$3 Million Gift to Power Duke Efforts to Expand Energy Access

In developing countries, access to modern energy has far-reaching effects on economic opportunity, well-being and even emissions of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. A new gift will redouble Duke University’s efforts to develop policy and market solutions at a critical moment of recovery and potential transformation in these markets.
The Energy Access Project at Duke (EAP) has received a $3 million gift from M.A. Rogers to expand its work. EAP was established in 2017 through an earlier gift from Rogers and her late husband, Jim, the former CEO and chairman of the board of the electric utility company Duke Energy. The program will adopt the new name of the “James E. Rogers Energy Access Project at Duke” in his memory.
“Jim believed that solving global energy poverty is essential to building a more equitable and sustainable world,” said M.A. Rogers. “He brought to Duke his philosophy of building bridges and gathering talented people together to solve this tremendous challenge. And now seeds that he planted years ago have become a model for how universities can use the power of partnership to mobilize the ideas and resources needed to solve big challenges. Jim would smile knowing that this Project now bears his name.”
EAP takes an interdisciplinary approach, advancing foundational research and fostering constructive dialogue among policy makers, entrepreneurs and scholars to support evidence-based decision making. Key partners at Duke are the newly merged Nicholas Institute and Duke University Energy Initiative; the Sanford School of Public Policy; the Nicholas School of the Environment; and Bass Connections.