Across the country, solar farms have experienced rapid growth, supported by advancements in technology, cost reductions, and policy initiatives such as state-level renewable portfolio standards and tax credits. As shown in Map 1, roughly 18% of ground-mounted PV facilities in the U.S. were installed between 2021 and 2023, with a notable portion of these projects […]
To gain a deeper understanding of the current energy landscape in Georgia and the southeast, this blog series examines emerging topics in the energy sector, provides timely information on key energy challenges and opportunities, and discusses how Georgia and the southeast are adapting to meet growing energy needs while embracing sustainable energy goals and supporting […]
Listen to the Curtailment 101 podcast: Created with Google NotebookLM, May 16th, 2025 EPIcenter affiliates Gaurav Doshi and Matthew Oliver’s article in The Energy Forum discusses the why grid operators occasionally curtail wind and solar output when transmission capacity is insufficient or demand is low, and the economic and environmental impacts of these decisions. Congestion-based curtailment […]
Municipalities have shunned solar farms because these large installations are believed to reduce property values. Now, in a first-of-its-kind study, Georgia Tech economist Laura Taylor shows that utility-scale solar farms don’t adversely affect sales prices for agricultural land. The work, published recently in the journal Land Economics, may help inform local decision-making. “As zoning boards […]
As the nation moves toward electrification, there’s a lot that the U.S. government can do to accelerate a modernized and resilient grid – with regional support and investment. The (re)electrification of the U.S. economy continues to charge forward thanks to an administration focused on decarbonization and place-based action. Unfortunately, aging grid infrastructure may not be […]
The assistant professor in applied economics researches, among other topics, ways to make the benefits of large electrification projects more transparent. It’s a chicken and egg situation: Should renewable energy projects launch first hoping that transmission lines to pipe generated power to distant places will follow on their heels? Or should the transmission lines be […]
When it comes to finding solutions to climate change, there’s no shortage of technologies vying for attention, from renewable energy to electric vehicles to nuclear energy. One such contender, solar geoengineering, is favored by proponents who say it could quickly cool the planet and give the world time to fully implement efforts to limit emissions […]
Smoke cloud rising from a brush wildfire burning in San Francisco, California (Source: Adobe Stock) You’re managing the Texas Panhandle’s power grid. Heavy winds are blowing, and a worn-out utility pole ignites a fire by crashing onto a transmission line. Luckily, the fire department arrives quickly, putting out the fire before it spreads to nearby […]
While the U.S. federal government has clean energy targets, they are not binding. Most economically developed countries have mandatory policies designed to bolster renewable electricity production. Because the U.S. lacks an enforceable federal mandate for renewable electricity, individual states are left to develop their own regulations. Marilyn Brown, Regents’ and Brook Byers Professor of Sustainable Systems in […]
The NSF grant winner and associate professor is working to improve the resilience of power grids while also indulging in his other love: history. Daniel Molzahn will readily admit he’s a Cheesehead. Born and brought up in Wisconsin, the associate professor at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison, […]
Top (Left to Right): John Kim, Maghfira “Afi” Ramadhani, Mehmet “Akif” AglarBottom (Left to Right): La’Darius Thomas, Yifan Liu, Niraj Palsule The Energy Policy and Innovation Center (EPIcenter) at Georgia Tech has announced the selection of six students for its inaugural Summer Research Program. The doctoral candidates, pursuing degrees in electrical and computer engineering, economics, computer science, and […]
Master of the rebound — Economist Matthew Oliver measures the sometimes concealed costs of pivoting to clean energy Students in Matthew Oliver’s economics of environment and international energy markets classes likely don’t have a clue about his unusual journey to the lectern: “I was bent on being a rock and roll musician from the time […]
Shifting focus from theoretical physics to research on environmental problems over the course of her distinguished career, the professor is working to decarbonize the industrial complex. Climate change might feel like an intractable problem but Valerie Thomas wants us to take heart. “It’s not hard, we make it hard. We can recreate our industrial system,” […]