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Dr. Nicholas H. Johnson
Dr. Nicholas H. Johnson

Associate Professor of Sustainability and Economics
Chair of the Sustainability Department

Teaching Area(s)

Sustainability
Economics

Education

  • PhD, Energy and Mineral Engineering, Pennsylvania State University
  • MS, Environmental Policy, Michigan Technological University
  • BS, Principia College

Contact

"Teaching gives me the opportunity to engage with students interested in addressing the complex challenges society faces today."

Dr. Nicholas H. Johnson's primary interests are in the way energy is produced and used in society and in the clean energy transition underway as the U.S. reduces its greenhouse gas emissions. His main area of expertise is in electricity policy. His multidisciplinary research explores the decision-making processes of Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs), the entities responsible for implementing electricity policy in much of the U.S.

Scholarly Interests

  • Electric reliability
  • Electricity economics and policy
  • Decision making in Regional Transmission Organizations
  • Clean energy transition
  • Network analysis

Publications and Presentations

  • Johnson, NH. “The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA) and the Challenges Facing the Illinois Electric Grid”, Sierra Club Piasa Palisades Group speaker series, Alton, IL. 13 May 2025.
  • Johnson, NH. “U.S. Renewable Energy Policy”, IS 318 Sustainability and Renewable Energy, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. 1 April 2025. 
  • Johnson, NH. “An Introduction to Environmental Cost Benefit Analysis”, SPARK program, Washington University in St. Louis. 20 August 2024. 
  • Downing, J, NH Johnson, M McNicholas, D. Nemtzow, R Oueid, J Paladino, and EB Wolfe. Pathway to Commercial Liftoff for Virtual Power Plants. U.S. Department of Energy, September, 2023. 
  • Johnson, NH, Demand and Greenhouse gas neutral and Demand management. In: B Haddad and BD Solomon (Editors), Dictionary of Ecological Economics. Edward Elgar Press, 2023. 
  • Cocks, M and NH Johnson. “Smart City Technologies in the USA: Smart Grid and Transportation Initiatives in Columbus, OH.” In: HM Kim, S Sabri, and A Kent (Editors), Smart Cities for Technological and Social Innovation, Elsevier, 2020

For additional publications and presentations, please see the CV below.

Dr. Nicholas Johnson CV