Rachel Golden

Rachel Golden is pursuing a Master of Public Policy degree from the Goldman School of Public Policy and a Master of Art degree from the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley. Through an interdisciplinary approach, Rachel studies how policies can accelerate investment in and deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency resources. Rachel is focused on energy policy in California, with a particular interest in distributed generation and a post-33% Renewable Portfolio Standard. In particular, Rachel seeks to ensure that disadvantaged communities directly benefit from state-wide clean energy and climate mandates. As a graduate student, Rachel has worked with the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (a community-based environmental justice group), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 9, California Energy Commission, California Public Utilities Commission, and Sunpower Corporation. Before graduate school, Rachel worked for six years at the Energy Foundation, where she supported advocacy campaigns at the state and federal-level to transition the U.S. from high-polluting coal-fired power to available clean energy resources. Prior to her work at the Energy Foundation, Rachel focused on water issues at the Natural Heritage Institute in San Francisco and the National Coalition Against Water Privatization in Ghana.