Research Projects


Our researchers explore critical issues and address challenges that have regional, national, and global implications.


About Our Research Grants

Our 2023 Call for Grants is Open!

Each year, the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy awards grants ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 to support new research or supplement existing research in energy and climate policy.

This year, we are seeking requests for proposals from University of Pennsylvania faculty, postdocs, and doctoral students for research projects in the areas of energy and climate policy that can leverage Penn research and support the advancement of our mission. Preference will be given to research on the following topics:

  • Carbon Capture
  • U.S. Protectionism
  • Electricity Markets
  • Energy Poverty
  • Electric Vehicles
  • Climate Co-Benefits of Biology-First Agriculture
  • Nuclear Energy
  • Hydrogen
  • Investor Activism

Expected Outcomes

Grant money may be used from May 1, 2023 through June 2024. At the end of the grant period or upon completion of the research, the grantee will prepare a short policy digest (3,000 words maximum) based on grant-supported research. The digest format allows grantees to consider and connect their research to policy outcomes.

All policy digests must adhere to our review process and guidelines. Final digests will be published in HTML and PDF formats. All peer-reviewed publications resulting from this research must include a Kleinman Center acknowledgement. We will link to these publications from our site.

Please note, while policy digests may cover the same topic and findings as a future related journal article, they should be written for a different audience and should not be submitted to the Kleinman Center with the intention of republishing.

Requirements

To apply, applicants must develop a two-page proposal that includes:

  1. Problem Statement and Impact
  2. Proposed Work and Method
  3. Timeline
  4. Requested Funds
  5. Policy Digest Suggested Title
  6. Identification of Target Readers (i.e. legislators, senate committee, government, or international agency, etc.)

Note: Ph.D. students must also include a note of support from their supervisor.

Deadline

Deadline extended!

Applications should be sent to Lucy Corlett (lcorlett@upenn.edu) by Friday, April 28, 2023.

Eligibility

Our grant program is open to Penn faculty, postdocs, and Ph.D. students and researchers in the areas of energy and climate policy. Energy science and energy technology development projects are not eligible.

For questions about the research grants program, please email Angela Pachon

Awarded Research Projects

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Renewables
Sort by Title Research Areas Sort by Year Researchers Keywords
Field Experiments to Measure the Impact of Solar Lights at the Bottom of the Pyramid Renewables 2022-2023 Serguei Netessine International, Solar
Local Zoning and the Regulation of Solar Farms on Agricultural Land: Helping or Hindering the Transition to Renewable Energy? Renewables 2021-2022 Tom Daniels Agriculture, Land Management
Philadelphia’s Energy Transitions: A Short History Fossil Fuels, Renewables 2021-2022 Jared Farmer Pennsylvania
Rare Earths in Renewables: The Story of Three Rs Renewables 2020-2021 Deep Jariwala Natural Resources
Climate Change and Energy Technological Progress Climate, Renewables 2020-2021 Jesús Fernández-Villaverde Storage
Wartime Speed During Peacetime? How New York State Built an Unprecedented Coalition for Breakneck Renewables Deployment Renewables, Access & Equity 2020-2021 Daniel Cohen Grids
A Six Point Plan for Eliminating U.S. Carbon Emissions and Minimizing Climate Costs Climate, Renewables 2019-2020 Oscar Serpell Energy Efficiency, Finance & Investment, Land Management, Politics, Regulation, Subsidies
Promoting Energy Conservation on the Farm: Thinking About Waste as a Gold Mine Instead of a Headache Climate, Renewables 2019-2020 Dipti Pitta, Veronica Shabtai Biofuel, Pennsylvania, Waste
Guiding Energy Storage Capacity Investment for Renewable Grids Renewables 2019-2020 Christian Kaps Grids, Storage
Jump-Starting the Market: Subsidies and Firm Entry Markets & Regulation, Renewables 2018-2019 Felipe Flores-Golfin Solar, Subsidies
A Data Driven PV Power Forecasting Model Renewables, Electricity 2017-2018 Jorge J. Santiago-Aviles Distributed Energy, Grids, Solar
The Impact of Renewable Energy Procurement Auctions in Brazil Renewables, Electricity 2017-2018 Gabrielle Vasey Electricity Markets, Grids, Hydropower, International
Potable Water for the Clinic Serving the Community of Gashora, Rwanda Access & Equity, Renewables 2016-2017 Jorge J. Santiago-Aviles International, Solar
Solar Energy Powered Water Purification System in Rwanda Access & Equity, Renewables 2015-2016 Jorge J. Santiago-Aviles International, Solar, Water