Director, James E. Rogers Energy Access Project

Jonathan Phillips

  • Jonathan Phillips
    Jonathan Phillips
    Director, Energy Access Project

Director, James E. Rogers Energy Access Project

Contact: 919-681-7188, jonathan.phillips@duke.edu

Phillips is the Director of the James E. Rogers Energy Access Project at Duke University, with an appointment at the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability. His work focuses on policy, regulatory, and economic issues related to rural electrification, grid de-carbonization, off-grid energy systems, and energy for productivity.

Phillips was the senior advisor to the president and CEO of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation during the Obama Administration, helping scale-up the agency’s climate finance capabilities and lead the implementation of strategic initiatives, including the agency’s $2.1 billion Power Africa portfolio.

Before that, Phillips led private sector engagement and programming with Power Africa at USAID, helping ramp-up the $300 million presidential initiative into one of the largest public-private development partnerships in the world.

From 2007-2014, he held a variety of roles in the U.S. Congress, most recently serving as the senior policy advisor to Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts. He supported many notable legislative efforts, including serving as one of the lead authors of the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill that passed the House in 2009. He also served on the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming as well as the House Natural Resources Committee.

Phillips was a business and economic development volunteer with the Peace Corps in Mongolia. He received a bachelor’s degree from the Milwaukee School of Engineering and a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Recent work by Phillips includes:

My Work

Phillips Appointed as Visiting Professor to Duke Kunshan University for Fall Semester

Phillips Appointed as Visiting Professor to Duke Kunshan University for Fall Semester

Jonathan Phillips, director of the James E. Rogers Energy Access Project at Duke University, will be a visiting associate professor at Duke Kunshan University (DKU) in China during fall 2023. Jonathan will work with DKU’s International Master of Environmental Policy program, furthering research on low-carbon development and investment.

Barriers and Policy Solutions for Off-Grid Energy Development

Barriers and Policy Solutions for Off-Grid Energy Development

    The falling costs of solar technology and development of new and more cost-effective battery technologies have made off-grid solutions the preferred least cost technology for electrification in many rural settings. Yet, the sector faces numerous challenges that...

Bringing Water to Thirsty Fields With Help From the Sun

Bringing Water to Thirsty Fields With Help From the Sun

On the latest episode from the Sanford’s Ways & Means podcast – Marc Jeuland, Jonathan Phillips, & Rahel Bekele discusses how solar mini-grid powered irrigation can change smallholder farmers’ lives and the work EAP@Duke is doing to evaluate the effects of the DREAM project on the resilience of the farming community.

New Frontiers in Climate Finance

New Frontiers in Climate Finance

    Investment decisions made in low- and middle-income countries leading up to 2030 will determine whether low-carbon pathways out of poverty and climate vulnerability are possible for millions, and whether the next global surge in emissions can be prevented. There...

How to Transition to a Clean Energy Future

How to Transition to a Clean Energy Future

What is delaying the transition to clean energy in the US? Listen to EAP’s Jonathan Phillips explaining policy and infrastructure requirements to attain net zero emissions goals during New York Climate Week on Cheddar News

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