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In fall 2025, three �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder graduate students presented their findings and recommendations to the (CETA) board. Their presentation focused on the role of long duration energy storage in maximizing transmission utilization, strengthening grid reliability, flexibility and resilience, and improving renewable integration. The work would go on to inform CETA's investment and policy decisions supporting clean energy across Colorado and the Western grid.

Simultaneously, in partnership with , a program of the , a student team set out to understand how new low-carbon building technologies move from the lab into real-world application. Through more than 40 interviews with leaders from architecture, engineering and development firms, along with city staff and policy leaders, the team combined firsthand experience with data on building rules and markets to see where new ideas are most likely to take hold.��

This work produced two new databases: one showing which U.S. cities and architecture, engineering and construction firms are most open to trying new technologies and another explaining how key decisions about buildings are made. Together, these tools create a practical guide for clearing common roadblocks. Third Derivative will use these findings to shape its building sector investment thesis and guide work across its portfolio of more than 250 startup companies.

Meanwhile, a third capstone team partnered with Denver’s (CASR) office to address decarbonization challenges by translating climate goals into actionable strategies for neighborhood-scale electrification. The team has provided CASR with foundational research to support its electrification strategy under Colorado House Bill 24-1370, which aims to reduce reliance on the natural gas system.��

Their work includes analyzing state-level policies, utility proceedings and existing electrification programs across the Denver metro area; creating neighborhood profiles for five potential pilot sites; distributing a resident survey that generated over 200 responses to assess awareness of and interest in electrification; and producing a comprehensive report summarizing deliverables, recommendations and supporting research.

What do the three projects have in common? They are all a part of the capstone program within �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder’s Masters of the Environment (MENV) program, and each contributes directly to Colorado’s decarbonization goals.

Colorado’s push for 100% renewable energy

Colorado has set one of the most ambitious clean energy goals in the United States: achieving 100% renewable energy by 2040. Gov. Jared Polis’s decarbonization roadmap outlines strategies for reaching that target, including expanding green jobs, modernizing the Public Utilities Commission, electrifying transportation, and promoting energy efficiency and zero-emissions buildings—all aimed at improving air quality, community health and the local economy.

Achieving these goals will require significant expansion of clean energy technologies, infrastructure and workforce, along with investments in climate solutions. �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder’s MENV program is playing a critical role in supporting this mission by training the next generation of renewable energy leaders and advancing decarbonization projects through hands-on projects and collaborations.

Training the next generation of leaders

MENV is a two-year professional graduate degree designed to prepare students for sustainability-focused careers. Students choose a specialization offered within the program to build expertise, with approximately 20–25 students entering each year in the renewable and sustainable energy (RSE) specialization and additional students declaring RSE as a dual specialization to complement their primary focus.

The rigorous RSE curriculum combines core courses, such as Energy Systems and Technologies and Sustainable Energy Policy, with electives including Renewable Energy Development and Project Finance; Energy Markets, Transactions, and Policy; and Microgrids and Distributed Energy Resources. Through collaboration with industry partners, MENV ensures the curriculum remains current and aligned with evolving workforce needs, equipping students with the technical, analytical and policy tools needed to tackle complex energy challenges.

Student Jim Hansley shared his experience in the RSE specialization:

“The RSE specialization within the Masters of the Environment (MENV) program at �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder offers an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the clean energy transition. The curriculum spans energy systems, policy, markets, finance, buildings and emerging technologies, enabling students to see how technical, economic and regulatory forces interact to shape the future of energy. Courses are taught by practitioners and industry partners who bring current market realities into the classroom. Graduates leave with analytical depth and practical insight, prepared to engage complex energy challenges with practical perspective and meaningful impact.”

Students also connect classroom learning to real-world applications through field trips, site visits and study abroad opportunities that allow students to see energy systems and technologies in action. For example, in 2024, a group of MENV students traveled to Japan to deepen their understanding of international energy and climate strategies through site visits to wind farms, wastewater treatment facilities and electric power plants, reinforcing the program’s emphasis on applied, globally informed sustainability leadership.

Josh Radoff, RSE specialization lead and director of campus climate action, sustainability and resilience, continues to keep the RSE curriculum up to date to ensure students have industry-relevant skills by the time they graduate. Recently, he connected his two campus roles by introducing a new “campus as a living laboratory” course, which allows students to apply climate action planning, emissions analysis and sustainability solutions directly on �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder’s campus.

Radoff explains:��

“Our goal at MENV, with our courses and with the capstone program, is to introduce people to the dynamic field of clean energy and decarbonization and to have students work on real-world applications, which ranges from techno-economic analysis on solar and battery storage, to policy analysis on urban thermal energy networks. The idea is that by becoming an energy and decarbonization subject matter expert, MENV students become equipped to take on a wide range of careers and project types.”

Capstones to careers

Capstone team Annika Cederstrand, Casey Chabot and Kaylie Larson with capstone advisor Joshua Radoff

A recent capstone highlight is the 2025 project by students Annika Cederstrand, Casey Chabot and Kaylie Larson, who partnered with OneEnergy Renewables under the leadership of capstone partner lead Mikkela Blanton of OneEnergy Renewables and Radoff, their capstone advisor.

Over an 11-month period, the team analyzed alternative interconnection pathways for renewable energy developers, focusing on reducing project costs and decreasing development timelines. The team delivered actionable recommendations for innovative development approaches and identified potential customers for OneEnergy’s outreach efforts, demonstrating tangible results for both the industry partners and Colorado’s clean energy transition.��

Blanton shared:��

“The capstone team exceeded my expectations, delivering innovative, data-driven work on interconnection pathways that will help our company explore new opportunities to accelerate decarbonization. Mentoring the students while gaining such high-quality results was incredibly rewarding.”

Cederstrand, Chabot and Larson each aspire to build careers across different sectors of the clean energy industry, with a shared interest in driving scalable, real-world solutions. Through the capstone experience, they strengthened their skills in strategic and technical analysis, stakeholder engagement and decision-making, preparing them to step into leadership roles within the clean energy sector.��

Following the project, Larson joined OneEnergy’s commercial strategy team, where she will play a key role in advancing solar development and accelerating the growth of clean energy across Colorado and beyond.

Scaling impact

Capstone 2026 (MENV's 10th year) just kicked off and features partnerships including the city of Moab, Invenergy, Leitner-Poma and returning partner OneEnergy Renewables—offering students continued opportunities to tackle real-world decarbonization challenges.��

As Colorado works toward its 2040 renewable energy goal, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder’s MENV program continues to serve as a key resource for talent and expertise needed to drive impactful change across the state’s clean energy landscape. With 25 capstone projects planned for 2026, the program demonstrates that its efforts are far from finished, and MENV students are only just beginning their journey in driving impact in decarbonization across Colorado and beyond.

Among the 2026 capstone programs, MENV students will be working with Mountain Towns 2030 (MT2030)—a movement of mountain, rural and ski resort communities working together to accelerate and scale systemic climate action. These students will help develop a community climate progress assessment tool to track municipal progress on emissions, renewable energy deployment, building decarbonization, sustainable transportation and waste diversion while engaging with local leaders, ski resorts and nonprofits to evaluate existing climate action plans. This project gives students hands-on experience in applying sustainability solutions to real communities, driving impact locally.

Alumni driving change

The MENV program develops future generations of sustainability leaders who actively contribute to Colorado’s clean energy transition across public and private sectors. Graduates now hold positions at organizations such as Scout Clean Energy, OneEnergy Renewables, Invenergy, the Colorado Energy Office, and the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, where they support renewable energy development, policy implementation and climate solutions.