Job Posting Title: Grad RA CURA
CAP–Solar Commons: Designing
Community Trust Solar Ownership For Social Equity
Position Number: 201703
Job Code: 9521
Job ID:
Desired Start Date: 1/12/17
Job Open Date:
Total % Appointment: 25%
Salary: $18.58
Qualifications
This
is a 195 hour appointment for Spring Term (01/12/17 - 05/28/17).
Required:
+ Must
be enrolled in a graduate or professional degree program at the U of M.
Preferred:
+Ability
to work with a team of community and academic legal innovators
+
Degree/pursuing degree in law, policy, community development, planning, natural
resource management, environmental studies, American Studies, Anthropology,
ScienceTechnology&EnvironmentalPolicy, History
+Good
writing skills
+Good
research skills
+Experience
with writing reports
+Experience
reading and writing legal documents (or: ability to learn this on the job)
Job Duties
Total Percent Appointment: 25%
Salary: $18.58
Using work of Nobel prize economist Elinor Ostrom, this
project applies ancient commons design principles to solve a key problem of the
modern clean energy economy: the sun shines for everyone, but the benefits of solar
energy technology in the US are not reaching low-income households. The
Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) will work with a team lead by a legal
anthropologist (Director of the Solar
Commons project), a Minnesota community
solar builder and nonprofit dedicated to poverty reduction (Rural Renewable Energy Alliance
-RREAL), and students and professors from the Energy Clinic of one of the US’s
premier environmental law schools--the Vermont Law School.
The GRA will assist the team in creating a new model of community solar using
community trust ownership (Solar Commons) to capture local wealth from the
sun’s energy and deliver it’s benefits to underserved communities. To create the model, the team will 1) research community trust ownership from
the medieval English common law tradition to the contemporary US Community Land
Trust model used for natural resource conservation and affordable housing in
Minnesota; 2) apply historical knowledge
of community trust ownership to distributed solar energy technology ownership
in Minnesota; 3) prepare executable
documents for a Solar Commons, a 40kW community trust-owned solar demonstration
project in Minnesota with RREAL as the trustee delivering benefits of solar
electricity sales to local Native American beneficiaries—a native American
women’s homeless shelter/a tribal energy assistance office; 4) write a feasibility study for RREAL
outlining the legal obligations of being a Solar Commons trustee in Minnesota
entails; 5) create legal templates
that can iterate Solar Commons trust ownership in the US using the Minnesota
documents.
The Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) will work closely with
this team to complete the above tasks during the spring semester of 2017. This will entail: researching historical and
contemporary laws and policies related to trust ownership, solar energy, and
nonprofit community benefit organizations; assisting with the needs of the
legal team as they create executable legal documents for RREAL as Minnesota’s
first Solar Commons trustee; assisting in the writing of a feasibility report
to serve RREAL and future community partners who wish to be Solar Commons
trustees.
Tasks:
+Research historical and Minnesota state law/policy
describing the obligations and stipulations for community trust ownership
+Collaborate with Solar Commons legal team to identify legal
examples of community-trust owned photovoltaic arrays that deliver an income
stream from solar electricity sale to specific low-income communities
+Assist in writing feasibility study of RREAL as Solar
Commons Trustee/AICHO-Gimaajii Homeless Shelter as Beneficiary
+Assist in creating draft of Solar Commons Trust Deed with
RREAL and AICHO/Gimaajii Program
+Assist in creating draft of Solar Commons Solar Services
Agreement for RREAL and Public Entity
How to Apply
Application
Instructions: Applications taken until filled. Apply online only via the U of M
Employment System by submitting resume, cover letter, and three references.
Materials submitted other than through this website will not be considered.
Additional
documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My
Activities" page and uploading documents there.
Diversity
The
University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in
enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the
academic mission. The University is
committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and
backgrounds.
The
University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its
programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed,
religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public
assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or
gender expression. To learn more about
diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu.
About the U of M
The
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public
research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and
professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's
most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in
Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with
world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies,
and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.
