The CAES Energy Policy Institute is a research and advising center focused on advancing energy decision-making with objective, evidence-based analysis. We bridge engineering and economics with timely assessments of societal and technical aspects of energy. In doing so, we conduct research and advise, facilitate community planning, and train. From net zero systems to the security of critical materials, our applied approach integrates decision-making with science to inform choices from the local to international levels. Based at Boise State University, EPI is the policy arm of the Center for Advanced Energy Studies, a consortium of public universities and Idaho National Laboratory.

Sample areas of topical coverage include: Regional hubs & diversification with energy transitions & critical minerals mining; Community-informed decision-making and consent-based siting; Wildfire-grid risk; State trends in carbon and nuclear policies; Emerging markets and policy for small modular reactors; Arctic energy; Resilience & local knowledge in energy-water systems; Electricity market design and evaluation; Energy infrastructure planning; Net zero communities.

To learn more about EPI, visit https://www.boisestate.edu/epi/.

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Submissions from 2024

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Exposure of Future Nuclear Energy Infrastructure to Climate Change Hazards: A Review Assessment, Joana Portugal-Pereira, Miguel Esteban, and Kathleen Araújo

Books from 2023

Routledge Handbook of Energy Transitions, Kathleen Araujo

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A Roadmap for Concepts and Theory of Energy Transitions, Kathleen M. Araújo

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The Evolving Field of Energy Transitions: A World of Change, Kathleen M. Araújo

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Reconceptualizing the Next Frontier in Energy Transitions, Kathleen M. Araújo, Timothy J. Foxon, Jochen Markard, Rob Raven, and Roberto Schaeffer

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Prospects for Nuclear Microreactors: A Review of the Technology, Economics, and Regulatory Considerations, G. Black, D. Shropshire, K. Araújo, and A. Van Heek

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The Power Grid/Wildfire Nexus: Using GIS and Satellite Remote Sensing to Identify Vulnerabilities, Alyssa Farnes, Keith Weber, Cassie Koerner, Kathy Araújo, and Christopher Forsgren

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The Evolution of Participatory Policy-Making for Regional Power Grids, Nicholas Johnson, Stephanie Lenhart, and Seth Blumsack

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Lessons from Electric Cooperatives: Evolving Participatory Governance Practices, Stephanie Lenhart

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Thermomechanical Properties of Neutron Irradiated Al3Hf-Al Thermal Neutron Absorber Materials, Donna Post Guillen, Mychailo B. Toloczko, Ramprashad Prabhakaran, Yuanyuan Zhu, Yu Lu, and Yaqiao Wu

Submissions from 2022

Comparing and Contrasting the Institutional Relationships, Regulatory Frameworks, and Energy System Governance of European and U.S. Electric Cooperatives, Stephanie Lenhart, Gabriel Chan, Matthew Grimley, and Elizabeth Wilson

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Participatory Democracy in Dynamic Contexts: A Review of Regional Transmission Organization Governance in the United States, Stephanie Lenhart and Dalten Fox

Submissions from 2021

Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Adoption: Opportunities and Challenges for Emerging Markets, Geoffrey Black, David Shropshire, and Kathleen Araújo

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Microgrid Decision-Making by Public Power Utilities in the United States: A Critical Assessment of Adoption and Technological Profiles, Stephanie Lenhart and Kathleen Araújo

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Structural Power in Sustainability Transitions: Case Studies of Energy Storage Integration into Regional Transmission Organization Decision Processes, Stephanie Lenhart and Dalten Fox

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Cyber Security for Microreactors in Advanced Energy Systems, Piyush Sabharwall, James Gibb, Christopher Ritter, Kathleen Araújo, Abhinav Gupta, Ian Ferguson, Bri Rolston, Ron Fisher, Jess Gehin, and Youssef Ballout

Submissions from 2020

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Municipal Utilities and Electric Cooperatives in the United States: Interpretive Frames, Strategic Actions, and Place-Specific Transitions, Stephanie Lenhart, Gabriel Chan, Lindsey Forsberg, Matthew Grimley, and Elizabeth Wilson

Submissions from 2019

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A Clean Energy Assessment of Early Adopters in Electric Vehicle and Solar Photovoltaic Technology: Geospatial, Political and Socio-Demographic Trends in New York, Kathleen Araújo, Jean Léon Boucher, and Omkar Aphale

Submissions from 2018

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White Certificate Trading: A Dying Concept or Just Making Its Debut? Part I: Market Status and Trends, Elizabeth Lokey Aldrich and Cassandra L. Koerner

Low Carbon Energy Transitions: Turning Points in National Policy and Innovation, Kathleen Araújo

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White Certificate Trading: A Dying Concept or Just Making Its Debut? Part II: Challenges to Trading White Certificates, Elizabeth Lokey Aldrich and Cassandra L. Koerner

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White Certificate Trading: A Dying Concept or Just Making Its Debut? Part III: Future Market Potential in the U.S., Elizabeth Lokey Aldrich and Cassandra L. Koerner

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Human Reliability Considerations from the Hawaii Ballistic Missile Alert Event, Heather Medema, Harold Blackman, Kateryna Savchenko, and Ronald Boring

Submissions from 2017

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Overlapping Authorities in U.S. Energy Policy, Luke Fowler and Autumn T. Johnson

Submissions from 2016

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Utility-Scale Solar and Public Attitudes Toward Siting: A Critical Examination of Proximity, Juliet E. Carlisle, David Solan, Stephanie L. Kane, and Jeffrey Joe

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Electricity Governance and the Western Energy Imbalance Market in the United States: The Necessity of Interorganizational Collaboration, Stephanie Lenhart, Natalie Nelson-Marsh, Elizabeth J. Wilson, and David Solan

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Political Efficacy and Familiarity as Predictors of Attitudes Towards Electric Transmission Lines in the United States, David Solan and Dave Koehler

Submissions from 2015

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Quantitative and Qualitative Comparison of Light Water and Advanced Small Modular Reactors, Fatih Aydogan, Geoffrey Black, Meredith A. Taylor Black, and David Solan

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Carbon Free Energy Development and the Role of Small Modular Reactors: A Review and Decision Framework for Deployment in Developing Countries, Geoffrey Black, Meredith A. Taylor, David Solan, and David Shropshire

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Using GIS Analytics and Social Preference Data to Evaluate Utility-Scale Solar Power Site Suitability, Justin Brewer, Daniel P. Ames, David Solan, Randy Lee, and Juliet Carlisle

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Public Attitudes Regarding Large-Scale Solar Energy Development in the U.S., Juliet E. Carlisle, Stephanie L. Kane, David Solan, Madelaine Bowman, and Jeffrey C. Joe

Submissions from 2014

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Fiscal and Economic Impacts of State Incentives for Wind Energy Development in the Western United States, Geoffrey Black, Donald Holley, David Solan, and Michael Bergloff

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Support for Solar Energy: Examining Sense of Place and Utility-Scale Development in California, Juliet E. Carlisle, Stephanie L. Kane, David Solan, and Jeffrey C. Joe

Submissions from 2013

Web-based Mapping Applications for Solar Energy Project Planning, James Kuiper, Dave Koehler, Daniel P. Ames, Randy Lee, and Ted Quinby

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An Analysis of Empirical Cases of Community Wind in Oregon, Yao Yin

Submissions from 2012

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Unveiling Assigned Amount Unit (AAU) Trades: Current Market Impacts and Prospects for the Future, Elizabeth Lokey Aldrich and Cassandra L. Koerner

Managing the Risks of Carbon Sequestration: Liability Concerns and Alternatives, Elizabeth Lokey Aldrich, Cassandra Koerner, Joseph C. Perkowski, and Travis L. McLing

Submissions from 2010

Economic and Employment Impacts of Small Modular Nuclear Reactors, David Solan, Geoffrey Black, Michael Louis, Steve Peterson, Larry Carter, Sam Peterson, Ryan Bills, Brogan Morton, and Edward Arthur

Submissions from 2009

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The EPAStat Quarterly Report and Lessons Learned, David Solan