The 2024–2025 Bass Connections program featured 16 interdisciplinary teams in the Energy & Environment theme administered by the Nicholas Institute. Duke students involved in a handful of the teams talked about their projects during the annual Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase last month.

Greg Robinson, cofounder and CEO of Aston, writes for the Forbes Technology Council about two studies that illustrate on-grid and off-grid approaches to the future of U.S. power. The first study, by the Nicholas Institute, focuses on creative ways to become flexible with the grid to manage the spike in energy demand due to the rise of AI data centers and the electrification of everything. The other study focuses on off-grid solar microgrids as a way to solve AI energy spikes.

The International Energy Agency recommended that data centers be built in areas with more grid capacity and more power for their energy usage. A recent Nicholas Institute study suggested that data centers could operate more flexibly, temporarily reducing their energy consumption from the grid during times of peak demand.

Two Duke students share takeaways from the 2025 Energy in Emerging Markets Career Trek, held February 27–28 in Washington, D.C. This annual trek brings together Duke students from across disciplines and programs, eager to explore careers in global energy transitions. Organized by Duke’s Global Energy Access Network (GLEAN) and the James E. Rogers Energy Access Project, the trip featured keynotes on innovation in energy careers and data-driven finance, as well as panels on equitable energy transitions and energy access finance and policy.

Tyler Norris, a Ph.D. student at the Nicholas School of the Environment, joined the Energy Capital Podcast to discuss a recent Nicholas Institute study on large flexible loads, the data center boom and how demand-side innovation can ease grid strain and enable load growth.

The second annual "From Billions to Trillions: Catalyzing Private Investment in Climate Solutions" summit brought together leaders across numerous sectors to discuss the changing landscape of climate finance.

The power demands of AI data centers are skyrocketing—but how will we meet them? In this episode of the Build, Repeat podcast, Tyler Norris (Duke University) and Kyle Baranko (Paces) dug into two influential white papers offering different solutions. The Duke paper highlights how existing grid capacity can be better utilized by embracing flexible interconnections and load curtailment.

John Quigley, a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, tells Floodlight that plenty can be done to update the existing grid’s capacity to meet the electricity needs of data centers without immediately installing new transmission lines. He pointed to a recent Nicholas Institute study that finds load flexibility could be a “key solution to the United States' soaring electrical demand.”

The Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University has named Alix Peterson Zwane as its director of research and engagement strategy, effective April 1.

At a March 27 gathering in Goodson Chapel, faith leaders and organizers came together to discuss initiatives being employed by houses of worship as they become hubs of climate resilience, writes the Duke Research Blog. The conversation was part of Duke University's Cooling Communities project, which is advancing community-driven solutions to extreme heat.