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Energy Explained
Get the latest as our experts share their insights on global energy policy.
How DOE’s Announcement on Data Centers Could Impact the Grid
The US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has directed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to make a rule that would help rapidly move electricity onto the US grid in large amounts.
Podcasts
Hear in-depth conversations with the world’s top energy and climate leaders from government, business, academia, and civil society.
Amy Harder on Climate and Energy Reporting
The national conversation around climate change is shifting. There’s more focus on energy affordability and demand, as well as on the dual role artificial intelligence plays as both...
Events
Find out more about our upcoming and past events.
December 3, 2025
• 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
est
Building Confidence in the Workplace
The Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA’s Women in Energy initiative invites you to join us for an interactive workshop on building confidence in the...
Event
• Center on Global Energy Policy, 1255 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY 10027
In recent years, renewable energy has seen dramatic cost declines and large annual growth rates. While the share of renewable energy in the global fuel mix has grown, the total volume of energy produced from fossil fuels has increased as well. Are downward trends in cost enough on their own to spur more rapid growth of clean energy? What is the role for public policy, financing models, and innovation efforts across the renewable energy landscape?
On a new episode of Columbia Energy Exchange, host Jason Bordoff sits down with Adnan Amin, the Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency, to discuss these and other questions. IRENA supports countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future and serves as a platform for international cooperation. Adnan has more than 25 years of experience in renewable energy, sustainable development, and environmental policy. He joined the Agency in 2010 as Interim Director General and in 2011 was elected as IRENA’s first Director General.
Adnan and Jason caught up to discuss IRENA’s mission and the future of renewables on the global market. Adnan discusses why policy still has an important role to play in the energy transition and provides his thoughts on 100% clean energy, EVs, and the role that renewables can play in emerging markets.
Other topics discussed include the continued threat of geopolitics, how utilities will need to adapt their business models to a low-cost electricity world, and the sustainability of China’s growth model.
More Episodes
Amy Harder on Climate and Energy Reporting
The national conversation around climate change is shifting. There’s more focus on energy affordability and demand, as well as on the dual role artificial intelligence plays as both...
In a Charged Environment, FERC Faces Demands for Energy
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regulates the United States’ energy transmission, pipeline networks, and wholesale rates for electricity. For much of its history, FERC was a little-known...
World Energy Outlook 2025: Navigating Divergent Futures
Around the globe, and here in the United States, energy markets face huge uncertainties. They include everything from rising geopolitical tensions to a wave of new liquefied natural...
Building Energy Policy on Evidence
Elected officials face huge challenges when it comes to energy policymaking. They have very little time to learn complicated, nuanced issues. They're bombarded by information — some of...
Relevant
Publications
America’s Toothless Sanctions on Russian Oil
Last month, the Trump administration imposed fresh sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, signaling a renewed desire to drive Moscow to the negotiating table in its war against Ukraine. But although these measures have the potential to harm the Russian economy, just how much damage they inflict will depend largely on one actor: Beijing. China bought almost half the oil Russia exported in 2024, evading Washington’s existing restrictions in the process. And new sanctions alone will do little to push China into significantly reducing its purchases.
What the Global Electric Vehicle Market Signals for US Automakers and Policymakers
Commentary
by Pierpaolo Cazzola • November 24, 2025
Opinion: Time for CT to rethink its climate strategy
Connecticut needs an honest debate, and fresh thinking, to shape a climate strategy fit for today, not 2022.
How to Win the Economic War with China
President Donald Trump’s impulsive, go-it-alone approach is uniquely ill-suited to the long-term and cross-cutting nature of the challenge that China poses.
