Damian Pitt, Ph.D.

Associate professor

EXPERTISE

• Solar energy policy and planning
• Climate action planning
• Collaborative environmental planning

EDUCATION

B.S., Sociology, University of Tennessee
M.C.R.P., University of Oregon
Ph.D., Planning, Governance and Globalization, Virginia Polytechnic University

TEACHING

Intro to Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental Policy and Planning, Sustainable Energy Policy and Planning, Great Cities of the World

RESEARCH INTERESTS

State and local energy and climate policy, local climate action planning, grid integration and permitting issues for renewable energy systems, land use impacts of utility-scale solar.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Dr. Damian Pitt’s work examines opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through energy conservation, renewable energy use, land use and transportation policies. He focuses on community-engaged and applied research, which brings together the talent and resources of the university to work on diverse collaborations that benefit the people and communities of the commonwealth. 

He has written numerous academic articles and professional reports, including recent studies for the Virginia Department of Energy, the City of Richmond’s Office of Sustainability, and Advanced Energy United. In 2022 he released a study quantifying the energy savings and economic benefits of Virginia’s low-income energy efficiency programs funded by the state’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Inventory (RGGI), which featured prominently in the public discourse around the state’s efforts to withdraw from that program. His most recent research investigates the benefits, opportunities, and challenges related to both small-scale and large-scale solar energy development, including efforts to examine and contextualize the degree to which large utility-scale solar projects are impacting forests, cropland, and other types of land cover in Virginia.

Pitt currently serves as the Associate Director of Policy and Community Engagement for the VCU Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment. He has also served as a gubernatorial appointee to the Virginia Solar Energy Development and Energy Storage Authority, on the Richmond 300 Master Plan Advisory Commission, and on the board of directors for the Virginia chapter of the American Planning Association, among other positions. Prior to his academic career, he worked for Cogan Owens Greene, a nationally respected urban planning consulting firm in Portland, Oregon.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Pitt, D., and Michaud, G. (2025). “Modeling local distributed solar energy potential: a case study from Virginia, USA.” Energy Sources, Part B: Economics, Planning, and Policy, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/15567249.2024.2447865

Pitt, D., Berryhill, A., Ciminelli, J. “Re-Evaluating Land Use Impacts of Utility-Scale Solar. Report to the Virginia Department of Energy.” https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1062&context=wilder_pubs

Pitt, D., and Oakley, D. (2024). “Assessing the Benefits of Distributed Solar in Virginia: 2024 Update and Status Report.” Report to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=isee_pubs 

Pitt, D., Suen, I., et al. (2022). “Investing in Virginia through Energy Efficiency: An Analysis of the Impacts of RGGI and the HIEE Program.” https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=isee_pubs 

Michaud, G., and Pitt, D. (2019): “Non-Utility Photovoltaic Deployment in the US: Evaluation of State-Level Policy Drivers.” Strategic Planning for Energy and the Environment. 38 (3) 52-80. https://doi.org/10.1080/10485236.2019.12043348

Pitt, D., Michaud, G, and Duggan, A. (2018). “Analyzing the Costs and Benefits of Distributed Solar Energy in Virginia (USA): a Case Study of Collaborative Energy Planning.” Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. 61 (11) 2032-2049. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2017.1381074

Pitt, D., and Bassett, E. (2013): “Collaborative Planning for Clean Energy Initiatives in Small to Mid-Sized Cities.” Journal of the American Planning Association 79 (4) 280-294.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01944363.2014.914846

Pitt, D. (2013). “Evaluating the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Benefits of Compact Housing Development.”  Journal of Environmental Planning & Management 56 (4) 588-606.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2012.692894

Pitt, D., and Randolph, J. (2009). “Identifying Obstacles to Community Climate Protection Planning.”  Environment and Planning C: Government & Policy 27 (5) 841-857.  http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1068/c0871