Bio

Dr. Holmes Hummel is an interdisciplinary solutionary focused at the intersections of energy policy, technology, and finance. At Stanford, Dr. Hummel is drawing on two decades of experience that includes work in academia, private sector, public policy, and civil society organizations in order to accelerate just transitions by integrating concepts and practices of energy equity into energy education and research.

In collaboration with field partners, Dr. Hummel is also the founding co-director of Clean Energy Works, a public interest organization that accelerates investments in the clean energy economy by bridging multiple clean energy divides with inclusive financial solutions such as inclusive utility investment.

Previously, Dr. Hummel served as the Senior Policy Advisor in the Department of Energy’s Office of Policy & International Affairs during the Recovery Act era of 2009-2013. In that capacity, Holmes brought insight gained as a Congressional Science Fellow selected by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), serving in the office of Jay Inslee, currently Governor of Washington, who served in Congress at that time. Dr. Hummel has also served on the Board of Cleantech Open, the world's largest cleantech accelerator.

In addition to prior work with energy innovators in the Silicon Valley, Dr. Hummel earned a doctorate degree from Stanford University’s E-IPER program for interdisciplinary research on energy technology scenarios that achieve 100% clean energy.

While in the pursuit of solutions that accelerate just energy transitions, Dr. Hummel has taught Climate Policy Design at the Energy Resources Group at University of California in Berkeley and co-founded four new courses at Stanford, including Racial Equity in Energy and Quest for an Inclusive Clean Energy Economy, and the Justice 40 Policy Lab.

At Stanford, Holmes is the founding Resident Fellow of Explore Energy House, a residence hall with more than 80 co-housed undergraduate scholars with a shared interest in energy as an academic theme for their residential education. The Explore Energy Seminar hosted by the House welcomes participants from across the University community each quarter and features experiential education opportunities that are reinforced by Stanford’s Explore Energy program.

Current Role at Stanford

Energy Equity & Just Transitions, Managing Director
Precourt Institute for Energy

Resident Fellow, Explore Energy House

Coordinating Council Member, Environmental Justice Working Group

Advisory Member, Partnership in Climate Justice in the Bay


Collaborator in Collaborative Learning about Equity and Rapid Decarbonization (CLEAR Decarbonization), one of the first projects selected for an award from the Stanford Sustainability Accelerator

Honors & Awards

  • Endorsement of clean transit finance concept, Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance (2018)
  • International Finalist, Climate Strategy Accelerator (2017)
  • Finance for Resilience (FiRe) Award, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (2015)

Education & Certifications

  • Ph.D., Stanford University, Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (2006)
  • M.S., Stanford University, Engineering (1999)
  • B.S., Stanford University, Energy Engineering (Individually Designed Major) (1999)

Projects

  • Towards an Accessible Financing Solution, Clean Energy Works, for Building Decarbonization Coalition (1/1/2020)

    Widespread participation in clean, electric home upgrades is critical to meaningfully reduce harmful building emissions, yet clean energy investments remain out of reach for many energy customers who have neither the money to afford the upgrades nor the credit necessary to borrow what they cost.

    “Towards an Accessible Financing Solution: A Policy Roadmap with Program Implementation Considerations for Tariffed On-Bill Programs in California” is a report prepared for the Building Decarbonization Coalition that outlines how policymakers can:
    - Open a more accessible and equitable path to clean energy solutions.
    - Remove barriers to accessing clean energy solutions.
    - Address embedded barriers to clean energy solutions.

    Location

    Sacramento, CA

    For More Information:

  • LIFT Solar Everywhere, Clean Energy Works, with Groundswell (10/1/2019)

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is sponsoring research on applying a proven system for tariffed on-bill investment for energy efficiency to on-site solar. Solar PAYS is a program design based on the Pay As You Save (PAYS) system that can capitalize an on-site solar installation at a site, regardless of the income, credit score, or renter status of the occupant at that location.

    Location

    Washington, D.C.

2025-26 Courses

All Publications

  • Inside the Black Box: Understanding key drivers of global emission scenarios ENVIRONMENTAL MODELLING & SOFTWARE Koomey, J., Schmidt, Z., Hummel, H., Weyant, J. 2019; 111: 268–81

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.envsoft.2018.08.019

    View details for Web of Science ID 000451631300021

  • Interpreting Global Energy and Emission Scenarios: Methods for Understanding and Communicating Policy Insights Hummel, H. Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources, Stanford University. Stanford, California. 2006 ; Dissertation 405

    Abstract

    Energy scenarios for the 21st century powerfully inform perceptions and expectations in the minds of energy investors, consumers, and policy-makers. Scenarios that stabilize global warming call for large-scale energy technology transitions, fueling debates about the relative roles for a range of technologies including nuclear power, carbon sequestration, biofuels, solar power, and efficient end-use devices. In the last decade, hundreds of scenarios have been published by more than a dozen research teams using different models, baselines and mitigation targets.

    Despite the efforts to summarize findings in a few major assessments, a gap in understanding remains at a critical science-policy juncture between scenario analysts and the audiences their work is designed to serve. Addressing the issue requires an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates knowledge and methods from the fields of energy engineering, economics, climate science, and policy analysis. This research applies two analytical techniques to investigate the effects of an imposed climate policy on the underlying energy system. The first disentangles the effect of a policy intervention on key demographic and technology drivers of fossil fuel use, and the second decomposes reductions in emissions by specific energy technology types. Because the techniques may be applied to any energy scenario with technology detail, this study demonstrates their application to a dozen sample stabilization scenarios from three leading models. Revealing the importance of data and assumptions overlooked or not well disclosed in the past, the results highlight an implausibly high pressure on energy supply innovations while the potential for energy efficiency improvements is systematically underestimated. The findings are significant to both scenario analysts and the decision-makers in public policy and private investment who are influenced by their work.

    See below for link to full dissertation.

    Interpreting Global Energy and Emission Scenarios: Methods for Understanding and Communicating Policy Insights