Center for Energy Policy and Applications

The Center for Energy Policy (CEP) is an organization housed within the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. Research and educational activities conducted therein will be focused upon the human dimensions of the impending move to an advanced energy economy. The mission of CEP will be to help overcome social and institutional barriers to the implementation of technical solutions to existing energy challenges by providing an objective channel for the free exchange of ideas, the dissemination of knowledge, and the support of significant energy-related research in the areas of public policy, economics, business and social science – thereby aiming to become widely-recognized as a leading center for creative and excellent research.

Why We Exist.
Currently vast resources are being invested in energy innovation in Northern Ohio and throughout the world, but little has been done to evaluate the social and institutional impediments to the adoption of these new innovations. It has long been recognized that social factors play a significant role in the adoption of these new technologies, yet these factors continue to be poorly understood by decision makers. There is a need for a university in Ohio to take leadership in bringing to bear the legal, financial, regulatory and other discussions that need to take place in our society with regard to energy change – especially in the urban setting, where the economy is most vulnerable to energy paradigm shifts. Cleveland State University is the logical leader for these discussions. CSU has a nationally recognized urban college (Levin) that has already taken a leadership role in the State of Ohio relating to economic development and urban studies. Further, CEP fits squarely within CSU’s center for excellence: understanding and promoting sustainable communities.