In this July 2026 webinar, an expert panel examined the drivers behind a new era of consolidation in the U.S. utility sector and the potential impacts for customers and investors. The webinar also explored what these transactions could mean for the future structure of the U.S. electric power sector and state policy options available to advance competitiveness.

A new Nicholas Institute report outlines state competitiveness policies that broaden market participation and realign utility incentives to better address challenges facing the power sector in the southeastern United States. Analysis conducted for the report utilizes data from the Southeast Power Sector Competitiveness Dashboard, which evaluates 12 states in the region across 15 policy indicators.

Price responsiveness informs utility forecasts of load growth and peak demand, regulatory evaluations of investments and rate structures and government analyses of energy policies and their impacts. A new report from Duke University experts presents updated estimates of one measure of price responsiveness in the U.S. residential electricity market—the price elasticity of demand for electricity—and explores how it varies across all 50 states.

Explore the wide-ranging landscape of power sector competitiveness across the Southeast United States with the Southeast Power Sector Competitiveness Dashboard. During this webinar on Dec. 11, the Nicholas Institute experts who developed the dashboard discussed its purpose, compared regional competitiveness metrics across states in the region, introduced the resource’s interactive features and information through a live demonstration, and answered audience questions.

Virginia ranks first, and Alabama last, in a Southeast power sector “competitiveness” dashboard launched this week by Duke University researchers, reports Utility Dive. Twelve states were scored according to indicators such as participation in wholesale power markets, net metering policies, presence of a consumer advocate, interconnection standards, procurement requirements and third-party power purchase agreements.

Developed by Nicholas Institute experts, the Southeast Power Sector Competitiveness Dashboard assembles key metrics on an array of policies and market characteristics that influence how utilities, regulators, producers and consumers interact. The dashboard covers 12 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

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.

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 Energy Data Analytics Lab is helping strengthen Climate TRACE, a non-profit coalition that provides the world’s largest inventory of greenhouse gas emissions.

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.

Looking for a summer project? Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply for summer 2025 Climate+ research projects.

The Climate+ projects are part of the broader Data+ program and offered by the Nicholas Institute in partnership with the Rhodes Information Initiative at Duke. All Plus Programs run 10 weeks over the summer and are composed of small project teams working on real world solutions using data science, programming, coding, and analysis. 

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.

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.

This summer, students in Duke University’s Climate+ program used data science techniques to research climate challenges and potential solutions. They studied topics like saltwater intrusion, energy materials, rainfall predictions and links between climate and health. More than 30 students participated on eight project teams.