Green Bank Design in the Southeast

Green banks use funds to reduce the risk for private investment to support energy efficiency and clean energy. As local governments and corporations across the Southeast make progress on ambitious clean energy goals—including some with 100 percent renewable energy targets by as early as 2025—demand is growing for financing to make those goals attainable. 

Green banks can be structured in different ways, depending on a state's goals, community priorities, clean energy partners, and potential funding sources. 

Register to join Duke's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions for a webinar, 10-11 a.m. ET, Wednesday, October 17, as we explore successful green bank design examples that could be replicated to meet the needs of any state or city in the Southeast.

Mapping the Current and Future Supply and Demand of Ecosystem Services in the Carolinas

Katie Warnell, policy associate at Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, will discuss "Mapping Current and Future Supply and Demand of Ecosystem Services in the Carolinas" at the 2018 Carolinas Climate Resilience Conference on October 29.

Ecosystem services, the benefits that natural ecosystems provide to people, influence a range of human activities in North and South Carolina. In order for an ecosystem service to be provided, there must be both a supply of the relevant ecosystem product or process and a demand for that product or process. For example, abundant trout in a mountain stream do not contribute to recreational fishing if the stream is hundreds of miles from anyone interested in fishing. Both the supply of and demand for many ecosystem services are likely to be affected by changes in climate and land use, resulting in shifts in ecosystem service provision.

This talk will discuss an ongoing project that uses spatial mapping of the supply and demand for a variety of ecosystem services in the Carolinas to understand the current distribution of ecosystem services and how future climate and land-use changes may cause changes in ecosystem service provision.  

For more information, visit the event website. 

Energy Week at Duke University

Mark your calendar for the 3rd annual Energy Week at Duke University. The week of events includes:

• Kickoff Featuring EV Overdrive, November 4
• Energy Technology Day, November 5
• Energy in Energy in Emerging Markets Case Competition, November 6
• Energy Mix, November 6
• Spark Career Event, November 6
• The Duke University Energy Conference, November 7
• Research Poster Presentation, November 7
• Startup Demo Day, November 9

Energy Week at Duke is organized by seven student energy clubs across campus, with support from the Duke University Energy Initiative and the Center for Energy, Development and the Global Environment (EDGE) at the Fuqua School of Business. This year, the Duke University Energy Access Project, which partners the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and other key Duke collaborators, is a program sponsor.

Emerging Trends in U.S. Renewable Energy Law and Policy

Kate Konschnik, director of the Climate and Energy Program at Duke's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, will speak at PURPA @ 40: Renewable Energy Law and Policy in the United States, an event that explores the 40th anniversary of PURPA—one of the nation’s most important renewable energy statutes.

Konschnik will be among panelists during the session "Emerging Trends in U.S. Renewable Energy Law and Policy" at the University of Utah from 11:50-1 p.m. on Friday, Novemeber 9.

For more information, visit the event website. 

Methods for Incorporating Ecosystem Services into Decision-Making: Conceptual Models and Benefit Relevant Indicators

Lydia Olander, director of the Ecosystem Services Program at Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, will lead a pre-conference workshop on Monday, December 3, at the 2018 A Community on Ecosystem Services Conference (ACES). The workshop, "Methods for Incorporating Ecosystem Services into Decision-Making: Conceptual Models and Benefit Relevant Indicators," will delve into specific ecosystem services assessment methods reviewed in the Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services (FRMES) Guidebook, focusing on ecosystem service conceptual models (ESCMs) and benefit relevant indicators (BRIs).

The presentations will provide detailed explanations of ESCMs and BRIs and examples of how they are used to help build a common understanding of what it means to incorporate ecosystem services into decision making. This workshop provides an opportunity for the broader community to explore ecosystem service conceptual models and indicators in more depth with experts, using participant exercises to enhance the discussion and shared learning experience. Integrated question and answer sessions will provide opportunities to engage participating experts.

Those interested in attending the workshop have the option to sign up when registering for the ACES conference. For more information on the workshop, visit the conference website. Follow the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #2018ACES.

Mapping Pollination Services in the Southeast

Building Capacity to Identify and Value Ecosystem Services

ISO/RTO Perspectives on System Reliability and Resilience

Jennifer Chen, senior counsel for federal energy policy at Duke's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, will speak at the Federal Energy Policy Summit on Wednesday, December 5. 

Chen will be a speaker on the panel, ISO/RTO Perspectives on System Reliability and Resilience, from 11 a.m. to noon ET in Washington, D.C. She and other panelists will discuss how the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's efforts to study, define, and ultimately address system resiliency could initiate major changes in grid planning and investments. 

For more information, visit the event website.

Increasing Opportunities for Private Investment on Public Land

Martin Doyle, director of the Water Policy Program at Duke's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, will speak during a town hall at the he 2018 A Community on Ecosystem Services Conference (ACES). Doyle will discuss Increasing Opportunities for Private Investment on Public Land. 

For more information on the workshop, visit the conference website. Follow the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #2018ACES.

Opportunities to Create, Report, and Use Natural Capital Accounts