Jordan Kern

How Hydropower Operations Mitigate Flow Forecast Uncertainties to Maintain Grid Services in the Western U.S.

Broman, D., Voisin, N., Steinschneider, S., Kern, J., Ssembatya, H., & Wi, S. (2026, February 1). Water Resources Research.

A composite index-based insurance instrument for managing the financial risk of variable hydrometeorology for electric utilities

Amonkar, Y., Pahel-Short, C., Zeighami, A., Su, Y., Kern, J. D., & Characklis, G. W. (2025, July 16). Environmental Research Energy.

Comparing Alternatives for Managing Hydrometeorological Financial Risk for Hydropower Suppliers

Cuppari, R. I., Denaro, S., Su, Y., Kern, J. D., & Characklis, G. W. (2025, August 30). Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, Vol. 151.

Multi-objective optimization of sustainable aviation fuel production pathways in the U.S. Corn Belt

Akdemir, E. A., Kern, J., Smith, J. P., Limb, B. J., Quinn, J. C., Field, J. L., & Pack, T. (2025, January 9). Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol. 193.

Dual Impacts of Space Heating Electrification and Climate Change Increase Uncertainties in Peak Load Behavior and Grid Capacity Requirements in Texas

Earth's Future, 12(6).

Exploring the benefits of integrated energy-water management in reducing economic and environmental tradeoffs

Environmental Research: Energy, 1(3), 035010.

Green hydrogen exports in New Zealand and Chile can improve electricity supply security if configured as local energy insurance

Energy, 304, 131930.

High-resolution, open-source modeling of inland flooding impacts on the North Carolina bulk electric power grid

Environmental Research: Energy, 1(1), 015005.

Investigating the effects of cooperative transmission expansion planning on grid performance during heat waves with varying spatial scales

Akdemir, K. Z., Mongird, K., Kern, J. D., Oikonomou, K., Voisin, N., Burleyson, C. D., … Vernon, C. (2024, November 9). Applied Energy, Vol. 378.

Utilities Are Planning for the Wrong Kind of Hurricane

Kern, J. (2024, October). Heatmap News.

An open-source framework for balancing computational speed and fidelity in production cost models

Environmental Research: Energy, 1(1), 015003.

Blackouts experienced during low temps last month are bound to happen again

Kern, J. (2023, January). The Post and Courier.

Droughts and heat waves could worsen air pollution for vulnerable communities

Kern, J. (2023, March). L.A.Times.

Opportunities for wave energy in bulk power system operations

Akdemir, K. Z., Robertson, B., Oikonomou, K., Kern, J., Voisin, N., Hanif, S., & Bhattacharya, S. (2023, September 22). Applied Energy, Vol. 352.

Rolling blackouts can protect power grid from serious damage

Kern, J. (2023, January). CBS 17 WNCN.

Sturdier, more weatherproof. Improvements being made to power grid to prevent prolonged outages

Kern, J. (2023, August). ABC 11.

U.S. West Coast droughts and heat waves exacerbate pollution inequality and can evade emission control policies

Nature Communications, 14(1).

Assessing risks for New England's wholesale electricity market from wind power losses during extreme winter storms

Energy, 251, 123886.

Assessing the Bonneville Power Administration’s Financial Vulnerability to Hydrologic Variability

Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 148(10).

Climate change makes West Coast more susceptible to blackouts

Kern, J. (2022, January). The Hill.

Duke Energy aims to double renewable energy capacity by 2030

Kern, J. (2022, February). Renewable Energy World.

Extreme Weather is Weakening U.S. Hydropower and Stressing Energy Grids

Kern, J. (2022, September). TIME Magazine.

Hard-coupling water and power system models increases the complementarity of renewable energy sources

Applied Energy, 321, 119386.

How global warming could further mess up electric power on the West Coast

Kern, J. (2022, January). Jefferson Public Radio.

How the Western drought is pushing the power grid to the brink

Kern, J. V. (2022, August). Vox.

Managing weather- and market price-related financial risks in algal biofuel production

Renewable Energy, 200, 111–124.

Officials investigate after fire, explosion at Hoover Dam

Kern, J. (2022, July). AP. News.

Southwest megadrought pushes hydropower to the brink

Kern, J. (2022, May). E.&E.News EnergyWire.

West Coast power grid at mercy of climate change — and prices may soar, study finds

Kern, J. (2022, January). Sun Herald.

What the Western drought reveals about hydropower

Kern, J. (2022, September). E&E News EnergyWire.

Analysis of fixed volume swaps for hedging financial risk at large-scale wind projects

Lucy, Z., & Kern, J. (2021, September 30). Energy Economics, Vol. 103, p. 105603.

Characterizing weather-related biophysical and financial risks in algal biofuel production

Applied Energy, 294, 116960.

Core process representation in power system operational models: Gaps, challenges, and opportunities for multisector dynamics research

Oikonomou, K., Tarroja, B., Kern, J., & Voisin, N. (2021, September 15). Energy, Vol. 238, p. 122049.

Extreme Heat Could Also Mean Power and Water Shortages

Kern, J. (2021, July). Wired Magazine.

How Our Hydropower System Is Impacting The Drought Gripping The American West

Kern, J. (2021, June). National Public Radio.

Hydropower decline adds strain to power grids in drought

Kern, J. (2021, October). ABC News.

Less water means more gas’: how drought will test California’s stressed power grid

Kern, J. (2021, June). The Guardian (UK).

Not Just Wildfire: The Growing Ripple Effects Of More Extreme Heat And Drought

Kern, J. (2021, July). National Public Radio.

Plummeting reservoir levels could soon force Oroville hydropower offline

Kern, J. (2021, July). Los Angeles Times.

Retail Load Defection Impacts on a Major Electric Utility′s Exposure to Weather Risk

Su, Y., Kern, J., & Characklis, G. W. (2021, December 29). Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, Vol. 148.

Technology Pathways Could Help Drive the U.S. West Coast Grid's Exposure to Hydrometeorological Uncertainty

Earth's Future, 10(1).

The Effects of Climate Change on Interregional Electricity Market Dynamics on the U.S. West Coast

Earth's Future, 9(12).

Water Supply Dropping in Western Reservoirs

Kern, J. (2021, August). The Weather Channel.

A retrospective study of the 2012–2016 California drought and its impacts on the power sector

Kern, J. D., Su, Y., & Hill, J. (2020, June 17). Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 15, p. 094008.

An open source model for quantifying risks in bulk electric power systems from spatially and temporally correlated hydrometeorological processes

Environmental Modelling & Software, 126, 104667.

Compound hydrometeorological extremes across multiple timescales drive volatility in California electricity market prices and emissions

Applied Energy, 276, 115541.

Decline in hydropower hampered by drought will impact utility costs

Kern, J. (2020, August). San Jose Mercury News.

Development of an irradiance-based weather derivative to hedge cloud risk for solar energy systems

Renewable Energy, 164, 1230–1243.

PowNet: A Network-Constrained Unit Commitment/Economic Dispatch Model for Large-Scale Power Systems Analysis

Chowdhury, A. F. M. K., Kern, J., Dang, T. D., & Galelli, S. (2020, March 12). Journal of Open Research Software, Vol. 8, p. 5.

Integrating wind, photovoltaic, and large hydropower during the reservoir refilling period

Wang, X., Virguez, E., Kern, J., Chen, L., Mei, Y., Patiño-Echeverri, D., & Wang, H. (2019, July 11). Energy Conversion and Management, Vol. 198, p. 111778.

PowNet: a power systems analysis model for large-scale water-energy nexus studies

ArXiv (Cornell University), Version 1.

A new solution to mitigate hydropeaking? Batteries versus re-regulation reservoirs

Anindito, Y., Haas, J., Olivares, M., Nowak, W., & Kern, J. (2018, November 7). Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 210, pp. 477–489.

Multiobjective Optimal Siting of Algal Biofuel Production with Municipal Wastewater Treatment in Watersheds with Nutrient Trading Markets

Kern, J. D., Gorelick, D. E., Characklis, G. W., & Macklin, C. M. (2018, November 26). Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, Vol. 145.

Evaluating the Financial Vulnerability of a Major Electric Utility in the Southeastern U.S. to Drought under Climate Change and an Evolving Generation Mix

Environmental Science & Technology, 51(15), 8815–8823.

The impact of wind power growth and hydrological uncertainty on financial losses from oversupply events in hydropower-dominated systems

Su, Y., Kern, J. D., & Characklis, G. W. (2017, March 11). Applied Energy, Vol. 194, pp. 172–183.

Evaluating the relative impacts of operational and financial factors on the competitiveness of an algal biofuel production facility

Hise, A. M., Characklis, G. W., Kern, J., Gerlach, R., Viamajala, S., Gardner, R. D., & Vadlamani, A. (2016, August 25). Bioresource Technology, Vol. 220, pp. 271–281.

Low natural gas prices and the financial cost of ramp rate restrictions at hydroelectric dams

Kern, J. D., & Characklis, G. W. (2016, December 8). Energy Economics, Vol. 61, pp. 340–350.

Using life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis in a real options framework to inform the design of algal biofuel production facilities

Kern, J. D., Hise, A. M., Characklis, G. W., Gerlach, R., Viamajala, S., & Gardner, R. D. (2016, December 1). Bioresource Technology, Vol. 225, pp. 418–428.

Mitigating hydrologic financial risk in hydropower generation using index-based financial instruments

Foster, B. T., Kern, J. D., & Characklis, G. W. (2015, April 1). Water Resources and Economics, Vol. 10, pp. 45–67.

Natural gas price uncertainty and the cost‐effectiveness of hedging against low hydropower revenues caused by drought

Kern, J. D., Characklis, G. W., & Foster, B. T. (2015, March 24). Water Resources Research, Vol. 51, pp. 2412–2427.

An integrated reservoir-power system model for evaluating the impacts of wind integration on hydropower resources

Kern, J. D., Patino-Echeverri, D., & Characklis, G. W. (2014, June 28). Renewable Energy, Vol. 71, pp. 553–562.

Analysis of Potential Policy Changes on the Financial Viability of Residential Solar in North Carolina

UNC Chapel Hill Institute for the Environment.

Solar: A Sound Investment

Kern, J., & Record. Kern, J. (2014, December 14). [Opinion editorial]. Greensboro News.

The Impacts of Wind Power Integration on Sub-Daily Variation in River Flows Downstream of Hydroelectric Dams

Kern, J. D., Patino-Echeverri, D., & Characklis, G. W. (2014, July 25). Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 48, pp. 9844–9851.

Influence of Deregulated Electricity Markets on Hydropower Generation and Downstream Flow Regime

Kern, J. D., Characklis, G. W., Doyle, M. W., Blumsack, S., & Whisnant, R. B. (2011, August 6). Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, Vol. 138, pp. 342–355.