Researching Renewable Energy in Europe
Student Reflection by Cory Shin (C’25 W’25, Korean target)
With the Huntsman Grant, I was able to conduct research in Europe by attending the European Union’s 2024 Sustainable Energy Week in Brussels, Belgium, as well as the SmarterE Europe’s Conference and Exhibition in Munich, Germany. My research was titled “Transatlantic Transition: Adapting European Successes in Renewable Energy Scaling to the United States” and compared what strategies Europe has found to be successful in transitioning to clean energy and what the U.S. could take away from Europe. Across both events, I met government officials, industry leaders, policy analysts, and a wide variety of professionals actively working in the renewable energy space. I engaged in discourse and asked questions to better understand what the European energy landscape looks like, the issues that they are grappling with, and what areas of collaboration exist moving forward.
This past spring semester, I took BEPP 2630, Environmental & Energy Economics and Policy with Professor Arthur van Benthem which really re-ignited my interest in renewable energy. Growing up, I had done a series of Science Fair projects on solar power, but as of late, I had not deeply studied the field. In class, we learned a lot about the European Union’s Emissions Trading System in addition to how Europe prioritizes frameworks and policies that actively penalize those that are not on track with emissions goals, while in the United States, we provide economic incentives or credits for companies that are making strides. Because of the U.S.’ market based approach, I was inspired to learn first-hand about how the E.U., which we consider to be significantly ahead, has been able to stimulate progress. Especially in a tech-driven world and the arrival of Artificial Intelligence, the need for energy will be exorbitant and require improved grids, higher capacity, and forward-thinking, demonstrating how vital renewable energy will be in the future.
In terms of my research, I realized that the United States is not as far behind as many of us believe. Something that really surprised me was how jealous European industry leaders and government officials were of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which provided substantial funding for green projects in the U.S. Moreso, these leaders were looking to the U.S. to develop their own funding mechanisms. In addition, many of the problems that Europe is dealing with are problems domestically as well. Though we lack the strong frameworks the E.U. has in place already, we both struggle in terms of supporting a modernized and interconnected grid, training and recruiting for green jobs, and promoting domestic green manufacturing.
As a person, this opportunity to pursue my passion and explore Europe was an experience of a lifetime that really helped me to continue developing my identity and discovering who I am. I met so many amazing people from all different walks of life that truly enriched my journey across the continent. Throughout my journey, I felt that there were so many instances of human connection, from new friends while backpacking the Dolomites to strangers on the street that I may never see again. At Penn, I feel that it can be easy to stick to the Penn “Bubble” and not venture out and explore Philadelphia, but especially given my zeal for exploring and the onset of senior year, I plan on continuing to explore even more of Philadelphia, bringing friends to enjoy what the city has to offer and search for greater human connection.
The Huntsman summer funding was vital to my summer experience as it helped to cover all of my travel costs, including flights to and from Philadelphia, as well as lodging in Europe and the expensive conference costs. I was also able to explore several different cities and get a better understanding of the integration of sustainability in European life. Without the funding that I received from the Huntsman Program, I would not have been able to pursue this budding passion in renewable energy.
