Rodney Boyd

Policy Analyst and Research Advisor to Professor Stern, LSE

Rodney Boyd

Rodney worked at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment from March 2014 until January 2016. He was primarily responsible for providing policy-related research assistance to Professor Stern. He is also a Policy Analyst within the Institute’s policy team, working on projects relating to financing the adaptation to and mitigation of climate change impacts.

Background

Rodney has been involved in the energy and climate change sector since 2006, working on climate finance, renewable energy and carbon economics. He started his career in the UK as an Energy and Carbon Analyst with National Grid, one of the world’s largest utilities, before becoming Senior Research Analyst with IDEAcarbon, an independent London-based group specialising in providing financial intelligence and advice on carbon markets and climate policy. For two years, Rodney volunteered to lead the CDM/JI commentary at Climatico Analysis.

Prior to working at the Grantham Research Institute, he was with the Climate Policy Initiative in Berlin and Venice. Here, he analysed the role of public money to mobilise private climate investment, tracked current climate finance flows globally and for Germany, and worked with policymakers to test the effectiveness of European energy and climate policies, including energy network regulation and financing, renewable energy support and carbon market design.

Rodney holds a MSc (First Class with Distinction) in Sustainable Energy Systems specialising in the economics of the power system and climate policy design, and a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics, both from the University of Edinburgh.

Research Interests

  • The role of the public in climate investment through efficient financial support and effective policy.
  • Private sector investment strategies, business models, risk/return appetites and measuring real or perceived risks.
  • The bankability of renewable energy technologies and cost reduction potentials.

Publications produced prior to joing the Institute

Financing transmission investment and the role of public policy
Boyd, R., and K. Neuhoff. 2012. Conference Paper – 9th International Conference on the European Energy Market, Florence, Italy.

Renewable electric energy integration: Quantifying the value of design of markets for international transmission capacity
Neuhoff, K., Barquin, J., Bialek, J., Boyd, R., Dent, C., Echavarren,  F., Grau, T., von Hirschhausen, C., Hobbs, B., Kunz, F., Nabe, C., Papaefthymiou, G., Weber, C., and H. Weigt. 2013. Energy Economics, v.40, pp.760–772.

How do surplus allowances impact banking behaviour? Drawing lessons from the European Emission Trading Scheme
Neuhoff, K., Schopp, A., Vasa, A., Stelmakh, K., and R. Boyd. Forthcoming.