Turning Clean Energy Ideas into Action: Celebrating the 2026 CEED Cohort
This spring, 45 professionals from around the world completed the Clean and Equitable Energy Development (CEED) certificate program at the Yale Center for Business and the Environment (CBEY), marking the conclusion of another transformative cohort focused on accelerating a more just and resilient energy transition.
Over the course of 20 weeks, CEED participants engaged deeply with the technical, financial, and community dimensions of clean energy development. Through live sessions with industry leaders, case-based learning, and collaborative project work, the 2026 cohort explored what it takes to bring equitable clean energy projects from concept to deployment.
From Learning to Application: CEED Final Projects
For thirty years, New Haven's English Station power plant sat abandoned on Ball Island — a fossil fuel relic laced with asbestos and PCBs, overlooking two historically overburdened neighborhoods. One CEED team designed its second life: a $3M, 1 MW hybrid resilience microgrid combining solar, river hydrokinetic turbines, and battery storage, paired with a public park on what used to be an eyesore. Using Connecticut's Shared Clean Energy Facility program, the plan structurally mandates that low-income subscribers see direct utility bill credits — turning a symbol of disinvestment into a shared community asset.
Half a world away, another team took on a place with no electrical infrastructure at all: Kasisa Village, Tanzania, where 10 of 14 streets have never had a connection to the grid. Their phased solar mini-grid brings power first to the school, clinic, and core institutions, then scales toward a self-generated energy-sales contract with the national utility. Every decision runs through democratic village assemblies, with the Village Council holding real authority throughout — a design that treats energy access and self-determination as inseparable.
Both projects reflect what CEED is built to produce: fully underwritten proposals grounded in real financing and policy. This year's cohort brought that same rigor to eight other projects spanning across continents — from Arctic Alaska to former coal country in Texas — each one asking the same question: how do we make sure clean energy's benefits reach the people who need them most?
Insights from Industry Leaders
Throughout the program, participants learned directly from practitioners working across clean energy development, finance, policy, and implementation.
Led by CEED instructors Sarah Slusser, Gerald Torres, Michel Gelobter, and Jaime Carlson, the curriculum combined foundational instruction with perspectives from guest experts representing project developers, research institutions, nonprofits, and industry.
Guest speakers Dan Steinberg, Supria Ranade, and Jeremy Wodakow examined energy systems, electricity markets, and the broader forces shaping clean energy deployment. Katie Heath of Copia Power discussed wholesale power markets, interconnection, and transmission planning.
Community engagement and project siting were explored by guest experts Ifeoma Dike and Matthew Traldi, while Jeff Miegel, Vice President at Cypress Creek Renewables, and MJ Chial covered project finance, tax equity, procurement, and supply chain considerations.
Additional sessions featured Dan Shugar, CEO and founder of Nextracker; Liz Kalis of The Nature Conservancy; Sebastian Groh, founder and CEO of SOLshare; Jameson Davis; and Luke Dunnington, who shared perspectives on large-scale project development, biodiversity, distributed energy systems, and the practical challenges of bringing clean energy projects from concept to construction.
As the 2026 cohort concludes, CEED continues to strengthen a growing global network of professionals committed to building an energy system that is cleaner, more resilient, and more equitable.