Discover highlights from FY 2025 in this digital report. Covering July 2024 to June 2025, the report features actionable research, engagement with decision‑makers on emerging issues and hands‑on learning experiences that equip Duke students to lead.

After a whirlwind of panels, side conversations, and informal discussions, Nicholas Institute Director Brian Murray shared the themes and insights that stuck with him from Climate Week NYC 2025. "If there was one unifying thread, it was this: the global energy transition is real, accelerating, and yet deeply uneven," Murray wrote.

More than 70 people convened at Duke University and virtually to highlight successes, challenges and opportunities across research, industry and policy on regional electric mobility in the Southeast during the April 2025 Southeast Electric Transportation Regional Initiative (SETRI) meeting. The event was hosted by the Nicholas Institute and Georgia Tech Strategic Energy Institute, in collaboration with SETRI partner organizations.

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.

Federal funding for clean energy projects faces an uncertain future, potentially upending workforce training programs at many community colleges, writes Work Shift. A federal electric vehicle infrastructure program, which earmarked up to $1 billion for Southeastern states and was highlighted in a report authored by Nicholas Institute expert Trey Gowdy, is among those paused by an executive order calling for a 90-day review to ensure that clean energy projects are aligned with the Trump administration’s energy policy.

The organizers of the Southeast Electric Transportation Regional Initiative (SETRI) April 2025 Meeting at Duke University (April 3, 2025) invite university students, researchers, and energy professionals to submit abstracts for a poster session. Submit poster abstracts (less than 300 words) by Thursday, February 27 at 4 p.m. Eastern.

If all new car sales in the U.S. right now were electric vehicles, it could still take decades to fully transition to EVs. We should use that time effectively to plan accordingly and fully realize the benefits of the technology, writes Nicholas Institute research lead Trey Gowdy in an op-ed in Utility Dive.

What could Donald Trump's election mean for U.S. energy policy and climate goals? Brian Murray, director of the Nicholas Institute, spoke with NPR's Morning Edition about the potential implications for the Inflation Reduction Act, offshore wind, electric vehicles and more.

The City of Raleigh is working to electrify about 2,500 vehicles in its fleet—as well as equipment like lawnmowers and bucket trucks—within the next decade. With transportation now the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, Trey Gowdy, research lead at the Nicholas Institute, talked to ABC11 News about the broader landscape of transportation electrification in the Southeast.

A World Resources Institute article cites research from Trey Gowdy on electric vehicle workforce development and training programs. The article highlights one of the March 2024 report's main takeaways: public-private partnerships are key to establishing a robust worker pipeline.

More than 70 representatives from government agencies, automakers, utilities, universities, nongovernmental organizations and more met in Atlanta and virtually in June to share project updates and challenges about electric mobility in the Southeast. The gathering was the first in-person meeting of the Southeast Electric Transportation Regional Initiative.

Published July 17, 2024 by the Electrification Coalition, this guide is a resource for rural Southeast communities that are beginning or continuing their journeys toward widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and complements the 2022 report, Electric Vehicles in Rural Communities.

Are you a Duke University alum with plans (or potential plans) to attend Climate Week NYC (September 22-29) or the UNFCCC’s Conference of Parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan (November 11-22)? Duke University experts will again take part in these important convenings alongside climate thought leaders and decision-makers from across the world—and we are eager to connect with Duke alumni who will also be joining.

A new Nicholas Institute report, co-authored by Duke University graduate student Nicholas Sommer and Nicholas Institute expert Trey Gowdy, analyzes growth patterns of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in a dozen Southeastern states during 2023.

The National Association of State Energy Officials, The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and the Nicholas Institute recently released a report reviewing Southeast transportation electrification workforce development training programs. In this webinar, Nicholas Institute research lead Trey Gowdy presented the major findings.