitive grants from the U.S. Department of Energy, Department of Energy's Wind Powering America program. Marketing professors Dr. Cathy L. Hartman and Dr. Edwin R. Stafford, experts in the market diffusion of clean technology and green marketing, direct the center. They have been research collaborators since 1995, and their academic research has been published in a variety of business management and environmental policy journals including Environment, Journal of Business Communication, Business Strategy and the Environment, Business Horizons, Long Range Planning and The Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Fostering a ‘Rural Renaissance’ in Utah. Hartman and Stafford say they are betting on the American farm. Increasingly, America’s energy future will be harvested or grown on the farm with wind power and other energy sources (such as biofuels and solar) becoming lucrative cash crops of the 21st century. Renewable energy is becoming the foundation for other cleantech innovations emerging in the marketplace, from plug-in hybrid electric cars to high-performance buildings to the smart grid. Specifically, Stafford and Hartman are studying how Utah can hurdle market, social and policy barriers to benefit economically from these growing entrepreneurial opportunities and investigating how wind power development will impact Utah’s economy. With the help of a grant from the Marriner S. Eccles Foundation, the center is also studying how wind power and other renewable energy sources will affect Utah’s retail electricity rates.

Findings from the center’s research indicate that wind power development could bring several benefits to rural communities, including construction and high-tech employment opportunities, lease payments to land owners and tax revenues to support public schools and local communities. These research outcomes are the basis for marketing and educational outreach initiatives that provide information to Utah entrepreneurs, legislators, regulators, county commissioners, educators, utility executives, citizens and other decision makers who are setting the course for Utah’s energy future.

Opportunities for Huntsman Students. The center provides research and hands-on marketing opportunities as career accelerators for USU students. Hartman and Stafford supervise graduate students on economic impact analyses for wind power development in Utah, research projects for the Undergraduate Research Program and Field Study projects for renewable energy-related businesses and organizations. Their students have presented their research and analyses at renewable energy conferences (e.g., Harvesting Energy Network, USU’s Sustainable Energy and Climate Initiatives Conference) and organizations (e.g., Utah Wind Working Group). Students have also co-authored journal articles (e.g., Business Horizons) and U.S. Department of Energy reports. One of their recent graduates was recruited by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory as an economist and another is employed by the WSP Group as an engineer on mitigation and sustainability issues.