Energy R&D can have major social and economic impacts and is a critical factor in addressing the challenges presented by climate change mitigation policies. As well as the energy utilities themselves, firms in other sectors also invest in energy R&D; however, while various studies have examined the determinants of R&D in the former, there are…
Author: admin
Book Reviews
Enhancing the Reliability of Bulk Power Systems against the Threat of Extreme Weather: Lessons from the 2021 Texas Electricity Crisis
The February 2021 cold weather outages in Texas remain a subject of important investigation, and lessons learned from the crisis have broader relevance for bulk power systems around the world. This article focuses on the policy responses to what we view as the root causes of the extended blackouts: the insufficient preparation of electric generating…
Electricity Access: An Introduction
This EEEP symposium on electricity access introduces the readers to this topical field of research and policy, and brings together leading scholars from emerging and industrial countries that address a broad spectrum of related issues. After sketching out the challenge using standard targets and indicators, this introduction to the symposium provides a survey of the…
Winter Ends
There is a common assumption that all-electric automobiles, powered by lithium-ion batteries, are the future of vehicle transportation. It is argued here that this is not the likely outcome, especially in the less-developed countries. Use of photovoltaic (PV) cells, in conjunction with gasoline or hydrogen-hybrids, will be less expensive, and more likely to be adopted…
Levelized Cost of Consumed Electricity
Current calculations to evaluate the profitability of the various energy generating units ignore intermittency as well as complementary technologies, such as battery storage and smart meters. Therefore, we propose a new assessment of the cost of solar energy that takes into account smart grids. In doing this, we use data from a low energy dwelling…
The Future of Russian Gas Exports
Disputes between Russia and Ukraine over the terms for gas transit and deliveries prompted Russia to accelerate development of new gas pipelines to Europe circumventing Ukraine, as well as exploring the potential for gas export to additional markets like Turkey and China. The current paper examines implications of Russia increasing its gas exports capacity by…
Sustainable and Socially Resilient Minigrid Franchise Model for an Urban Informal Settlement in Kenya
Kibera is a large informal settlement, in Nairobi, Kenya where electricity access is presently expensive, intermittent, and dirty. The context of Kibera also speaks to larger global dynamics of rapid urbanization, the creation of an urban poor, the transitory experience of informal settlements, and the role of non-governmental actors; each of which provides challenges to…
Book Reviews
Energy Systems Integration: Economics of a New Paradigm
Energy Systems Integration (ESI) is an emerging paradigm emanating from a whole system perspective of the energy sector. It is based on a holistic view by which the main energy carriers are integrated to achieve horizontal synergies and efficiencies at all levels. The energy system may in turn integrate with other infrastructure sectors such as…