Doctoral candidate Tyler Norris returned as a guest on the Catalyst podcast, discussing how electric load flexibility can help power the AI-focused data center boom. 

US power demand has soared in recent years with growing artificial intelligence, construction, and electrification needs. The Bloomberg Energy Daily cites new Nicholas Institute research saying the US can meet this rising consumption and quickly add huge loads to its grids without building new power plants by deploying grid flexibility—strategically cutting consumption by the equivalent of about one day a year’s usage.

Clean energy professionals expressed optimism about innovation and job growth but acknowledged the challenges ahead at the Nicholas Institute's annual Women in Energy event. WRAL reported on how recent federal and state policy decisions could reshape the trajectory of North Carolina’s clean energy industry, long considered a leader in solar energy and battery manufacturing.

In talking about climate change at just about every level a person can, Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub, prioritizes meeting people where they are and focusing on common ground and solutions. “I think you have to help people envision a different future that is positive,” she told Duke Today. Ward and other Duke scholars were profiled for their work on humanizing and localizing the enormity of climate change for people of all backgrounds.

Jigar Shah, former director of the DOE Loan Programs Office and longtime clean energy entrepreneur, cited a recent Nicholas Institute analysis on the Open Circuit podcast. Discussing residential solar uptake and its effects on the electrical grid, Shah said: "When you look at Tyler Norris’ paper from Duke University, it says that if you basically solve for 50 hours a year, then you could get way more out of the grid that we’ve already paid for."

During the launch of The Duke Campaign, a session featuring Nicholas Institute experts Brian Murray and Jackson Ewing and Duke students highlighted how the university and stakeholders are collaborating on climate finance and policy to achieve global energy goals and create a more equitable and sustainable world. “This is an interdisciplinary set of challenges, and we attempt to match them to Duke’s interdisciplinary resources,” Ewing said.

Jessica Castner, Ph.D., RN-BC, a distinguished expert on nursing and health policy, has embarked on a yearlong term as Duke University’s third Climate Leader in Residence (CLIR). The CLIR program brings top thought leaders to Duke to share insights and expertise, sparking discussion and action to advance climate solutions.

Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub, spoke at a recent Appalachian State University forum about the urgent need for climate resilience alongside former FEMA Administrator Brock Long. The discussion highlighted strategies for communities to adapt and recover from climate-related impacts, recapped by The Watauga Democrat.

During a U.S. House Subcommittee on Energy hearing, Duke University expert Tyler Norris discussed a recent study he coauthored on how to meet rising energy demand in the United States. "Our findings suggest that with modest flexibility from new large electricity customers, the existing U.S. power system can accommodate substantial load additions without compromising reliability," Norris testified, according to POWER magazine.

A new paper from Harvard University argues that the cost of upgrading power systems to provide electricity to data centers will fall to normal people and businesses under traditional utility models, Heatmap News reports. In proposing alternative approaches, the Harvard researchers cite a recent study from Duke University scholars that shows utilities could avoid billions of dollars of system upgrades if data centers commit to powering down for a small portion of every year.