Elise Harrington
Energy policy; emerging climate technologies; local decision-making
Background & Expertise
Elise Harrington is an assistant professor at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota in the science, technology and environmental policy (STEP) area. Her research examines the social and regulatory dynamics of emerging energy technologies and local energy and environmental policy processes. Her work focuses domestically on the United States, and internationally, primarily on countries in East Africa. She has a PhD in environmental policy and planning from the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Featured Project: Elise Harrington
Data Centers, Energy and Water
Local government tools for collective planning and community decision-making in southeast Minnesota
Challenge
The water and energy demand of data centers can approximate small cities, consuming the equivalent to thousands of homes. Southeast Minnesota is attracting data center developers, sparking worry over natural resource use and energy consumption while offering opportunities for rural jobs and local tax revenue.
Meet the Project Team
Project Lead
All Projects Featuring Elise Harrington
Data Centers, Energy and Water
Local government tools for collective planning and community decision-making in southeast Minnesota
IonE’s 2025 Impact Goal Grants Fund $1.13 million in Sustainability Research
Since 2019, IonE's Impact Goals grantmaking program has supported actionable sustainability research with more than $4 million in critical funding. This year, we’re excited to announce seven new projects, which will receive a total of $1.13 million. Our 2025 projects bring the Impact Goal grant portfolio to some $5.5 million in dispersals to 52 interdisciplinary teams across the state and the University of Minnesota (UMN) system, all working toward solutions to pressing environmental challenges.