Yuning is a manager in the Cities team within RMI’s US Program, where she delivers cutting-edge tools, resources, and technical assistance to help US local communities advance ambitious climate goals. She led the development of the Green Upgrade Calculator website, a groundbreaking tool empowering US consumers to estimate the economic and climate impact of residential electrification upgrades. Yuning also created the Local Energy Action Framework (LEAF), a quantitative energy gap model providing local governments comprehensive roadmaps to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2050. With direct collaboration with over 100 US local governments, municipalities, and public organizations, Yuning has demonstrated her expertise in renewable energy market analysis, residential electrification, community energy planning, project finance, and techno-economic analysis.
Background
Prior to joining RMI, Yuning served as an energy analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), drafting an industrial energy data book for the US Department of Energy. She developed code using Python to automatically collect, calculate, and visualize county-level energy data in the US industrial sector. During her previous internship at RMI, Yuning researched the deployment of electric logistics vehicles in Shenzhen, China, and authored a report on the optimal siting of urban charging infrastructure. While pursuing her master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University, Yuning worked as an energy consultant in a sustainable transportation project, where she helped a European energy infrastructure company, SNAM, identify the prospect of using natural gas in the transportation sector.
Education
MA, International Economics & Energy, Resources and Environment, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)
LLB, International Relations, Fudan University
Location
Washington, DC
