Democratizing energy in the Global South and the Pacific Northwest

Please join the Davies Forum as we are in discussion with Chom and Chris Greacen, moderated by Professor Jim Williams. This discussion focuses on the experiences working to scale deployment of clean energy to underserved populations and enhance public participation and accountability in energy and climate decision-making. Chom and Chris’ work spans four thematic areas: the creation of regulatory frameworks that harness private sector investment in village-scale energy solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa, democratizing power sector planning in Thailand; assistance to Karen ethnic minority groups in the civil-war-torn jungles of Myanmar to develop people-centered energy policy and deploy distributed energy for medical clinics and homes; and development of novel mechanisms for community engagement in county-level climate planning in the Pacific Northwest. Much of the talk will explore territory and interactions between institutions of (electric) power and scrappy idealism.

A bit about out Guests:

Chuenchom Sangarasri Greacen is an independent energy researcher/analyst. She conducts public interest research and policy advocacy toward fair, sustainable and democratic development of the energy sector in Thailand and the Mekong Region. She is currently based in Lopez Island, where she serves on the board of the Madrona Institute which works to promote climate resilience and community engagement around climate planning in San Juan County, Washington State. She worked for the Energy and Planning Office, Ministry of Energy, Thailand and co-founded a Thai NGO Palang Thai. She has a master’s degree from the Energy Resources Group at University of California, Berkeley.

Chris Greacen works on policy and hands-on implementation of renewable energy projects from the village to the national level. He has worked on rural renewable electricity projects or policies in over 20 countries including Haiti, Liberia, Nepal, Nigeria, North Korea, and Tanzania. He helped Thailand develop the region’s first regulations supporting grid-connected renewable energy, now accounting for over 5 GW of small grid-connected renewables. Since 2007 he has worked as consultant to the World Bank’s ESMAP, developing country programs and regulatory frameworks for mini grids in countries in Sub Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. He holds a Ph.D. in Energy and Resources from UC Berkeley. He lives on Lopez Island, Washington where he serves on the San Juan County Climate and Sustainability citizens advisory committee.