Around 20% of the US population lives in an area that is classified as ?rural.? The US Census Bureau defines an urban area as a territory with a population of at least 50,000, or a cluster of 2,500 to 50,000 people. Rural is then defined as anything outside of that definition. Rural areas face particular challenges when it comes to energy and water use. For example, utilities are met with higher costs and often find it harder to implement new clean technologies to modernize their energy infrastructure because of the great distances between customers and an irregular patchwork of reliable resources. Besides, many system planners and thought leaders for innovative energy technologies live in urban or suburban areas and may find it harder to relate to the specific challenges of rural settings.

via Forbes – Energy http://www.forbes.com/sites/edfenergyexchange/2013/08/29/rural-communities-need-extra-support-in-light-of-energy-and-water-constraints/