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Private Growth Through Green Infrastructure

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Project Description

This project aims to research the viability of climate-friendly green infrastructure and energy investments. Specifically, the project will first describe the landscape needed to achieve a green energy grid and sustainable infrastructure in urban areas, focusing on four aspects: energy generation, energy storage, energy usage/conversion, and energy efficiency to clarify how they interact with each other in the economic and social context. Subsequently, we will seek to recommend a policy structure to best achieve this future landscape, describing how and why that specific policy will affect sustainable energy & infrastructure assets. To concretize the policy recommendation, we will employ econometric, engineering, and qualitative analysis to create a “portfolio” of sustainable investments that reflect the four aspects detailed above, determining the price and risks associated with each of these investments, and calculating the potential financial and environmental return on a risk-adjusted basis. Finally, if the data can be found, we will also look to show how the return on this “portfolio” changes with the intensity of the policy (i.e. how a $40/ton carbon tax vs. $80/ton carbon tax affects the return on the portfolio of energy/infrastructure investments).

Project Lead: Alex Yoon

Majors: Philosophy & Economics

Alex is a third-year majoring in philosophy and economics with a minor in physics. He joined PDI in Fall of 2021, working as a researcher to revitalize commercial corridors in the South Side of Chicago. Alex has been interested in international energy and finance policy research since 2019, when he worked at the Council on Foreign Relations as an intern. With the “Growth from Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure” project, he hopes to bridge the gaps in knowledge that exist between engineers, policymakers, economists, and investors that hinder the possibility of achieving a more sustainable future. In his free time, Alex enjoys watching Formula 1, reading, and playing the trumpet & piano.

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