Data centers—the backbone of AI and cloud computing—are reshaping electricity markets in ways that go beyond higher demand. This study shows that when these data centers plug in, the congestion and line losses drive up wholesale power prices by about 7%. Co-locating with fossil plants eases the jam but adds emissions; pairing with renewables helps […]
Evaluating how technologies can fit society’s most pressing needs. Given the urgency to meet sustainability goals, the Georgia Tech assistant professor is researching how we can make better decisions in a wide range of areas including engineering designs, public policies, and financial investments. “How can we better tie the research that we do with the […]
Nuclear energy is a perfect example for the intersection of technology and policy that is at the heart of EPIcenter, according to nuclear and radiological engineering professor Anna Erickson. “Nuclear power development stagnated for three decades while federal policy and public sentiment did not support it, natural gas was much cheaper and future energy demand […]
A new study by EPIcenter affiliate, Dr. Mamkhezri, investigates how and when households read their electricity bills, and what it means for residential energy consumption in the U.S. Dr. Mamkhezri surveys more than 1,000 households to understand how frequently they check their electricity bills, and how this varies across households by age, family size, consumption […]
ATL Cleantech Connect returns on October 22 with an energizing evening hosted at GE Vernova’s Atlanta Galleria campus, spotlighting innovation, and leadership in Georgia’s clean energy future. The event kicks off with a welcome from Eric Gray, CEO of GEV Gas Power, followed by a dynamic panel discussion titled “The Energy of Change: Future of […]
Extreme temperatures have a way of making people appreciate their utilities. Nobody wants to lose air conditioning during a heatwave or home heating during a cold spell. But Michigan residents faced a one-two punch on January 30, 2019. A fire broke out at the utility station that was set to provide more than half of […]
Bridging the gap between energy economics researchers and policy makers Visiting Georgia Tech for a year-long sabbatical, the professor of energy economics at New Mexico State University (NMSU) has hit the ground running on a variety of research projects. Prof. Jamal Mamkhezri is on a mission to bridge the gap between energy policy makers and […]
Estimating the economic value of reliable electricity It was hot when Hurricane Beryl knocked out power for millions of Houston customers in July 2024. People willing to spend $1,000 on a portable generator had trouble finding one on the shelves of local hardware stores. Some residents who already owned one even locked it to their […]
Read the article on the SEI website: https://research.gatech.edu/strategic-energy-institute-and-epicenter-announce-graduate-student-fellowships News Contact Priya Devarajan || SEI Communications Program Manager
Listen to the podcast: This study examines how short-term variability in wind power—known as wind intermittency—affects real-time electricity system imbalances in U.S. regional power markets. The authors, Victoria Godwin and Matthew E. Oliver of the Georgia Institute of Technology and EPIcenter affiliates, analyze data from four major system operators: Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), New York […]
With a background in physics and mathematics, the assistant professor of public policy researches innovative technologies through the lens of climate change and related policy. Anthony Harding worries that climate messaging is not always easily digestible for the lay audience. When scientists predict that mean global temperatures are going to rise by 1 ℃, for […]
Supporting innovators: Policy design for growing Georgia’s energy ecosystems Part of EPIcenter’s mission is to foster an energy innovation ecosystem in the Southeast. This includes making Georgia an attractive place for energy and cleantech-focused startup companies and helping them succeed. But that success does not depend on the founder’s creativity and stamina alone. A mix […]
Listen to the Curtailment 101 podcast: 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 arises when the transmission network cannot […]
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 […]
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 […]
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,” […]
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 […]