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…
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Electricity Markets in Transition and Crisis: Balancing Efficiency, Equity, and Security
Two electricity market crises following the lifting of post-Covid restrictions in 2021 and the natural gas supply interruptions in 2022, challenged the functioning of the EU electricity market and its design. This paper argues that the market design was already ripe for an overhaul as the efficient market paradigm has gradually become an instrument of…
Policy Reversals in Transitional Markets: The Effect of Changing Marginal Cost to Physical Order Dispatch in the Mexican Power Sector
This study explores the 2021 Mexican electric reform that proposes changing the power dispatch from a marginal-cost-based to a command-and-control physical system. The new law forces the state power company to dispatch before private generators. We use the GENeSYS-MOD techno-economic energy model to determine the reform’s effect on the power sector’s generation mix, energy emissions,…
Regulatory impact on Quality of Electricity Distribution Services: The case of Latin America and the Caribbean
In this study, we empirically estimate the impact of quality regulation based on economic incentives on the frequency and duration of power outages. First, based on a sample of 143 electricity distributors across Latin America and the Caribbean, we show that between 2003 and 2019, the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) and the System…
Quality Matters: Power Reliability and Grid Connection in Rural Guatemala
Electrification rates have been increasing within low and middle income countries. However, the prevalence of outages is still a relevant issue for rural households when considering whether to connect to the grid. We test this by exploiting a shock in quality that unequally affected different municipalities in Guatemala during 2012–2014. Our main estimates, which are…
Determinants of energy poverty: Trends in Spain in times of economic change (2006–2021)
The debate concerning energy affordability in Europe is more pressing than ever, not solely as an energy issue but also as a broader social concern related to climate change, poverty, and health deprivation. This paper empirically investigates the factors leading to household energy vulnerability and identifies new dimensions and profiles affected by this structural problem….
Key Fuel Poverty Indicators and Variables: A Systematic Literature Review
Fuel poverty is a condition associated with the inability to afford sufficient energy services in a home, especially heating. There is no single standardised process for defining or measuring fuel poverty. Each different method used in research or policy presents biases, resulting in different numbers of affected households with implications for interventions. This systematic literature…
The End of Neutrality? Fuel Standards, Technology Neutrality, and Stimulating the EV Market
Widespread electrification of the transportation sector is a key component of most strategies for deep decarbonization of the U.S. economy. While the acceptance of EVs has grown dramatically over the last decade, much of this growth has been spurred by substantial support from public funds and other related policies. Major electrification on the time scales…
Green Opportunities for the Energy Sector
Economic efficiency and CO2 impact of a clean cooking program in Ecuador
Clean cooking programs are implemented to replace polluting fuel technologies and fight climate change. In 2014, Ecuador launched a clean cooking program to improve environmental conditions for its population and reduce the large financial burden spent on liquid petroleum gas subsidies. In this paper, we analyze the economic and environmental impacts of this program. We…