Each semester, the Duke Undergraduate Energy & Climate Club (DECC) collaborates with energy and sustainability organizations to offer pro-bono consulting projects. These projects connect students with industry professionals, offering practical experience while delivering results for partners. Over the 2023–2024 academic year, DECC hosted 11 project teams with organizations like Modern Hydrogen, Third Derivative, and Duke Energy.
Deliverables included technoeconomic analyses, lifecycle assessments, market research, and policy recommendations, with one spring project extending into a summer internship. Project managers and analysts frequently cite their experience on a DECC project team in job interviews. DECC is continuing and expanding upon its project program for the 2024-25 academic year.
DECC also hosted a fall 2023 panel with over 50 attendees on electric vehicle start-up challenges. Panelists affiliated with Joules Accelerator came together to discuss electric vehicle startups, including innovations in battery chemistry and grid electrification and the difficulties commercializing new EV technologies. This general body meeting is one example of many educational speaker events hosted by DECC to facilitate discussions with industry experts and opportunities for networking.