Clean Energy Equity Index: The First Collaborative Project for the Climate Exchange
In her December 8, 2022 letter to the Research Foundation of SUNY, Justina Nixon-Saintil, Vice President and Global Head of IBM Corporate Social Responsibility, announced that IBM's Sustainability Accelerator program has selected Stony Brook University to receive a technology grant to develop the Clean Energy Equity Index (CEEI).
Led by Dr. Rong Zhao, Director of the Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT), and Drs. Christine Gilbert and Sung-Gheel Jang of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS), this project aims to provide actionable information and best practices to support communities across the United States and other countries in their transition from fossil fuel energy production to clean energy.
Partnering with IBM and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), whose mission is to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity, the CEEI project team is developing an innovative, data-driven approach for public and private sector stakeholders to address issues in the siting, production, transmission, and distribution of clean energy; provide affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity access to disadvantaged communities; and measure the impact of clean energy policies and investments. CEEI will be deployed as a cloud-based geospatial analytics software and serve as an open platform for all participants in the clean energy ecosystem.
"We are pleased that our collaboration with Stony Brook University has presented this opportunity for us to advance equity and accessibility in the energy domain", said Michael Jacobs, IBM's Sustainability and Social Innovation Leader.