Matthew Rooney

Energy and Environment Research Fellow

Matt Rooney joined Policy Exchange in 2017 as a Research Fellow in the Energy and Environment Unit. From 2011 to 2017 studied for an MPhil in Technology Policy and a PhD in Energy Policy at the University of Cambridge, where he researched strategies for the deployment of new energy technologies, with a particular focus on carbon capture and storage and nuclear power. Prior to this he was employed for six years at the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, where he designed components for international particle physics experiments. He is a British Science Association Media Fellow, having worked briefly as a science policy journalist with Times Higher Education. He is a fully chartered member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and holds an MEng in Mechanical Engineering from the Queen’s of University Belfast.

Network problems: The peculiar case of home heating in Northern Ireland

by Matthew Rooney | Apr 15, 2018

Home heating in Northern Ireland is very different from most other parts of the UK. Firstly, a combination of cold weather and low incomes mean that fuel poverty (defined as those spending >10 per cent income to warm their homes) is higher, whilst the lack of an...

Glowing hot or cold? The future of nuclear power in the UK

by Matthew Rooney | Feb 23, 2018

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, appeared before the House of Lords Economics Affairs Committee this week to give evidence on the economics of UK energy policy. Unsurprisingly a lot of attention was focused on...

The secret to cheaper energy – it’s all in the cost curve

by Matthew Rooney | Jan 5, 2018

Wave energy, tidal lagoons and small modular nuclear reactors. Three technologies that stand on the precipice of mass deployment in the UK, but that are seeking Government action to help kick-start their development and bridge the crucial gap between the demonstration...

Fuelling the Future

by Matthew Rooney | Sep 20, 2018

Read Publication Scotland and North East England offer the best opportunities for successful hydrogen production hubs, while investment in cost-effective hydrogen production technologies – such as electrolysis – would open up export opportunities and...

The Future of Carbon Pricing: Implementing an independent carbon tax with dividends in the UK

by Matthew Rooney | Jul 17, 2018

Read Publication A economy-wide carbon tax paid by both domestic and international producers would prevent carbon leakage, level the playing field for Britain’s heavy industry, fund a dividend to be paid to taxpayers and tackle climate change, argues the new report...

Matthew Rooney

Energy and Environment Research Fellow

Related Posts & Publications

Network problems: The peculiar case of home heating in Northern Ireland

Glowing hot or cold? The future of nuclear power in the UK

The secret to cheaper energy – it’s all in the cost curve

Fuelling the Future

The Future of Carbon Pricing: Implementing an independent carbon tax with dividends in the UK

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