Southeast-Focused Nicholas Institute Publications
The Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions serves decision makers addressing issues related to climate and energy policy across the Southeast. Currently, our experts are engaged with Southeastern leaders on a variety of issues that include local government sustainability and climate action, biomass energy, and state-level energy policy. Learn more about this work through our publications, below, and our online database of region-specific policy documents.
Profiling Local Climate Change Governance in the Southeastern United States
December 2011 - by Amy Morsch
While other regions have taken a more proactive approach, state and federal government officials and privately owned utilities have largely dismissed the idea of climate and energy policies in the southeastern United States. In this environment, many cities have developed climate and sustainability programs independent of state action. In the summer of 2011, the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions surveyed Southeastern cities with populations greater than 100,000 on their sustainability, climate, and energy policies and practices. This report presents the results of that survey, which reflect how local governments in the region are articulating goals, exercising influence and authority, and planning and implementing policy. The research revisits many of the topics analyzed in a similar 2010 Nicholas Institute report, and it provides a glimpse at the direction of local governments in the Southeast.
Myths and Facts About Electricity in the U.S. South
September 2011 - by Marilyn A. Brown, Etan Gumerman, Xiaojing Sun, Gyungwon Kim, Kenneth Sercy
This paper identifies six myths about clean electricity in the southern United States. These myths are either propagated by the public at-large, shared within the environmental advocacy culture, or spread imperceptibly between policy makers. Using a widely accepted energy-economic modeling tool, the paper exposes these myths as half-truths and the kind of conventional wisdom that constrains productive debate. In doing so, it identifies new starting points for energy policy development.
An Interactive Assessment of Biomass Demand and Availability in the Southeastern United States
March 2011 - by Christopher S. Galik and Robert C. Abt
The following report evaluates the implications of biomass use at multiple levels of demand and under various policy scenarios across the southeastern United States. It represents the culmination of a four month joint research effort between North Carolina State University, the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University, and Environmental Defense Fund. It provides background on the methodology used to conduct the analysis, as well as an overview of an associated Biomass Demand Interface Tool that can be used to view the results. Collectively, these allow for the simultaneous evaluation of dozens of demand scenarios on multiple metrics of concern, thus providing the beginnings of a comprehensive overview of the range of impacts that increasing demand for forest biomass may have in a given state or region.
Creating Sustainable Communities in the Southeast
February 2011 - by Amy Morsch
Communities are in a global competition for talent; people want to live in places with a clean environment, economic opportunities, and a diverse culture. As a result, sustainability has become a desirable characteristic of communities—and local leaders are paying attention to it. Decision makers ready to act for the first time may be unaware of or even overwhelmed by the broad variety of options available to them. For this reason, the Southeast Climate Resource Center at Duke’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions has compiled a list of 10 ways local governments in the southeastern U.S. are approaching sustainability. Discussions of these emerging trends are accompanied by examples of work taking place in the region. Additional examples of each trend can be found without difficulty elsewhere in the region and in others.
Renewable Energy in the South
December 2010 - by Marilyn A. Brown, Etan Gumerman, Youngsun Baek, Cullen Morris, Yu Wang
Transitioning away from increasingly scarce, carbon-intensive and polluting fossil fuels is one of the key challenges facing modern society. Prominent among the energy supply options, with inherently low life-cycle CO2 emissions, is a suite of renewable technologies that represent an opportunity to diversify energy resources. This report builds on a short policy brief released last summer and provides an in-depth assessment of the scope of renewable energy resources in the South and their economic impacts on electricity rates and utility bills in the region.
The Near-Term Market and Greenhouse Gas Implications of Forest Biomass Utilization in the Southeastern United States
August 2010 - by Robert C. Abt, Christopher S. Galik, and Jesse D. Henderson
Renewable Energy in the South: A Policy Brief
July 2010 - by Marilyn A. Brown, Etan Gumerman, Youngsun Baek, Cullen Morris, Yu Wang
This working paper assesses the economic potential of renewable electricity generation in the South under alternative policy scenarios. Using a customized version of the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS), we examine the impact of 1) expanded and updated estimates of renewable resources, 2) a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), and 3) a Carbon-Constrained Future (CCF). Under the Expanded Renewables Scenario, renewable electricity generation doubles the output of the Reference forecast for the South. If a Federal RPS is imposed or the policies represented by our CCF scenario are implemented, we estimate that 15% to 30% of the South’s electricity could be generated from renewable sources. Among the renewable resources, wind, biomass, and hydro are anticipated to provide the most generation potential. As the integration of renewable sources expands through the modeled time horizon, wind gradually out-competes biomass in the renewable electricity market. Cost-effective customer-owned renewables could also contribute significantly to electricity generation by 2030 in the South, under supportive policies.
State of the Southeast: How Cities are Addressing Climate Change
July 2010 - by Amy Morsch
The Southeast faces unique challenges in attempts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the impacts of climate change. It is one of the fastest-growing regions of the United States. The region also enjoys cheap energy relative to other regions in the U.S., which likely factors into its disproportionate energy use. In addition, a number of recent reports have detailed the ways climate will change in the Southeast, revealing significant vulnerabilities and risks. But the region’s leadership at the state and federal level has often voiced opposition to climate action. These contradictions make local efforts to mitigate emissions and prepare for climate change both difficult and imperative.
Energy Efficiency in the South
April 2010 - by Marilyn A. Brown, Etan Gumerman, Xiaojing Sun, Youngsun Baek, Joy Wang, Rodrigo Cortes, and Diran Soumonni
Energy Efficiency in the South is a recent report by a team of researchers at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and Georgia Institute of Technology and that uses state-of-the-art economic modeling to evaluate the potential impact of energy efficiency policies on Southern states. The energy efficiency policies examined by the research team fall into three broad categories: residential, commercial, and industrial. The report also includes state profiles for each state in the region (including the District of Columbia) and the economic and employment impacts of energy efficiency for each individual state.
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