Research Agenda
Driving Change with Energy Policy Research
We support the energy transition with research on a variety of topics, but an emphasis on three core themes.
Core Themes
Our Expertise
Greenhouse Gas Removal
Achieving net zero annual greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century requires three types of action: increased energy efficiency, deep decarbonization, and carbon dioxide removal (CDR)—for counterbalancing the truly hard to decarbonize sectors. With insufficient action across the globe, the expected role played by CDR continues to grow.
Moral hazard and divergent risk assessment are present in CDR deployment, but current debates are often clouded by confusion and distrust. The Kleinman Center’s integrated research core is uniquely situated to cut through the clouds, with our focus on technology performance and impacts, policy mechanisms to implement standards, and legal frameworks to legitimize CDR and enforce the terms of its social license.
Institutions and Governance
The institutions we construct to govern energy can facilitate a rapid and just transition, or constrain it. In the United States, our energy system is governed by a complex web of public and private local, state, regional, and federal institutions.
Kleinman Center researchers seek to understand these complexities by exploring how process and structure relate to outcomes. We investigate utility incentives and practices, regional governance arrangements, cooperation and tension between state and federal energy regulators, public versus private versus cooperative ownership, and the role of public participation in energy governance.
Policy Design
In order to urgently address the problem of climate change, we must design innovative policies that shake entrenched habits and move us toward a sustainable future. With an emphasis on energy policy design, and a combined understanding of the laws and technologies that influence it, we have the tools for designing effective policies that accelerate the energy transition—locally, nationally, and internationally.
Our center is committed to providing the latest research and recommendations to inform policymakers and other leaders in their efforts to ignite the adoption of renewable energy sources, enhance energy efficiency, and promote the development of low-carbon technologies.