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Nathan Ratledge
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Nathan Ratledge

Research Asst - Graduate, Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources
My research focuses on the economics and impacts of clean energy and climate technology, especially in developing countries.

Immediately prior to E-IPER I worked with Resources for the Future and founded a energy and climate policy consulting firm, Apogee EP. Earlier, I was the Executive Director of the Community Office for Resource Efficiency.

I received an MPA and certificate in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy from Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs, where I was awarded the David Bradford Prize. I graduated summa cum laude from the University of Georgia, where I was a Foundation Fellow.

TomKat Graduate Fellow for Translational Research

Research Lab: Marshall Burke

Year Awarded: 2020

Bio: 

Nathan Ratledge received his BA in Anthropology from the University of Georgia, where he was a Foundation Fellow, and his MPA from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, where he was awarded the David Bradford Prize. He is primarily interested in accelerating the deployment of clean energy and electric mobility in Sub Saharan Africa, due to the myriad benefits to economic development, improved air quality and reduced climate emissions. Prior to graduate school, Nathan was the Executive Director of the Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE). He has also led research for Resources for the Future and served at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Google Scholar Page

Accelerating Clean Energy and Electric Mobility Deployment in Sub Saharan Africa

Project summary:  Over 600m people – nearly double the population of the United States – in Sub Saharan Africa lack access to modern electricity, and without sizable new investments and interventions, 530m people will remain without modern electrical power in 2030.  Accelerating reliable electricity access - particularly via clean, affordable resources - is critical for improving economic conditions, reducing urban air pollution and limiting climate emissions.  Nathan’s research covers the retrospective and prospective facets of electricity provision, including an analysis of the causal effect of electricity access and new business models for clean energy deployment in low income countries.  In particular, he is examining the design of electric mobility systems and how introducing electric vehicles at scale can improve economic performance in East Africa.  Nathan argues that rapidly transitioning to electric mobility is the largest lever for accelerating the clean energy transition in much of Sub Saharan Africa.

Stanford research ushers in a ‘new frontier’ in tackling global poverty TomKat Spotlight November 2022