Data-driven analyses of energy policies, plans, and technologies

The Index of Leading Energy Indicators is our unique and eventually interactive tool to help assess the state and future of the nation’s energy supply system. The U.S. Energy Security Index (ESI), the first of four planned components of the Leading Energy Indicators, addresses a critical question: Will current plans for the U.S. energy system improve or degrade national security?

Indexes often act as proxies for measuring the state and direction of change for complex systems influenced by various qualitative and quantitative factors. The gross domestic product (GDP) is one such index used measure a nation’s economic activity. The GDP is neither perfect nor comprehensive yet remains useful—particularly for tracking the direction and rate of changes. Several institutions offer indexes to track leading economic indicators. NCEA is creating a comparable approach for tracking the direction of change in the nation’s energy system.

NCEA offers the first security index that calculates U.S. geopolitical risk levels in both historical and present-day contexts. Future additions to the Leading Energy Indicators will expand to include the three other core features of the U.S. energy system: affordability, reliability, and environmental factors. Our methodology and underlying data are available. We welcome commentary and refinements.

Our scholars regularly speak at conferences, podcasts, and industry events. Use the contact form to submit a speaker request, and our team will connect you with the most relevant expert. Please include your event date, format, and subject matter.

Yes. All NCEA research briefs, reports, and data visualizations are freely available to the public. We believe evidence-based analysis should be accessible to everyone. Premium dashboard features are available for institutional partners.

Our research methodology is peer-reviewed and transparent. All published research undergoes rigorous factchecking. We don't accept funding from political organizations, nor do we engage in lobbying. Our advisory board includes members from across the political spectrum.

Data-drive research, such as our Leading Energy Indicators will be updated as data becomes available. Once released, the Leading Energy Indicators dashboard will update in real-time with data from ISOs, RTOs, and EIA feeds. Research publications follow their own cadence with transparent footnotes to indicate the source data.

NCEA permits employees, contractors, interns, and volunteers to use AI as a supplementary tool for permitted internal research, data analysis, and non-generative analytical work. This may include organizing non-confidential data, summarizing publicly available information, and identifying trends or patterns. AI may also assist communications, fundraising, and marketing staff in developing materials that reflect NCEA’s original research, messaging, values, and priorities.

AI does not independently generate NCEA’s published research, analysis, or findings. All AI-generated or AI-assisted material must be completely reviewed and verified by the NCEA team member using it, and AI output may not be copied, pasted, or presented as independently produced human work. Confidential, proprietary, and personally identifiable information may not be entered into AI tools. NCEA may review work products for compliance with this policy.

NCEA also offers an AI-powered website agent (ai.energyanalytics.org) that helps answer questions about NCEA’s research and positions. The agent is grounded in NCEA’s human-generated research and data and may surface relevant external media, websites, legislation, and sources cited in NCEA’s original research. It is a research aid and not a substitute for reviewing the underlying sources.