Join the Institute for Policy and Social Research for our September 2024 research luncheon! Lunch will be provided. Please email ipsr@ku.edu if you would like to attend. Let us know if you require any accommodations or have any dietary restrictions.

Navigating the Winds of Change: Examining Energy Transition Regulations in Kansas

Ward Lyles (Associate Professor, School of Public Affairs and Administration, Director, Center for Compassionate and Sustainable Communities)

Ian Njuguna (Graduate Student and Research Assistant, Urban Planning)

Few people outwardly oppose wind and solar developments in principle. But, the actuality of planning, permitting, and bringing a wind or solar generating facility often generates controversy, sometimes pitting long-term allies against each other.

This presentation shares ongoing work examining the transition to just and green energy future. We will discuss creation of a new public-facing Kansas Energy Transition Atlas, which uses GIS to consolidate and map the wind regulations for all 105 Kansas counties. We also will discuss our analysis of the patterns of county regulations, which range from ordinances that ban wind developments to ordinances that seek to incentivize wind developments.

IPSR is a research center supporting social scientists who focus on social problems and policy-relevant questions. Our monthly research luncheons provide a space for affiliated faculty and staff researchers to share their own ongoing work with the KU community.