John P. Banks
Senior Lecturer
Faculty Co-Lead, Development, Climate, and Sustainability Focus Area
About
John P. Banks is a Senior Lecturer at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He has over 30 years of experience in the energy industry, specifically in consulting, academia, and at a leading think tank. Since 2009 he has been affiliated with SAIS, first as an adjunct professor and then becoming a full-time faculty member in 2016. He currently serves as faculty co-lead of the Development, Climate and Sustainability focus area within the two-year Master of Arts in International Relations (MAIR) degree program.
Banks teaches Global Electricity Markets, Energy Transitions in the US, and leads the Energy and Environment Practicum, an innovative course in which second-year MAIR students work with external client organizations on projects addressing environmental and energy policy challenges. Banks also designed and teaches the first course in SAIS’ new Master of Arts in Sustainable Energy online degree program, launched in the Fall of 2020.
Prof. Banks recently oversaw two student research field projects: examining electricity access challenges in Myanmar, and assessing the city of Seoul, South Korea’s efforts at deploying clean energy, especially solar PV. Professor Banks was selected by the student body to receive the 2019 Excellence in Teaching Award.
Banks’ research focuses on the ongoing transformation of the global electricity sector, with a particular interest in the intersection of technology innovation, policy, and regulatory trends as they impact de-carbonization approaches and evolving business models. In 2019, he published a co-authored assessment of alternative, sub-national electricity service models in the U.S., specifically community choice aggregation, the sustainable energy utility, and municipal utilities. In another peer-reviewed, research overview article (2022) he assessed how different types of electricity markets in the U.S are impacted by variable renewable resources and distributed energy resources, and how these markets are adapting and innovating to accommodate these resources.
For nine years (2009-2018), he served as a Nonresident Senior Fellow in the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at the Brookings Institution. He contributed to the formation of, and helped run, Brookings’ Global Electricity and Technology Roundtable, a bi-annual, private meeting of senior utility and technology industry executives, state and federal government officials, financial institutions, regulators, academia, and others designed to discuss major developments in the electricity sector globally. While at Brookings, Banks played a leading role in developing and carrying out research efforts dealing with nuclear power, the transition of the electricity sector in Germany and Japan, the role of distributed energy resources in the US, electricity access in emerging markets, and the future role of coal.
Prior to working at a think tank and in academia, he was a consultant for over 20 years advising governments, companies, and regulators throughout the world on energy policy, security, and governance issues. He has worked for a number of firms including Nexant, Inc. the successor company to Bechtel Technology & Consulting, and BearingPoint (now Deloitte) in New York.
He has authored or co-authored dozens of energy reports, published numerous articles, and has provided expert testimony. Banks has worked in more than 30 countries outside the U.S., and holds an MS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.
Banks teaches Global Electricity Markets, Energy Transitions in the US, and leads the Energy and Environment Practicum, an innovative course in which second-year MAIR students work with external client organizations on projects addressing environmental and energy policy challenges. Banks also designed and teaches the first course in SAIS’ new Master of Arts in Sustainable Energy online degree program, launched in the Fall of 2020.
Prof. Banks recently oversaw two student research field projects: examining electricity access challenges in Myanmar, and assessing the city of Seoul, South Korea’s efforts at deploying clean energy, especially solar PV. Professor Banks was selected by the student body to receive the 2019 Excellence in Teaching Award.
Banks’ research focuses on the ongoing transformation of the global electricity sector, with a particular interest in the intersection of technology innovation, policy, and regulatory trends as they impact de-carbonization approaches and evolving business models. In 2019, he published a co-authored assessment of alternative, sub-national electricity service models in the U.S., specifically community choice aggregation, the sustainable energy utility, and municipal utilities. In another peer-reviewed, research overview article (2022) he assessed how different types of electricity markets in the U.S are impacted by variable renewable resources and distributed energy resources, and how these markets are adapting and innovating to accommodate these resources.
For nine years (2009-2018), he served as a Nonresident Senior Fellow in the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at the Brookings Institution. He contributed to the formation of, and helped run, Brookings’ Global Electricity and Technology Roundtable, a bi-annual, private meeting of senior utility and technology industry executives, state and federal government officials, financial institutions, regulators, academia, and others designed to discuss major developments in the electricity sector globally. While at Brookings, Banks played a leading role in developing and carrying out research efforts dealing with nuclear power, the transition of the electricity sector in Germany and Japan, the role of distributed energy resources in the US, electricity access in emerging markets, and the future role of coal.
Prior to working at a think tank and in academia, he was a consultant for over 20 years advising governments, companies, and regulators throughout the world on energy policy, security, and governance issues. He has worked for a number of firms including Nexant, Inc. the successor company to Bechtel Technology & Consulting, and BearingPoint (now Deloitte) in New York.
He has authored or co-authored dozens of energy reports, published numerous articles, and has provided expert testimony. Banks has worked in more than 30 countries outside the U.S., and holds an MS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.
- “The decarbonization transition and U.S. electricity markets: Impacts and Innovations,” John P. Banks, WIREs Energy and Environment, 29 June 2022. DOI: 10.1002/wene.449.
- Advancing transformative sustainability: A comparative analysis of electricity service and supply innovators in the United States, Job Taminiau, John P. Banks, Deborah Bleviss, John Byrne, WIRES Energy & Environment, February 27, 2019.
- Challenges Related to Carbon Transportation and Storage – Showstoppers for CCS? John P. Banks, Tim Boersma, Ward Goldthorpe, for the Global CCS Institute, January 6, 2017.
- Renewables get the job done despite skepticism, John P. Banks, The Brookings Institution, August 11, 2016.
- Does decarbonization mean de-coalification? Discussing carbon reduction policies, John P. Banks, Tim Boersma and Charles K. Ebinger, The Brookings Institution, November 2, 2015
- Fostering Low-Carbon Energy: Next Generation Policy to Commercialize CCS in the United States, John P. Banks and Tim Boersma, The Brookings Institution, October 16, 2015.
- Coal Markets in Motion, John P. Banks, et al, The Brookings Institution, March 2015.
- The Flexible and Evolving Power Distribution Grid, John P. Banks and Lisa V. Wood, The Brookings Institution, Planet Policy Blog, December 9, 2014.
- Transforming the Electricity Portfolio: Lessons from Germany and Japan in Deploying Renewable Energy, Charles Ebinger John P. Banks, Alisa Schackmann, The Brookings Institution, Policy Brief 14-03, September 2014.
- Millennials and the Future of Electric Utilities, John P. Banks, The Brookings Institution, Planet Policy Blog, July 11, 2014.
- Offshore Oil and Gas Governance in the Arctic: A Leadership Role for the U.S., Charles Ebinger, John P. Banks, Alisa Schackmann, The Brookings Institution, Policy Brief 14-01, March 2014.
- The Electricity Revolution, by Charles K. Ebinger and John P. Banks, Brookings Institution, November 8, 2013.
- Electricity Access in Emerging Markets, by John P. Banks and Charles K. Ebinger, in Jan H. Kalicki and David L. Goldwyn (eds.), Energy and Security (2nd ed.): Strategies for a World in Transition (Washington, DC and Baltimore: Wilson Center Press and Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013).
- Key Sub-Saharan Energy Trends and their Importance for the U.S., Chapter in Top Five Reasons Why Africa Should Be a Priority for the United States, Brookings Institution, April 2013.
- Could East African Gas Impact U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas Exports? Brookings Up Front Blog, February 15, 2013.
- Not Much in the "Promised Land," Brookings Up Front Blog, January 10, 2013.
- The Human Element: Nuclear Power Development in the Middle East, by John P. Banks and Kevin Massy, in Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Winter/Spring 2013.
- Nuclear power in developing countries? Let’s talk about it, John P. Banks and Kevin Massy, Global Post, December 16, 2012.
- Human Resource Development in New Nuclear Energy States: Case Studies from the Middle East, John P. Banks, Kevin Massy and Charles K. Ebinger, The Brookings Institution, Policy Brief 12-02 (November 2012).
- Common Ground in Energy Policy, National Journal Energy Experts Blog, August 14, 2012.
- The BRC’s Final Report: Workable Solutions Worth Pursuing, Brookings Up Front Blog, January 27, 2012.
- Assessing the Role of Distributed Power Systems in the U.S. Power Sector, co-authored with Massy, Wood, Carl, Mokrian, Guy-Wagner and Slayton, The Brookings Institution and The Hoover Institution, October 2011.
- Business and Nonproliferation: Industry's Role in Safeguarding a Nuclear Renaissance, John P. Banks and Charles K. Ebinger, eds. (Brookings Press, October 2011).
- Models for Aspirant Civil Nuclear Energy Nations in the Middle East, Charles Ebinger, John Banks, Kevin Massy, and Govinda Avasarala, The Brookings Institution, (September 2011).
- Reassessing Nuclear Power: Fukushima accident increases global concern over nuclear safety, Charles K. Ebinger and John P. Banks, Beijing Review, May 19, 2011.
- Getting Energy Regulation Right, Brookings Commentary, September 2, 2010.
- Nuclear Assessment, John P. Banks and Charles K. Ebinger, Beijing Review, April 30, 2010.
- The Geopolitics of Electricity, John P. Banks and Charles K. Ebinger, Global Post, January 25, 2010.
- Privatization of the Electricity Sector in Emerging Markets: the Organizational Challenge for Governments, in The Electricity Journal, November 2006.
- Addressing Human Resource and Organizational Challenges in Emerging Market Utility Regulators: Ten Steps for the New Regulator, in The Electricity Journal, December 2005.
- Indian Power Sector Reform: A Promise Unfulfilled, with Dr. Charles K. Ebinger, in the Geopolitics of Energy, January 2000.
- Private Sector: Cautiously Interested in Distribution in India, with C. Douglas Bowman, Jim Guy, and Thomas Gross), in The Electricity Journal, June 1998.
- Energy, Politics, and Development in the Horn of Africa, in the Geopolitics of Energy, August 1, 1995.
- Resolving Nuclear Power Problems Pivotal in the Electricity Sector of the Former Soviet Union, in The Geopolitics of Energy, May 1, 1994.
- Institutional Reforms Needed in Former Soviet Union Energy Sector, in The Geopolitics of Energy, February 1, 1994.
- Natural Gas in Central Asia: A Critical Resource for Economic Development, in The Geopolitics of Energy, July 1993.
- Kyrgyzstan: Problems, Opportunities, with Robert Ebel, in Oil and Gas Journal, March 15, 1993.
- OPEC and The Gulf Crisis, with Dr. Charles K. Ebinger, in The Gulf Crisis: Background and Consequences (Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University, 1992).
- Overview of the Eastern and Central European Refining Sector, with Dr. Charles K. Ebinger, in Octane Week, October 5, 1992.
- For Investment Opportunities Try Eastern, Central Europe, in Oil & Gas Journal, September 14, 1992.
- Eastern Europe's Energy Sector Emerging from Communism, with Dr. Charles K. Ebinger, two parts in Octane Week, September 7 and 14, 1992.
- OPEC in 1990: The Failure of Oil Diplomacy, with Dr. Charles K. Ebinger, in The Diplomatic Record, 1990-1991 (Westview Press, 1992).
- Nuclear Power: The Promise of New Technologies, with Charles K. Ebinger and Margaret Morgan, (Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1991).
SELECTED TESTIMONY AND OTHER PRESENTATIONS
- The Customer of the Future: How Millennials Will Transform the Utility Business Model, (panel moderator), Oracle Industry Connect Conference - Energy and Utilities Program, Orlando, FL, April 12, 2016.
- Coal Industry: Global Overview & U.S. Market, with Patrick Gable (Grant Thornton), presentation to U.S. Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, June 3, 2015.
- JP Morgan Transportation and Utilities Conference, Keynote Presentation for the Utilities Track, New York, NY, April 16, 2015.
- U.S. Energy Policy: The Burdens of the Past and Moving Forward, Public Presentation, Brookings Mountain West, University of Nevada at Las Vegas, September 25, 2012.
- US Energy Policy in a Global Context: Are we driving without a map? Peoria World Affairs Council, Peoria, IL, June 21, 2012.
- The Council for the United States and Italy, Workshop June 3-4, 2011 (Venice, Italy). Panel Presentation: The Future of Nuclear Energy after Fukushima
- China Business News - A discussion of U.S.-China collaboration on the world economy, May 12, 2011 (New York, New York). Panel Presentation: What does the uprising in the Middle East mean for global energy market and how does that affect energy agendas for 2011 and beyond?
- Tufts University European Centre, Global Leadership Seminar, October 1, 2010 (Talloires, France). Panel Presentation: Nuclear Non-Proliferation: Geopolitical and Business Opportunities and Risks in a Changing Security Landscape
- Restructuring and Privatization of Utilities: Implications for Human Resources – the BATELCO Experience, presentation at Restructuring Utilities Workshop, the Institute for Public-Private Partnerships, Washington, DC, August 27, 2001.
- Public Participation in the Regulatory Process: Review of International Best Practices and Implications for the National Authority for Gas Sector Regulation (ANRGN), presentation at Joint USAID/EU PHARE Conference on the Transition of the Romanian Market for Natural Gas, Poiana Brasov, Romania, September 27-28, 2001.
- Recommendations for Institutional Strengthening Program for Electricity Sector Policy and Regulatory Agencies, presentation before the Prime Minister and Privatization Commission in Georgetown, Guyana, April 3, 2000.
- World Oil Price Trends: Implications for California Energy Policy, with Charles K. Ebinger, submitted to California Energy Commission Committee Hearing on Fuel Issues Facing California (Docket No. 95-FR-1), May 11, 1995.
- Energy and Environmental Restructuring in Kazakhstan and Jordan: A Comparison, presented at the Seminar on Environmental Sustainability and Energy Development in Eastern Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on March 6-10, 1995 (sponsored by the World Bank).
- Major Energy Problems in the Less Developed Countries and Eastern Europe, presented before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology in July 1991.
- At the National Conference on Octane Markets and Reformulated Gasoline in March 1991, was a member of the National Policy Discussion Panel on Energy, the Environment and the Middle East.
- OPEC and Global Oil Markets in the Aftermath of the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait, with Dr. Charles K. Ebinger, presented before the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee on October 31, 1990.
- Keynote speaker on the Implications of the Mideast Situation at the Efficient Electricity Generation with Natural Gas Conference (Orlando, Florida in November 1990).