On October 16, ReImagine Appalachia organized its second Shuttered Coal Plant Summit. One of the breakout sessions in the virtual summit was Tools in Action: Economic Development and Sustainable Manufacturing Tools and How They Can Work for You. Four organizations, including ReImagine Appalachia, briefly showed the virtual audience tools and analyses that could help energy communities.
Jennifer Bauer from the Department of Energy, Tom Lewis from Blue Green Alliance, Jeremy Richardson from RMI, and Bikash Gupta (author of this article) were the presenters. The presentations delved into the tools and resources designed to help stakeholders analyze energy community sites, clean technology supply chains, and regional competitiveness for clean energy industries. The presenters chose Southern Pennsylvania for their case study while Jeremy Richardson moderated the presentation.
Here is the more detailed breakdown of the displayed tools:
1. Energy Communities Site Review Tool
The session kicked off with an overview of the Energy Communities Site Review Tool. This tool allows users to assess the infrastructure, facilities, and community status of specific regions, such as decommissioned power plants or brownfields. With features like being able to zoom in on areas of interest and filter by specific assets, users can extract vital data for deeper analysis. Its primary aim is to help stakeholders understand the potential of various sites and their connections to existing energy infrastructure.
Figure 1. A screenshot of the Energy Communities Site Review Tool. You can excess this site via this link: https://edxspatial.arcgis.netl.doe.gov/experience_builder/IWGSiteReviewTool/index.html
2. Blue Green Alliance (BGA) Tool
The BGA clean technology supply chain analysis tool helps break down the complexity of domestic supply chains for clean energy. Tom Lewis showcased an interactive map and a spreadsheet of clean technology sectors across the U.S., covering industries like solar, wind, and electric vehicles. Leveraging the map, users can explore which clean technologies are being produced locally and spot emerging clusters. These tools are valuable to understand the clean energy manufacturing base and the supply chain at a glance, allowing users to understand supply chain gaps and offering insights to work towards building a stronger, cleaner, and fairer industrial base for the clean economy in the U.S.
Figure 2. A snapshot of the Blue Green Alliance’s tool. You can access this tool by this link: https://bgafoundation.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/media/index.html?appid=eb4cc8e133a4488aabf64350f555cb8e
3. RMI Clean Growth Tool
Developed by RMI in partnership with Brookings, the Clean Growth tool predicts regional competitiveness in clean energy sectors, focusing on workforce opportunities and strategic investments. Metrics such as location quotient, feasibility, and economic complexity are used to evaluate which regions are well-positioned for clean energy industries. The tool can be viewed by industry or region, with a wealth of additional data on workforce development for clean energy technologies. It empowers planners to identify regions ripe for investment and growth in the clean tech sector.
Fig 3. A screenshot from RMI’s Clean Growth Tool. Visit their site here: https://cleangrowthtool.rmi.org/ . Brookings has a similar dashboard called Smart Growth Cities. You can visit their site here: https://www.smartgrowthcities.io/
4. Manufacturing in Appalachia
Bikash Gupta shared his research on the manufacturing strength of the Appalachian region. His work highlighted the region’s competitive advantage in sectors like wood product manufacturing and primary metals. Given how the region holds strength in manufacturing, the region, Gupta argued, is poised to attract related green and clean tech manufacturing jobs in Appalachia. Tools like the RMI Clean Growth Tool can help stakeholders pinpoint opportunities for strategic growth and investment in the region.
Fig. One of the maps from Bikash Gupta’s research on manufacturing strength in Appalachia. Location Quotient greater than 1 means the county has competitive advantage in the sector.
Questions and Discussions
The session also included Q&A, where participants asked questions about the underlying data sources, data accessibility, and offered suggestions on improving the tools. For example, a participant expressed interest in accessing data through APIs for more sophisticated analyses. Jennifer Bauer acknowledged that some datasets require technical expertise but noted ongoing efforts to make data more accessible. She encouraged users to reach out to her department for help with specific data needs.
A participant from Kentucky highlighted the gap between the high feasibility of clean tech jobs suggested by the RMI tool and the actual job creation in some regions. Jeremy explained that the tool is designed to initiate conversations about opportunities and transferable skills, but local barriers—political, infrastructural, or otherwise—might impact job realization. The tool serves as a starting point for identifying potential growth sectors.
Takeaways on energy communities and regional competitiveness
The session underscored the power of these tools to provide data-driven insights for decision-making around clean energy opportunities, infrastructure development, and workforce potential. While challenges remain (particularly around realizing clean tech jobs in certain regions), the tools offer a foundation for deeper analysis, engagement, and overcoming barriers to a clean energy transition.