On Thursday, October 1st, MAP had the privilege of hosting the first webinar of our Fall Webinar series entitled The Power of Messaging. Joining us in our conversation were Jonathan Voss of Lake Research Partners and Geoff Oxnam, the founder and CEO of American Microgrid Solutions. Our conversation delved into areas surrounding the development of microgrid technology, and that despite the headlines, there are a number of areas on environmental policy that attract bipartisan support.
Jonathan Voss was the first of our two speakers. Having years of experience in conducting research on energy policy, Jonathan shared with our audience the results of opinion polling conducted by his organization on energy policy. The results were striking. Jonathan found wide-ranging agreement on a number of key issues relating to energy and climate policy across party lines, even though some disagreements remained between partisan groups. Jonathan’s research offers yet more evidence that many Americans are strongly supportive of new energy policies and that this topic doesn’t have to be seen through the partisan lens it currently is.
Jonathan was followed by Geoff Oxnam, CEO of American Microgrid Solutions. Geoff focused specifically on the issue of microgrids, which MAP discussed in a blog post (link) a couple of weeks ago. Microgrid technology serves as an example of an important new energy development that has the capacity for bipartisan support. Geoff walked our audience through the ins-and-outs of microgrids, and how elected officials can work together to oversee their implementation.
This webinar brought together the leading public opinion experts and industry representatives to discuss views and messaging on future energy technologies, including microgrids, energy storage, and more. This conversation helped legislators understand the political landscape of these advancement and understand how the public feels on this topic. Legislators developed tips and skills to build a case for the development and implementation of these advancements in their district and state.