November 11, 2011

Alumnus participates in renewable energy debate for The Economist

Renewable energy expert Matthias Fripp BA ’99 is drawing on his extensive research and scholarship to participate in a 10-day, Oxford-style debate.

Renewable energy expert Matthias Fripp BA ’99 is drawing on his extensive research and scholarship to participate in a 10-day, Oxford-style debate for The Economist; he is defending the assertion that energy subsidies are a good way to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

A research fellow at the Environmental Change Institute and Exeter College, University of Oxford, Fripp studies the technical and economic performance of power systems with large shares of renewable energy.

“For the foreseeable future, fossil fuels will be priced inefficiently low, and renewables will need a subsidy simply to make the competition fair,” he writes.

Those wishing to join in the debate can do so by voting for a winner or by submitting comments to the moderator, who will select some for discussion. Visit the site on Friday, November 18 to learn which argument proved most persuasive.