This paper empirically tests the validity of the postulated Environmental Kuznets Curve for a panel of 69 countries from 1971 to 2014 which are clustered into all-, high-, middle-, and lower-income groupings. Since the quadratic EKC specification between carbon dioxide emissions and GDP produces highly biased results in favour of an inverted U-shaped pattern, we…
Shale Gas and Oil Development: A Review of the Local Environmental, Fiscal, and Social Impacts
In the early 2000s, advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies led to a veritable boom in the extraction of natural gas and oil from shale plays. In this review article, we discuss the local, state, and federal regulatory context in which this shale gas and oil production occurs and review how it affects…
Natural Gas markets in the European Union: Testing Resilience
The liberalization and integration of natural gas markets in Europe have resulted in gas-to-gas competition on a European scale with closely related natural gas prices in the various markets. More recently, the European Union aims to become a resilient energy union which may call for additional policy measures. In this paper we discuss the need…
The Impact of Intermittent Power Generation on the Wholesale Electricity Prices of the MIBEL Iberian Market
This study addresses the effect of intermittent renewable energy generation on the dynamics of electricity prices of the Iberian market (Spain and Portugal) during the period 2010-2015. The results indicate that intermittent renewable energy has a material negative effect on electricity price, consistent with the presence of a merit-order effect. Still, that effect varies with…
Cost-efficiency of the EU Emissions Trading System: An Evaluation of the Second Trading Period
Cap and trade systems are considered to be one of the most cost-efficient options to achieve emission reduction targets. This paper extends the literature on the evaluation of emissions trading systems (ETS) by providing insights into the methodology of the ex-post evaluation of cost-efficiency. Based on data from the second trading period of the EU…
What Models Tell us about Long-term Contracts in Times of the Energy Transition
Uncertainty is a major hindrance to attracting investment for the energy transition. Yet European market design is mainly discussed with a focus on short-term efficiency. Based on computational results from market models for gas and power we derive lessons on the importance of contracts and the implications of incomplete markets. Specifically, we show that short-term…
Running Randomized Field Experiments for Energy Efficiency Programs: A Practitioner’s Guide
Researchers and professional evaluators are increasingly turning to randomized field experiments to evaluate energy efficiency programs and policies. This article provides a brief overview of several experimental methods and discusses their application to energy efficiency programs. We highlight experimental designs, such as randomized encouragement and recruit-and-deny, that are particularly well suited for situations where participation…
Socio-technical Inertia: Understanding the Barriers to Distributed Generation in Pakistan
In a bid to promote renewable energy, Pakistan issued net-metering regulations in 2015 that allowed for on-site solar and wind generation. However, five years on, overall growth in Distributed Generation (DG) remains insignificant. Here we investigate the reasons why, focusing on solar prosumage and exploring the key barriers and challenges in the existing socio-technical regime….
Analytics on Pricing Signals in Peer-to-Peer Solar Microgrids in Bangladesh
Solar microgrids enabling peer-to-peer energy exchange among off-grid households are poised to contribute to electrifying rural areas in the Global South. This novel approach provides underserved communities with affordable, green and reliable energy access, capable of powering higher-tier consumer as well as productive-use appliances. To ensure these microgrids can be run sustainably, this paper seeks…
Model-Based Evaluation of Decentralised Electricity Markets at Different Phases of the German Energy Transition
This paper investigates decentralised markets in the German electricity system, defined as markets in specific regions in which regional electricity demand is met primarily by regional generation and the remaining demand is met on a system-wide level in a second step. The research question is: What impact do the size of decentralised markets and the…