Institute For Energy & Environmental Research

THE ORGANIZATION WAS FORMED TO PROVIDE THE PUBLIC AND POLICY MAKERS WITH SOUND SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION. THE ORGANIZATION'S GOAL IS TO BRING SCIENTIFIC EXCELLENCE TO PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES IN ORDER TO PROMOTE THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF SCIENCE AND A SAFER, HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT.

RENEWABLE ENERGY: THE RENEWABLE ENERGY PROGRAM ANALYZES THE TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF A TRANSITION TO A RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEM, PRIMARILY WIND AND SOLAR ENERGY. IN 2020, IEER PREPARED A REPORT, GOLD ON THE ROOF, EXAMINING THE ECONOMICS OF ROOFTOP SOLAR IN NEW CONSTRUCTION, AND A VISION FOR REDUCING EMISSIONS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MARYLAND. IEER ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THE MITIGATION WORKING GROUP OF THE MARYLAND COMMISSION ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND A COALITION TO PROMOTE ACCESS TO SOLAR ENERGY FOR LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS IN MARYLAND. IEER PARTICIPATED IN ANOTHER COALITION, ENERGY ADVOCATES, TO EXAMINE AND PROMOTE ENERGY AFFORDABILITY BY LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS. IEER BEGAN A RESEARCH COLLABORATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA THAT WILL, IN THE COMING TWO YEARS, EXAMINE THE IMPACT ON HOUSEHOLD FINANCES AND HEALTH OF REDUCED ELECTRICITY BILLS AS A RESULT OF ACCESS TO COMMUNITY SOLAR.

NUCLEAR: THE NUCLEAR PROGRAM EXAMINES ECONOMIC, TECHNICAL, AND HEALTH ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH NUCLEAR POWER AND WHETHER NUCLEAR POWER IS A USEFUL ENERGY SOURCE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION. IN 2020, IEER PARTICIPATED IN A VIRTUAL TWO-DAY WESTHEIMER PEACE SYMPOSIUM ORGANIZED BY WILMINGTON COLLEGE, OHIO. IEER PRESIDENT ARJUN MAKHIJANI MADE TWO PRESENTATIONS DURING THAT SYMPOSIUM, ONE ON NUCLEAR POWER AND CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE OTHER ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE WORLD WAR II JAPANESE BOMBING OF PEARL HARBOR AT THE START OF THE U.S. ENTRY INTO THE WAR AND THE U.S. BOMBINGS OF HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI AT THE END OF IT. ARJUN MAKHIJANI ALSO WROTE BLOG POSTS ON THIS TOPIC. IN JANUARY 2020, ARJUN MAKHIJANI PARTICIPATED IN AN OXFORD UNION-STYLE DEBATE ON NUCLEAR POWER IN NEW YORK CITY. IEER CONTINUED ITS RESEARCH ON THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF TRITIUM POLLUTION.

HEALTHY SOILS: THE HEALTHY SOILS PROGRAM STUDIES CARBON SEQUESTRATION AND METHANE MITIGATION ASPECTS OF REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE, THE WAYS THAT RENEWABLE ENERGY AND REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE CAN BE JOINED, AND THE ECONOMIC AND TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF ADOPTING REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES. IN 2020, IEER PREPARED A DETAILED REPORT EXAMINING THE TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF LOCATING SOLAR INSTALLATIONS ON FARMLAND. THE REPORT, TO BE RELEASED IN 2021, EXAMINES SITING SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC INSTALLATIONS FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THEIR POTENTIAL FOR IMPROVING FARM PROFITABILITY, FARM ECONOMIC RESILIENCE, AND SOIL AND ECOSYSTEM HEALTH. IEER ALSO BEGAN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MODEL FOR ASSESSING THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF A TRANSITION FROM INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES TO REGENERATIVE PRACTICES. IEER IS PART OF A COLLABORATIVE CALLED THE MILLION ACRE CHALLENGE, WHICH SEEKS TO BRING A MILLION ACRES OF MARYLAND AGRICULTURAL LAND TO HEALTHY SOIL PRACTICES. AS PART OF THIS EFFORT, IEER IS HELPING TO DEVELOP A SCORING SYSTEM THAT WOULD ENABLE AN ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF PUBLIC INVESTMENTS AND POLICIES ON THE PROMOTION OF REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES.