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 […]

EPIcenter Announces Selection of Six Students For Inaugural Summer Research Program

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 […]

SEI’s 20th Anniversary Celebrations: Celebrating 20 Years of Energy Research at Georgia Tech

In October, Georgia Tech’s Strategic Energy Institute (SEI) celebrated its 20th anniversary with campus, government, and industry partners. Since its inception as an interdisciplinary research initiative in 2004, SEI has grown and evolved into one of the top energy institutes in the nation, convening and facilitating multidisciplinary teams in the nation’s critical path to net-zero and climate […]

Energy Unplugged Summer Camp Fuels Curiosity and Innovation in K-12 Students

Rich Simmons explaining the mini-project before the final student presentations The Energy, Policy, and Innovation Center (EPICenter) hosted the 2024 cohort of Energy Unplugged, a Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) summer program for high school students. The weeklong camp was held at Georgia Tech’s Atlanta and Savannah campuses this summer and has earned […]