This paper examines the extent with which Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) reflect observed energy used for heating. We use high-frequency smart thermostat panel data in combination with building characteristics and hourly weather information. We exploit variations in boiler operation in the neighborhood of a steady state indoor temperature to elicit the predictive power of an…
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Evaluation of the Winter Pollution Mitigation Policy in China
Rapid industrialization in China has come with substantial increases in local air pollution. This paper quantifies the health benefits of the Winter Pollution Mitigation Policy of 2017. We estimate that this policy caused an 18% reduction in fine particulate concentration levels, resulting in 19,400 deaths avoided in 2017 due to pollution exposure in Beijing, Tianjin,…
Book Reviews
The Texas Deep Freeze of February 2021: What Happened and Lessons Learned?
Although various factors were blamed for the extended power outage on the ERCOT electricity grid in February 2021, no single problem fully explains the calamity. All forms of generation experienced capacity deratings, but failure to identify and address risks along fuel supply chains was a major contributor. Moreover, most proposed remedies do not fundamentally address…
Do Investments in Clean Technologies Reduce Production Costs? Insights from the Literature
In response to growing environmental concerns, governments have encouraged innovation and adoption of green or clean technologies through various policy measures. At present more than half a trillion US$ is being invested annually in clean technologies. This study analyzes if investments in clean technologies increase productivity and reduce production costs based on the existing literature….
Methane Abatement Costs in the Oil and Gas Industry: Survey and Synthesis
There is growing recognition of the relative importance of anthropogenic emissions of methane as a contributor to global climate change. An important source of such emissions in some countries, including the United States, is the oil and gas (O&G) sector. This points to the importance of developing understanding of the marginal abatement cost functions for…
Analysing the Mechanism of Decentralised Energy Governance Strategy on Reducing Carbon Emissions: Evidence from China
The transition to new energy sources is critical for addressing global carbon emissions. However, there is limited study on how decentralized energy governance (DEG) strategies can effectively promote this transition and mitigate carbon emissions. This study investigates the impact and mechanism of China’s New Energy Demonstration City (NEDC) policy, a prominent DEG strategy, on reducing…
Does the Shale Gas Revolution Hinder Clean Energy Innovation?
We analyze the causal impact of the U.S. shale gas revolution on technological innovation in the electricity generation sector. Using a country-level data set of electricity patents from 1978-2018, we find that the U.S. shale gas revolution led to a 1.60 decrease in the ratio of green to fossil-fuel electricity patents and a 0.93 decrease…
Clean Cooking: Why is Adoption Slow Despite Large Health and Environmental Benefits?
More than one-third of the world’s population, mainly the low-income group, still rely on traditional biomass fuels for household cooking. The indoor air pollution from household cooking is one of the main drivers of child mortality in developing countries. It also causes deforestation and emissions of black carbon. A large number of studies show that…
Does adaptive capacity reduce funding costs of municipalities that are exposed to climate change risk?
Research shows that municipalities that face more risk from climate change have higher financing costs than municipalities that face less risk. However, to our best knowledge, it is unknown whether the adaptive capacity of a municaplity is rewarded in terms of lower financing costs. We study municipal bonds issued by U.S. municipalities that are known…