The James E. Rogers Energy Access Project at Duke

What The James E. Rogers Energy Access Project at Duke does

The James E. Rogers Energy Access Project at Duke is an academic research center housed within Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability and operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit since 2017. The project conducts applied research, policy analysis, and knowledge dissemination focused on energy poverty in low- and middle-income countries, organized across four workstreams: Powering Productivity and Healthy Communities; Modernizing Energy Access Finance; Harnessing Data and Modern Technology; and Building Equitable and Sustainable Energy Transitions. Its outputs include peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs, the annual SETI workshop series, the Energy in Emerging Markets Case Competition for students, and the Energy Data Analytics Lab, which combines satellite imagery, drone imagery, smart meter data, cookstove sensors, vehicle-mounted cameras, and crowdsourced data with deep learning and optimization techniques to support energy planning and policy.

The center's primary constituents are policymakers and government agencies, project developers, investors and development finance institutions, civil society organizations, and students. It does not sell products or services; all research outputs and educational programs are distributed freely through open-access publications, the project website, conferences, and direct engagement. Funding comes from research grants (including Nicholas Institute Catalyst Grants), donor contributions, and co-funded partnerships with multilaterals (WHO, IDB, SE4All), bilateral agencies (Millennium Challenge Corporation), private philanthropy (Shell Foundation), and consulting/research partners (CrossBoundary, RMI, Social Impact, RTI International). Quantified outcomes include the BAR-HAP analysis (net benefits of $1.4 trillion from 2020-2050 across 120 LMICs from clean cooking transition policies) and the mesh-grid study (greater than 96% reliability at 41% lower deployment cost than mini-grids in Nigeria).

Name

The James E. Rogers Energy Access Project at Duke

Legal name

The James E. Rogers Energy Access Project at Duke

Website

https://energyaccess.duke.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The James E. Rogers Energy Access Project at Duke is a nonprofit academic research center, founded in 2017, that conducts policy research, data analytics, and educational programs on energy poverty for policymakers, developers, investors, and civil society in low- and middle-income countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Energy Access Research and Policy Analysis

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Renewable Energy & Clean Tech Access (Off-grid, Energy Poverty Solutions) (BPAGALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Renewable Policy & Regulatory Strategy (National/State/Local) (EUAMANAA), Energy Justice, Equity & Ratepayer Impact Analysis (EUAMANAN)

Keywords

• Energy access research
• Clean cooking solutions
• Off-grid electrification
• Energy policy analysis
• Sustainable energy transitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Funding: The project is funded through research grants, donor support, and institutional funding from Duke University. Since 2017, research and analysis along with direct engagement with decision-makers have helped shape policies and investments.
2. Donor Contributions: Support from individual donors enables recruitment of staff, provides student learning opportunities, and funds pioneering research on energy poverty solutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The James E. Rogers Energy Access Project at Duke conducts rigorous policy-relevant research, data analytics, and educational programming on energy poverty, off-grid electrification, clean cooking, and sustainable energy transitions in low- and middle-income countries. It produces open-access publications, policy briefs, datasets, and analytical tools, and engages directly with policymakers, project developers, investors, civil society, and impacted communities to inform decisions and build the next generation of energy leaders.

Product overview

The James E. Rogers Energy Access Project at Duke is a university-based research center (not a commercial product company) that produces research publications, policy analysis, educational programs, and data analytics tools focused on energy poverty and energy access in low- and middle-income countries. Its portfolio spans four interconnected workstreams: Powering Productivity and Healthy Communities (studying how energy access impacts health and economic outcomes), Modernizing Energy Access Finance (exploring off-grid financing and climate finance), Harnessing Data and Modern Technology (applying satellite imagery, machine learning, and smart meter analytics to energy planning), and Building Equitable and Sustainable Energy Transitions (addressing gender, clean cooking, and equity dimensions). The project also runs the annual Energy in Emerging Markets Case Competition for students and organizes the SETI annual conference series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Energy Access Research and Policy Analysis Rigorous research and policy analysis addressing energy poverty, energy access finance, clean cooking, and sustainable energy transitions in low- and middle-income countries; delivered as open-access publications, briefings, working papers, and datasets for policymakers, DFIs, and project developers.
• Energy in Emerging Markets Case Competition Annual flagship competition engaging students worldwide in solving real-world energy challenges in low- and middle-income countries, building the next generation of energy leaders.
• Energy Data Analytics Lab Research initiative leveraging satellite imagery, vehicle-mounted cameras, smart meters, cookstove sensors, and crowdsourced platforms combined with deep learning techniques to reveal patterns guiding energy access planning and policymaking.
• Sustainable Energy Transitions Initiative (SETI) Annual conference and workshop series bringing together academic researchers and energy access practitioners to discuss critical issues in energy access, featuring presentations on energy data analytics and innovative analytical tools.
• Global Assessment of Electricity in Healthcare Facilities Comprehensive initiative providing an update on the status and key actions needed for providing reliable, modern energy to healthcare facilities in low- and middle-income countries, developed in collaboration with the World Health Organization.

Quantifiable outcome

• Policies and investments shaped since 2017 have helped expand access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• World Health OrganizationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Team members Marc Jeuland and Ipsita Das assisted in developing the WHO Benefits of Action to Reduce Household Air Pollution (BAR-HAP) Tool.
• Inter-American Development BankmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Collaborated with IDB and Sustainable Energy For All to develop the Energy Access Dividend for Haiti and Honduras, quantifying electrification benefits forgone during country transitions.
• Sustainable Energy For AllmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership to develop the Energy Access Dividend for Haiti and Honduras quantifying electrification benefits.
• RTI InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Collaborated on the Data for Development convening focusing on using data analytics to accelerate energy access.
• Millennium Challenge CorporationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Government agency funding the Off-Grid Electricity Access Project (OGEAP) in Benin worth $46 million, with Duke evaluating the initiative including performance evaluation, impact evaluation, and cost-benefit analysis.
• Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & SustainabilitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary institutional partner within Duke University, providing administrative and research infrastructure support for the Energy Access Project.
• Nicholas School of the EnvironmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner within Duke University providing research faculty and educational programs.
• Sanford School of Public PolicycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing public policy expertise and research collaboration.
• Bass ConnectionsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuke's cross-disciplinary student research program connecting undergraduates and graduate students with faculty on energy access projects.
• Social ImpactmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEvaluation partner working with Duke on the Benin Off-Grid Electricity Access Project evaluation.
• RMImajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner alongside Duke on the CASEE programme examining climate finance for small agriculture enterprises in India and sub-Saharan Africa.
• CrossBoundarymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on mesh-grids study comparing mesh-grids and mini-grid deployments with findings based on data from Nigeria, supported by Duke University and other academic partners.
• The Nature ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner on conservation agriculture adoption study in Punjab, India, providing survey data collected in partnership with Indian Statistical Institute, BISA and CYMMIT.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Acumen: Acumen is a nonprofit impact investor focused on off-grid energy and clean cooking enterprises serving low-income customers. It represents a downstream, capital-deployment peer operating in the same energy access space that Duke's research informs.
• World Resources Institute (WRI): WRI is a large, established global research organization producing rigorous energy access and climate policy analysis across dozens of LMICs. Its scale and multi-topic portfolio position it as a broader incumbent operating in Duke's same research-and-policy niche.
• IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency): IRENA is an intergovernmental organization producing authoritative global renewable energy data and policy analysis. It operates at much larger scale than Duke but competes in the same LMIC energy planning and policy advisory space.
• World Bank ESMAP: ESMAP is the World Bank's energy sector knowledge and technical assistance program supporting LMIC energy access initiatives. Its scale, mandate, and proximity to development finance make it the largest institutional peer competing for influence in this space.

Direct peers

• Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA): CCA is the leading global public-private partnership driving clean cooking adoption in LMICs. Duke's BAR-HAP model directly quantifies clean cooking policy benefits across 120 LMICs, placing both organizations in the same mission-aligned evidence-and-advocacy space.
• RTI International: RTI International is a research institute that partnered with Duke on the Data for Development convening on energy access analytics. It serves a comparable research-and-evaluation function for development agencies and operates in overlapping LMIC geographies.
• RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute): RMI is a global energy transition nonprofit producing research and direct implementation support for clean energy access in emerging markets. It is a co-research partner with Duke on the CASEE climate finance programme, making it a directly comparable mission-aligned peer.
• Columbia Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP): CGEP is an academic energy policy center at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs producing research on global energy transitions. It shares Duke's academic, policy-focused, multi-disciplinary model and competes for similar scholarly and policy influence.
• Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL): SEforALL is a global multi-stakeholder initiative focused on universal energy access and just energy transitions. It partnered with Duke on the Energy Access Dividend analyses for Haiti and Honduras, and serves a comparable policy advisory function targeting LMICs.
• Climate Policy Initiative (CPI): CPI is a global analysis and advisory organization producing research on climate finance flows, including energy access finance. Its focus on climate finance analytics overlaps directly with Duke's Modernizing Energy Access Finance workstream and CASEE programme.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/duke-university-energy-access-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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