Research that Informs Business and Public Policy
Lowering subway fares would save energy and make cities greener. Subway ridership has fallen sharply around the world due to COVID-19. For most of the 170+ subway systems worldwide it … Continue Reading Five Arguments for Making Subways Free
Black households’ energy expenditures are significantly higher than white households’. I immigrated to the United States from one of the whitest places on earth – Northern Bavaria, Germany. I have … Continue Reading Consuming Energy While Black
Lessons learned from our last go-round with energy efficiency stimulus spending. Last week it was reported that 1 in 4 American workers have filed for unemployment benefits during this pandemic. … Continue Reading The Search for Good Green Stimulus
How do we foster innovation to solve COVID-19 and climate change? Ten days ago the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency approval for remdesivir. It’s too soon to know … Continue Reading Remdesivir, Low-Carbon Energy, and the Origins of Innovation
With new carbon capture and sequestration technologies, can fossil fuels be part of the zero-carbon solution? The start of a new year – and decade – is a good time … Continue Reading Fossil Fuels are Dead, Long Live Fossil Fuels
Millennials, carbon pricing, falling solar prices and Greta Thunberg topped our most-read list. I’m often asked, “Who actually writes the Energy Institute’s blog posts?” These questioners expect to hear that … Continue Reading Top 10 Blog Posts for 2019
A new paper shows that people drive less and slow down when gasoline prices rise. I drive an electric vehicle. So I am, of course, better than you and now … Continue Reading Taking The Pedal Off The Metal
A book by Russell Gold on the US wind industry, and a bumper crop of other energy books. Happily, for my annual book review, a number of energy books have … Continue Reading 2019 Energy Books: A Superpower-ed Selection
What happens when Californians take reliability investments into their own hands? (Today’s post is co-authored with Duncan Callaway) It’s easy to take your power supply for granted … until it’s … Continue Reading The Changing Economics of Electricity Supply Reliability
In 1960 only 2% of U.S. homes were heated with electricity. Today it’s 38%. U.S. households burn vast amounts of fossil fuels on-site for home heating: 2.7 trillion cubic feet … Continue Reading Electrification? We Are Already On The Way
A randomized controlled trial demonstrates the importance of providing financing for energy-efficient appliances in Kenya. On one of my first trips to Nairobi, Kenya, our local research assistant took me … Continue Reading Closing the Energy Efficiency Gap for Low-Income Households
U.S. energy-efficiency requirements for air conditioners illustrate the inherent limitations of standards. This was a hot summer. July 2019 was the hottest month ever recorded globally. Even in temperate Oakland, … Continue Reading Limitations of Standards
A new book explores the precipitous decline. One of the most remarkable trends in energy economics over the last 50 years is the tremendous reduction in solar photovoltaic (PV) prices. … Continue Reading What Drove Solar PV Price Reductions?
Many factors go into electricity rate setting, but the economic guidance is short-run marginal cost. Economists can be so judgy. We don’t just study how the world is, like scientists, … Continue Reading Pricing for the Short Run
Saving energy and saving the climate are not the same thing. A couple years ago I took Severin’s advice and proactively replaced many of my still-working incandescent light bulbs with … Continue Reading Redirecting Energy Efficiency Policies for the Climate
Appeals to equity don’t salvage the argument for demand charges. In the past, I have said some pretty unkind things about demand charges in electricity tariffs. Demands charges are fees paid … Continue Reading Are Demand Charges Fair?
