Duke students pitched their Duke Design Climate projects along with local startups and energy tech companies during an Innovation Showcase—an event on the second day of Energy Week at Duke 2024. Duke Research Blog highlights the research and actionable solutions students pursue within this two-course initiative between the Pratt School of Engineering and the Nicholas School of the Environment. 

On November 11-14, hundreds of Duke community members—along with Triangle-area professionals and students from far-flung universities—learned and networked during the ninth annual Energy Week at Duke. Dozens of undergraduate and graduate students from diverse degree programs organized this year’s events to drive campus dialogue about accelerating the energy transition. 

At the Duke University Energy Conference on November 13, industry experts reflected on how collaboration and creativity across sectors can help reshape energy systems and drive progress toward a just energy transition. The event was organized by the Duke MBA Energy Club as part of Energy Week at Duke.

While interest and investment is growing in the use of nature-based solutions in the United States, significant barriers remain to implementing them more widely. A new Nicholas Institute working paper examines how Florida, North Carolina and Virginia are surmounting permitting hurdles to expand the use of one type of nature-based solution—living shorelines.

Lithium ore and mining waste from a historic lithium mine located west of Charlotte, NC, are unlikely to contaminate surrounding waters with common pollutants such as arsenic and lead, according to a new study by Nicholas School of the Environment researcher Avner Vengosh. However, high levels of other metals—namely, lithium, rubidium and cesium—do occur in waters associated with the mine.

Over the last decade, Data+ has supported hundreds of Duke students participating in data-driven, interdisciplinary projects, giving real-world experience before they even leave campus. Dozens of those students have joined Climate+, spinoff of Data+ aligned with the Duke Climate Commitment and directed by the Nicholas Institute's Kyle Bradbury.

A new analysis by Energy Pathways USA estimates how electricity demand may change in the next decade and the potential impact on greenhouse gas emissions. Modeled scenarios focused on the potential reversal of an EPA rule limiting emissions from power plants and how quickly renewable resources can be connected to the power grid.

Today the United States Department of the Interior launched a digital Nature-Based Solutions Roadmap, developed in partnership with the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability at Duke University. This free public resource will serve as a user-friendly and accessible guide for implementing nature-based solutions.

Texas is quickly adding solar, wind, and storage to its grid by using a relatively simple interconnection process. Now, 24 industry participants have expressed support for the use of a similarly streamlined process across the nation, according to Duke University researcher Tyler Norris. PV Magazine quotes Norris's latest insights from a series of posts on BlueSky and LinkedIn.

The 2024 Energy Week at Duke brought together students, faculty and industry leaders to explore the pressing challenges and opportunities in the energy landscape around the theme of “advancing energy innovation in the Southeast and beyond." The Chronicle wrapped up the community-driven events and expert-led panels held from Nov. 11–15.