Energy

Information Operations
blog
Russian Propaganda, Domestic Terrorism, America's Electric Grid: RAND Weekly Recap
Oct 16, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on how Americans react to Russian memes on Facebook, the possibility of domestic terrorism during election season, protecting the U.S. electric grid, and more.
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Energy Security
commentary
The Downside of a Lean Electric Grid
Ismael Arciniegas Rueda, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg
Oct 13, 2020
The Hill
The electric grid is central to U.S. national security. Recent disasters provide an example of the downsides of leanness. It's more costly to be less lean, but given our dependence on the electric grid and the increasing prevalence of disasters, safety and resilience may be greater priorities.
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Energy Security
q&a
Thinking Outside the Grid: Q&A with Anu Narayanan
Mar 5, 2020
Anu Narayanan, an engineer at RAND, is a specialist in what-ifs. Her research focuses on critical infrastructure and national security. In this interview, she discusses her latest work that explores what would happen if a cyberattacker tried to take down the power grid.
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Turkey
blog
U.S.-Turkish Relations, Airports, Opioids: RAND Weekly Recap
Jan 17, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on the future of the U.S.-Turkish partnership, helping America's commercial airports meet rising demand, the opioid crisis, and more.
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China
commentary
The Little-Known Security Gaps in China's Belt and Road Initiative
Mollie Saltskog, Colin P. Clarke
Feb 18, 2019
The National Interest
China's Belt and Road Initiative focuses on developing infrastructure to connect Beijing to key hubs of economic activity throughout the world. But the more interests one has abroad, the more one has to protect.
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Energy Conservation
commentary
Can Innovative Financing by the Public and Private Sectors Build on Momentum in Energy Efficiency Improvements for Affordable Multifamily Housing?
Lisa Jonsson, Aimee E. Curtright @ACurtright
Dec 12, 2018
The Energy Collective
Nearly one in three American households in 2015 reported difficulty paying their energy bills or sustaining adequate home heating and cooling. Emerging models of energy services and financing show promise, and could identify creative ways to increase access to funding that could preserve and improve home affordability for millions of Americans.
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Disaster Recovery Operations
commentary
Overlapping Environmental Disasters Put a Strain on Gulf Communities
Melissa L. Finucane @MelissaFinucane
Nov 29, 2018
NOLA.com
For Gulf Coast residents, dealing with the impact of the Deepwater Horizon disaster is challenging enough. With the Taylor Energy spill, they may face an even more daunting recovery, one that could take decades. Acknowledging the extent and complexity of recovery is the first step toward supporting coastal communities to build their resilience in the face of overlapping disasters.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
Could America Use Its Leverage to Alter the Saudis' Behavior?
Ariane M. Tabatabai, Becca Wasser
Nov 15, 2018
Newsweek
As the Saudis' chief political and military partner and the undisputed security guarantor in the Middle East, the United States has considerable influence it can wield over Saudi decisionmaking. The Trump administration could consider using its influence to encourage Saudi leadership to moderate its assertive and damaging policies abroad.
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Occupational Training
essay
Appalachia Partnership Helps Both Workers and Employers in a Changing Market
Aug 30, 2018
An innovative program in Appalachia is realigning the skills of the workforce with the needs of employers, getting people back on the job and providing a 21st-century model of workforce development.
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Emerging Technologies
commentary
A Better Way to Think About Scooters
Robert J. Lempert @RobertLempert, Tim McDonald, Andrew J. Lohn @andrewjlohn
Aug 28, 2018
Los Angeles Times
Unleashed in Santa Monica, California, last September, Bird and its competitors are now in 30 American cities and counting. Cities are responding to the scooter takeover with new regulations and increased law enforcement. But if officials rely only on 20th-century tools to integrate these 21st-century scooters into their cities, they will miss a big opportunity.
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Terrorism Financing
q&a
Oil, Extortion Still Paying Off for ISIS
Oct 27, 2017
The Cipher Brief
ISIS's oil revenues declined from a peak of $40 million per month in 2015 to $4 million per month as of early October 2017. Despite the massive reduction, it's still a substantial amount of money for a group whose expenditures decrease with the size of the population and territory it controls and decreased recruitment.
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International Economic Relations
commentary
King Salman and Putin Deals Leave the U.S. Out in the Cold
Becca Wasser, Howard J. Shatz @HowardJShatz
Oct 4, 2017
Newsweek
Riyadh plans to invest in Russian energy assets and possibly arms. The deals will lead to the manufacture of arms in Saudi Arabia and likely the transfer of military technology. These agreements thwart the U.S.- and EU-led sanctions regime and send an important signal to Washington.
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Public Utilities
commentary
Getting (Solar) Electricity Pricing Right
Nicholas Burger, Aimee E. Curtright @ACurtright, Benjamin Michael Smith
Jul 24, 2017
The Energy Collective
Demand for rooftop solar panels is soaring among U.S. homeowners. Meanwhile, states are struggling to adapt a 20th-century electrical grid—and the corresponding cost structure for electricity rates—to this 21st-century reality. This is causing confusion and uncertainty.
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Libya
commentary
How the Gulf Row Could Tear Libya Apart Even Further
Amanda Kadlec
Jul 7, 2017
Foreign Policy Concepts
Since Gadhafi was removed from power, Gulf nations have been vying for position in Libya through proxy forces to influence political outcomes. Libya's rival militias — armed and funded by their respective Gulf sponsors — set the framework for the civil conflict that erupted in 2014 and continues today. Current tensions between Qatar and its neighbors are adding to the instability.
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Environmental Regulation
commentary
Impact on the Environment from President Trump's First 100 Days
Debra Knopman
May 4, 2017
BBC
President Trump's actions have not yet resulted in demonstrable change in environmental conditions or funding. But the groundwork is being laid to unwind major regulations and diminish staff at the EPA and other federal agencies with climate-related research in their portfolios.
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Alternative and Renewable Energy
commentary
Uncertainty and Complexity: Biomass Can Help on the Path to Deep Decarbonization
Aimee E. Curtright @ACurtright, Sara Turner
Feb 24, 2017
Pennsylvania Environmental Council
While biomass will almost certainly never become the dominant fuel for the electricity sector in the United States, it is still worth including as part of a menu of greenhouse gas mitigation strategies.
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Page 1 of 6

Risk of Sexual Assault in the Military Is Higher Where Sexual Harassment Is Common

Vaccine Hesitancy Is High Among Black Americans, Including Health Care Workers

Use Wargaming to Sharpen the Tactical Edge

What Communities Need to Thrive: Q&A with Anita Chandra

Strategies for Minimizing Cyber Security Risks

The Policy Currents Podcast

Getting to Know Military Caregivers and Their Needs

Helping Coastal Communities Plan for Climate Change

Improving Psychological Wellbeing and Work Outcomes in the UK

Lightening Body Armor

Energy

Russian Propaganda, Domestic Terrorism, America's Electric Grid: RAND Weekly Recap

The Downside of a Lean Electric Grid

Thinking Outside the Grid: Q&A with Anu Narayanan

U.S.-Turkish Relations, Airports, Opioids: RAND Weekly Recap

The Little-Known Security Gaps in China's Belt and Road Initiative

Can Innovative Financing by the Public and Private Sectors Build on Momentum in Energy Efficiency Improvements for Affordable Multifamily Housing?

Overlapping Environmental Disasters Put a Strain on Gulf Communities

Could America Use Its Leverage to Alter the Saudis' Behavior?

Appalachia Partnership Helps Both Workers and Employers in a Changing Market

A Better Way to Think About Scooters

Oil, Extortion Still Paying Off for ISIS

King Salman and Putin Deals Leave the U.S. Out in the Cold

Getting (Solar) Electricity Pricing Right

How the Gulf Row Could Tear Libya Apart Even Further

Impact on the Environment from President Trump's First 100 Days

Uncertainty and Complexity: Biomass Can Help on the Path to Deep Decarbonization

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