Douglas Bessette

I research and teach courses in clean energy, energy transitions (and traditions), the social acceptance of renewables, and community energy development. I integrate applied decision research, critical geography, and theories of place to better understand the risks of, barriers to and opportunities for clean energy system development in the US and abroad. My current research focuses on understanding support for and opposition to utility-scale renewable energy systems (i.e., wind and solar), siting, operation, and adoption at multiple scales. I advocate for greater community influence and control over renewables, economic development, improved local decision-making processes, and aligning energy development outcomes with community values.

I tend to work in large multi-institutional interdisciplinary teams, having led an NSF-funded project examining rural and Tribal energy sovereignty, and work on Community-Centered Solar Development (CCSD) for the Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office. My past research has spanned multiple contexts including organic and sustainable agriculture, coastal climate risk management, natural resource management in developing territories and green infrastructure.

I earned my PhD in Geography from the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, my MSc from the Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies (now CSUS) at MSU, and a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan. Following completion of my PhD, I worked as a postdoctoral scholar with the Network for Sustainable Climate Risk Management at Penn State University and as a Senior Research Associate in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State University. Before completing my undergraduate degree I served four years in the U.S. Army as an M1A1 tanker. I am also a certified yoga instructor.