2019
The Green Paradox, A Hotelling Cul de Sac
The green paradox is an effect by which an increasing tax per unit on oil production, aimed at tracking damages from CO2 emissions, induces an increase in world production and a decrease in price in the near term. The increase is a rational response in a Hotelling exhaustible-resource model. We simulate the decisions of a…
Demand-Side Policy: Mechanisms for Success and Failure
Demand-side management (DSM) policy evaluations, including energy efficiency and demand response, primarily focus on ex-ante appraisals or ex-post evaluations of impacts, such as energy savings, carbon savings and implementation costs. However, there is a knowledge gap in understanding the mechanisms behind the success and failure of demand-side policies. The paper presents the results of a…
The Roles of Government and the Public Utility in Achieving Universal Access to Electricity
Although Mozambique is blessed with abundant fossil fuel and renewable energy resources, achieving the national goal of universal access to electricity by 2030 is a formidable task. This paper describes the current energy sector landscape in the developing nation of Mozambique and provides an on-the-ground account of the conceptual framework guiding the public utility in…
Is Natural Gas a Viable Option to Promote Electrification in Nigeria?
Gifted with vast reserves of oil and natural gas, Nigeria is a country with low level of electrification but a rapidly rising demand. This invites the question of whether domestic natural gas can be leveraged to facilitate full electrification in Nigeria. We contend that while in principle natural gas is a solution to the problem…
A Utility Approach to Accelerate Universal Electricity Access in Less Developed Countries: A Regulatory Proposal
We propose a high-level definition of a large-scale business model designed to accelerate electricity access and attract corporate investment in electrification in developing countries. The model is based on the findings of an investigation of the factors underlying the low level of electricity access in a large number of developing countries, and an examination of…
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…
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…
Book Reviews
Determinants of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in European SMEs
This paper empirically investigates the factors driving the adoption of energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) measures in a sample of 8,213 Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in European countries. Our results suggest that sustainable energies actions (EE and RE) are highly persistent both at the firm level and across countries and that there…