Regional Collaboration of Utilities and Communities Toward Sustainability and Resilience Goals

How can energy providers work collaboratively with local communities to provide resources and coordinate on planning to accelerate progress in clean energy, equity and resilience? This webinar will feature two initiatives from different regions of the U.S. that involve innovative collaboration between energy providers, local government and community stakeholders to achieve enhanced sustainability and resilience-related outcomes. Panelists will include Tami Gunderzik and Sofia Troutman of Xcel Energy’s Partners in Energy (PIE) initiative, as well as Georgia Caruthers and Nicole Wobus of the Tennessee Valley Authorities’ Connected Communities initiative. Xcel Energy’s PIE works with communities in Xcel Energy’s service areas in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Colorado. TVA’s Connected Communities initiative supports communities in TVA’s service area that includes all of Tennessee and parts of 6 surrounding states, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand two different models of collaboration between regional utility providers and local communities, and their histories

• See how social equity has been incorporated programmatically in each example

• Gain knowledge of a variety of tools and resources available to planners