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Rob Fetter

Senior Policy Associate, Energy Access Project, Duke University
Rob Fetter is an economist with expertise in energy, environment, and economic development. He works as a Senior Policy Associate at the Energy Access Project at Duke University (EAP@Duke), a program of the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. He works on a wide range of issues related to energy access and energy transitions in low- and middle-income countries. Current projects include an analysis of conditions that contribute to the productive use of power; a project to identify the effects of unreliable electricity on household cooking decisions in India, and resulting health impacts for women and children; and an analysis of the potential for solar-powered irrigation to enhance household and community resilience in Ethiopian agricultural communities facing climate change. He also works with experts in machine learning to create novel tools for automated analysis of satellite and aerial imagery to enhance the effectiveness of energy access investments.

Dr. Fetter is currently leading a team of consultants to develop a comprehensive global assessment of electrification in healthcare facilities, including compiling available data on health facilities' access to reliable, high-quality electricity. The assessment will also analyze supportive policy frameworks, effective business models, and pros and cons of different solutions, both grid-based and off-grid electrification technologies.

Dr. Fetter joined the Nicholas Institute after completing his Ph.D. in environmental policy at Duke. His dissertation focused on global energy consumption patterns and energy transitions, as well as on environmental regulation and social learning in hydraulic fracturing. Prior to his doctoral studies, he worked in environmental policy consulting for more than a decade. He also co-founded a social enterprise company that created an independent, stakeholder-based certification standard for responsibly produced energy, and co-led the strategic engagement of NGOs, indigenous communities, and other stakeholders.

Solar technologies can speed up vaccine rollout in Africa. Here's how

Mar 22, 2021 13:22 pm UTC| Technology

Theres hope that some industrialised countries will achieve near-universal vaccination against COVID-19 in the coming months. Yet the effort to vaccinate even the most essential workers in developing countries has only...

Economy

Beyond the spin, beyond the handouts, here’s how to get a handle on what’s really happening on budget night

Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, TV or news websites on budget night. The quickest way to find out what...

Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility

Ivan Vladislavić is Johannesburgs literary linkman. He tells us, in the first pages of his new book, The Near North, that before cities were lit, first by gaslight and later electricity, people of means paid torchbearers...

Economist Chris Richardson on an ‘ugly’ inflation result and the coming budget

With Jim Chalmerss third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief beyond the tax cuts although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As this weeks consumer price...

Inflation is slowly falling, while student debt is climbing: 6 graphs that explain today’s CPI

Australias inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and its now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. The annual rate peaked at 7.8% in the December quarter of 2022 and is now just 3.6%, in...

Extraordinary Vietnam fraud case exposes the inherent vulnerabilities of banks

The financial crisis of 2008 showed just how much the world depends on banks being well run. Since then, regulators have been given new powers to keep some of the biggest institutions on a much shorter leash to stamp out...

Politics

Labour can afford to be far more ambitious with its economic policies – voters are on board

To say that the Labour party is flying high in the polls is something of an understatement. But despite its consistent lead against the Tories, the opposition finds itself in a rather odd position: on the cusp of power but...

History for sale: what does South Africa’s struggle heritage mean after 30 years of democracy?

One of my favourite statues is the one of Nelson Mandela at the Sandton City shopping centre in Johannesburg. Larger than life, its oversized bronze shoes shimmer in the evening light, polished by the hands of many...

Sudan: civil war stretches into a second year with no end in sight

In the early hours of April 15 2023, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) a Sudanese paramilitary force attacked the military airstrip in the town of Merowe and deployed troops across strategic locations in Sudans capital,...

Military conscription is returning to Europe, but is it really a more equal way of mobilising? What history tells us

The idea that conscription, defined as the compulsory enlistment of citizens for military service, can increase equality and instil a sense of solidarity that transcends traditional societal divides has echoed throughout...

The 50th anniversary of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution

Across Portugal, a number of photography exhibitions are currently on display that commemorate the ousting of the Estado Novo, the dictatorial, authoritarian and corporatist political regime that had ruled the country...

Science

A Nasa rover has reached a promising place to search for fossilised life on Mars

While we go about our daily lives on Earth, a nuclear-powered robot the size of a small car is trundling around Mars looking for fossils. Unlike its predecessor Curiosity, Nasas Perseverance rover is explicitly intended to...

The rising flood of space junk is a risk to us on Earth – and governments are on the hook

A piece of space junk recently crashed through the roof and floor of a mans home in Florida. Nasa later confirmed that the object had come from unwanted hardware released from the international space station. The 700g,...

Peter Higgs was one of the greats of particle physics. He transformed what we know about the building blocks of the universe

Peter Higgs, who gave his name to the subatomic particle known as the Higgs boson, has died aged 94. He was always a modest man, especially when considering that he was one of the greats of particle physics the area of...

Could a telescope ever see the beginning of time? An astronomer explains

The James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST for short, is one of the most advanced telescopes ever built. Planning for JWST began over 25 years ago, and construction efforts spanned over a decade. It was launched into space on...

US media coverage of new science less likely to mention researchers with African and East Asian names

When one Chinese national recently petitioned the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to become a permanent resident, he thought his chances were pretty good. As an accomplished biologist, he figured that news...

Technology

Anthropic Launches Claude AI App on iPhone to Rival OpenAI’s ChatGPT

Anthropic PBC, an artificial intelligence startup established in 2021, announced on Wednesday, May 1, that it launched an iOS app for its Claude 3 AI chatbot or language models. The company also unveiled a new subscription...

Shiba Inu Whale Moves 100 Billion SHIB Before FOMC, Signals Market Stir

In a surprising move, a mysterious Shiba Inu whale deposited 100 billion SHIB tokens into Coinbase, coinciding with a significant price drop just before the Federal Reserves crucial rate decision. This action has stirred...

Dongfeng Unveils High-Power Tesla Cybertruck Rival, Eyes Production in Italy

At the Beijing Auto Show, Dongfeng Motor Group showcased a Cybertruck-inspired electric vehicle boasting an impressive 1,305 horsepower, signaling its ambitions to produce over 100,000 electrified cars annually in Italy....

Biden Administration Set to Finalize Stricter EV Tax Credit Rules

The Biden administration is finalizing new electric vehicle tax credit rules, slashing the list of eligible models to just 13. This update, part of a broader effort to refine economic incentives before the election,...

Zeus Network Set to Launch Solana to Bitcoin Bridge in Q3 2024

Zeus Network has announced the launch of Zeus Program Library (ZPL) by Q3 2024, a pioneering bridge designed to connect and enhance asset transfer between the Solana and Bitcoin ecosystems, offering broad applications in...