Andrea Wagner

Andrea is a statewide sustainable energy specialist with University of Illinois Extension. She develops programming about renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, and community planning for renewable energy projects. Andrea is passionate about helping community members understand how they can benefit from these types of projects and providing accessible information for farmers or landowners, homeowners and renters, and government officials. Part of her work involves staying up to date on legislation related to wind and solar energy, as well as battery energy storage, and how it affects municipalities and counties. 

Andrea holds a Master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning and a Master’s degree in Sustainable Agriculture, both from Iowa State University. A native of Illinois, Andrea came to Extension after working as a county planner in Iowa for nearly four years, focusing on rural planning, natural resource protection, and floodplain management. She is accustomed to discussing concerns about development with landowners and well-versed in writing land use ordinances and seeing development plans through the permitting process. Andrea is especially interested in innovations with agrivoltaics and biofuels and their potential for revitalizing rural economies. She looks forward to conversing with stakeholders across the state and building partnerships as Illinois transitions to a clean energy future.