Energy Explained
Get the latest as our experts share their insights on global energy policy.
Insights from the US and India for Electricity Open Access in Kenya and South Africa
Kenya[1] and South Africa[2] have recently started moving toward an open access regime in their electricity sectors, while the US and India have been on this path for...
Podcasts
Hear in-depth conversations with the world’s top energy and climate leaders from government, business, academia, and civil society.
Minimizing Damage as Mining for Critical Minerals Ramps Up
The clean energy transition has a dirty underside. To move away from fossil fuels and toward solar, wind, batteries, and other alternative sources of energy, we have to intensify mining operations for critical minerals like lithium, copper, and cobalt.
Events
Find out more about our upcoming and past events.
December 5, 2024
• 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
edt
Student Roundtable with Mary Nichols
Women in Energy at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia SIPA is pleased to host Anne-Sophie Corbeau.
Event
• CGEP Large Conference Room
1255 Amsterdam Ave Floor 1, New York, NY 10027
1255 Amsterdam Ave Floor 1, New York, NY 10027
Initiatives
Energy Opportunity Lab
Developing sustainable, accessible energy solutions
The Energy Opportunity Lab identifies specific ideas that respond to environmental and market needs to empower people and communities with sustainable and accessible energy solutions.
Mission
To work with communities to improve opportunities for sustainable energy inclusion, innovation, and growth. The Lab also supports progress toward the overall goal of a just energy transition to low-carbon energy.
Goals
- Find solutions: Create a multidisciplinary, multifunctional platform to advance energy access and opportunity worldwide.
- Further research: Create an environment and framework to connect world-class research with operators to develop more effective, scalable energy applications.
- Identify and create specific, tangible ideas: Respond to environmental and market needs to empower people and communities with sustainable and accessible energy solutions.
International approach
Energy use in developing countries is rising fast, but historically, they have contributed just a small fraction of the existing carbon in the atmosphere. They also bear the brunt of the effects of a warming planet. Internationally, EOL will address barriers that low and middle income countries face that hinder access to clean energy solutions while supporting rapid economic growth. EOL will help developing economies navigate a fair and just path in their energy transitions.
Domestic approach
In the US, poorer households and households of color consume less energy than the average household. At the same time they spend a greater share of their income—roughly three times more than non–low-income households—on energy. They also have less access to the benefits of the transition to low-carbon energy systems. EOL will develop solutions and partner with communities across the US to address the energy disparities and burdens facing disadvantaged communities that block their opportunities for growth and prosperity in the energy transition.
Partnerships
The initiative will work closely with a broad range of partners and stakeholders, both in the US and abroad. It will build off of and support work by others in this area, from across Columbia University as well as in industry, government, civil society, and academia, in order to advance sound and constructive energy and climate solutions in the real world. The Energy Opportunity Lab will form multidisciplinary partnerships that create solutions and foster cooperation.
Relevant Articles
Insights from the US and India for Electricity Open Access in Kenya and South Africa
Kenya[1] and South Africa[2] have recently started moving toward an open access regime in their electricity sectors, while the US and India have been on this path for...
Utilities’ Low-Income Discount Programs Help Address Energy Insecurity, But Some US States Lag Behind
Almost 34 million American households were considered energy insecure in 2020 (the latest date such data were compiled by the US Energy Information Administration), with the majority foregoing...
Climate change is leading to higher utility bills — and not just because of rising temps
Regulators approved $9.7 billion in utility rate increases nationally last year. Part of it has to do with the costs of making grids more resilient.