David Paolella

David Paolella
Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, Master of Environmental Management, 2020

David works on Breakthrough Energy’s U.S. Policy and Advocacy team, where he helps lead the development, review, and analysis of policy proposals to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Prior to joining Breakthrough Energy, David was a Research and Policy Analyst at the Clean Energy Transition Institute in Seattle, Washington. His work focused on energy and climate policy for the Pacific Northwest, and he provided technical support for the development of the Washington 2021 State Energy Strategy.
Previously, David worked at the University of Washington Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, where he researched racial-ethnic disparities in exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution in the United States. David also worked as an economic consultant in the Boston office of Analysis Group.
David received his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Middlebury College. He earned a Master of Environmental Management degree from the Yale School of the Environment, where he studied energy markets, policy, and finance and worked for the Data-Driven EnviroLab.

Authored Articles
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Riding the Hype Cycle: Is Blockchain Still Key to a Better Energy System?

As more traditional venture capital and strategic investors are beginning to evaluate blockchain for the energy industry, feasible near-term use cases such as carbon credit tracking or management of utility assets may offer more immediate returns than ventures seeking to fundamentally reshape electricity markets around peer-to-peer trading.