Simon Clinton decided to study Green Process Engineering with the hope of exploring Bermuda’s renewable energy options.

The 23-year-old top student has just completed his four-year course at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, where he was awarded the Gold Medal for achieving the highest overall accumulated average in his discipline.

Mr Clinton, of Paget, now hopes to continue his studies in Europe before returning home to Bermuda to “provide the change in the energy sector that this island so desperately needs”.

“I decided to study this course in the hope to learn what sort of options Bermuda has moving forward in terms of renewable energy,” he told The Royal Gazette.

“Green Process Engineering integrates the fundamental principles of chemical engineering to the design of commercial products and processes that are safe, economical and environmentally friendly.”

He said the programme also explored alternative sources of energy with reduced carbon emissions, while emphasising green chemistry, green power, solar and biofuel cells, and the conversion of waste to biodiesel and bioethanol products.

According to Mr Clinton, Bermuda relies on almost 100 per cent fossil fuels.

“This not only is harmful to the environment but due to our geographical isolation and the generally high price of fuel it puts a massive strain on the consumer,” he said.

“In fact, Bermuda’s average cost per kilowatt hour is among the highest of all the countries named in the International Energy Agency’s key world statistics report.”

“Therefore, it was my hope to go away and learn what options we as an island have moving forward.

“Whether those be biofuels, solar or wind energy, it is clear that something needs to be done on this island in order to provide safe, affordable and environmentally friendly energy to everyone.”

Mr Clinton, who achieved the Dean’s Honour List in every year of his bachelor’s degree, has now been accepted into the MSc programme in Renewable Energy Engineering and Management at the University of Freiburg in Germany.

The two-year programme will focus “on closing the gap between the technical aspects of renewable energy and the reality of sustainable development” while also offering the option to do an internship with a renewable energy company in Europe. Mr Clinton said: “I felt that since Germany is one of the world leaders in renewable energy why not go there and see how they are implementing it so successfully and try and bring that home.”

The former Saltus Grammar School star student hopes to eventually come back to Bermuda.

But he said: “I feel that it is extremely important to gain proper experience abroad so that I can gain the skills necessary to provide the change in the energy sector that this island so desperately needs. I do not want to simply come back and continue the wasteful and short-sighted ways the leaders in the energy sector here in Bermuda have been peddling in the past.”