Solar farms can brighten agricultural land values

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 […]

EPH seed grant research: climate-induced air quality deterioration and its health risks in the southeastern US

As summers get increasingly hotter, expect more adverse effects on health. EPICenter grant recipient Pengfei Liu is exploring the connection between the two as a necessary step in climate adaptation.  The trendlines point in one direction: The ten hottest years on record were all just in this nascent century.   Summers, especially, are getting hotter. And […]

Solar Geoengineering Could Save 400,000 Lives a Year, Georgia Tech Study Says

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 […]

Gamification of power grid resilience supports research and education

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 […]