Cooperative approaches under the Paris Agreement discussed at COP 24
CEEPR Deputy Director Michael Mehling presented research on the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement at a COP24 side event.
Challenges for Wholesale Electricity Markets with Intermittent Renewable Generation at Scale: The U.S. Experience
A paper written by Professor Paul L. Joskow examines the current and likely future effects on wholesale electricity markets and the challenges these markets face due to the rapid expansion of intermittent (or variable) renewable energy, primarily wind and solar, with close to zero marginal generating costs.
The Carbon Footprint of Bitcoin
Blockchain has its roots in the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, which was the first successful attempt to validate transactions via a decentralized data protocol. Participation in its validation process requires specialized hardware and vast amounts of electricity, which translate into a significant carbon footprint.
Governing Cooperative Approaches under the Paris Agreement
As Parties to the Paris Agreement convene in Poland for COP24, they will be negotiating guidance on the implementation of cooperative approaches, which allow countries to use internationally transferred mitigation outcomes towards their national climate pledges. A new CEEPR Working Paper offers insights from theory and practice to inform the negotiations.
The Rationale for Investment in Life Extension of Spanish Nuclear Power Plants
Nuclear power provides more than 20% of Spain's electricity. As each of the 7 plants approaches its 40 year design life, a decision must be made whether to invest in a life extension, considering Spain's goal of reducing GHG emissions. This research shows that life extensions are the least-cost alternative for further reducing GHG emissions.
Dynamic Competition and Arbitrage in Electricity Markets: The Role of Financial Players
Market power is typically an important concern in restructured electricity markets. This paper shows that financial traders, who trade alongside physical buyers and sellers, can increase competitiveness and lead to lower consumer prices by effectively competing with generators and restricting their market power.
In The News
Dec 14, 2018
“Climate change will not wait for us”
CEEPR Deputy Director Michael Mehling and CEEPR graduate students Sruthi Davuluri and Anthony Fratto recently attended the COP24 held in Katowice, Poland. Read about their reflections here.
Oct 29, 2018
Carbon Capture is Messy and Fraught - But Might Be Essential
Who would pay for a company to sequester carbon underground? MIT economist Christopher Knittel discusses a potential solution in a Wired article here.
Oct 9, 2018
Carbon tax debate: Nobels and IPCC vs. Trump and Doug Ford
In an article in Grist, Professor Christopher Knittel comments on the carbon tax debate. Read the full article here.
Sep 6, 2018
MIT Energy Initiative study reports on the future of nuclear energy
In "The Future of Nuclear Energy in a Carbon-Constrained World," released by the MIT Energy Initiative on Sept. 3, the authors analyze the reasons for the current global stall of nuclear energy...
Sep 4, 2018
Does the U.S. Export Global Warming? Coal Trade and the Shale Gas Boom
Christopher Knittel, Konstantinos Metaxoglou, Anson Soderbery and Andre Trindade examine the effect of the US Shale Gas Boom on global trade, consumption of coal, and CO2 emissions and the results...
Jul 26, 2018
Coordinating Separate Markets for Externalities
In a new CEEPR Working Paper, the authors show that inefficiencies from having separate markets to correct an environmental externality are significantly mitigated when firms participate in an...
Jul 17, 2018
Who Closes First? Ownership and Collusive Early Exits
Climate and energy policies lead to a declining market for the incumbent technologies in electricity markets. Facing the challenge of closures, incumbent firms have incentives to coordinate...