Overview
Jonathan 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.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
Resilience Monetization and Credits Initiative: A Background Paper
Report · May 23, 2024 Addressing climate change requires urgent and innovative action aimed at both mitigating its effects and addressing its most severe impacts. However, current investment levels are insufficient to match the escalating climate risks and damages. Despite the ... Open Access Link to item CiteCan Time-of-Use Tariffs Increase the Financial Viability of Mini-Grids?
Report · October 26, 2022 Declining solar and battery costs and increased operational efficiency have helped expand community-scale mini-grids, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where they now meet the power needs of over 47 million people. However, mini-grid system ... Open Access Link to item CiteClimate Finance for Just Transitions: Building Low-Carbon Development Pathways in an Age of US-China Rivalry
Report · September 14, 2022 This paper investigates challenges throughout the international climate finance landscape and recommends pathways for how investments into low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) can more effectively drive low-carbon development. The paper focuses on thre ... Open Access Link to item CiteRecent Grants
Adaptation Value Chains
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Shell Foundation · 2022 - 2025Scoping Pathways Toward Standardization of Resilience Measurement Methodologies
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by World Resources Institute · 2023 - 2024Low-carbon Development in LMICs
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by William and Flora Hewlett Foundation · 2021 - 2022View All Grants