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Electricity Sector Policy Reforms to Support Efficient Decarbonization

Storage technologies, if efficiently deployed and utilized, can play an important role in maintaining system reliability and controlling system costs in the face of generation intermittency. A new Working Paper considers how alternative regulatory rules and policy regimes will affect the ability of storage to contribute to reliable, cost-effective, and equitable power system and economy-wide decarbonization.

Coping with National Fuel Subsidies in Regional Power Markets

Fuel subsidies for fossil generators persist in different electricity markets across five continents. In light of the current European energy crisis, this practice is regaining momentum, as may be the preferred emergency measure to limit the impact of high electricity prices on local demand. In a new Working Paper, the authors propose an innovative bidding format and a slight modification of the regional market clearing algorithm to mitigate a significant portion of the negative impact of the implementation of these subsidies.

Technology Neutral vs. Technology Specific Procurement

Auctions are increasingly being used to procure renewable energy capacity. How should these auctions be designed? Should regulators use a single technology-neutral auction, separate technology-specific auctions, or a hybrid design? And why or when should regulators resort to auctions instead of price posting? Since these choices involve a clear trade-off between efficiency and rent extraction, a new CEEPR Working Paper finds that one size does not fit all.

Power Price Crisis in the EU

Confronted with sustained high electricity prices, some Member States demand a deep reform of electricity markets in the EU. Conversely, other Member States ask to strictly respect the current market framework. In this paper, we review what the key EU institutions have publicly stated and what they are apparently considering, and we describe the concrete measures introduced or considered to date.

Properties of Deeply Decarbonized Electric Power Systems with Storage

In order to illuminate the role of energy storage in future decarbonized electric power systems, the authors of a new CEEPR Working Paper construct detailed models, calibrated to mid-century, of optimal assets and hourly operation of power systems under a range of assumptions about generation and storage technologies’ availability and cost. The researchers model three US regions: The Northeast, the Southeast, and Texas. These regions differ in many dimensions, notably in the quality of their variable renewable energy (VRE, wind and solar) resource and load profiles.

March 7, 2022

What Europe can learn from the 1970s oil crisis: Don’t fear high prices

In an article on Quartz.com, CEEPR Director Christopher Knittel discusses lessons learned from the 1970s and how it can apply today - the US experience being proof that rapid change is possible in the energy system when national security demands it.

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February 15, 2022

Nurturing human communities and natural ecosystems

Heidi Li, an MIT student working on the Roosevelt Project and the Climate Action Through Education (CATE) project, strives to help local communities understand how they can influence policymaking to achieve a more sustainable future.

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January 19, 2022

Bringing climate reporting to local newsrooms

CEEPR participates in inaugural MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative Journalism Fellows Program and provides ESI Fellows with access to the Center's policy experts and working papers. Learn more about this collaboration in an article on MIT News.

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The Roosevelt Project

The Roosevelt Project takes a multidisciplinary approach to examine the transitional challenges associated with progress toward a deeply decarbonized U.S. economy. The project aims to chart a path forward through the transition that minimizes worker and community dislocations and enables at-risk communities to sustain employment levels by taking advantage of the economic opportunities present for regional economic development.

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The CATE Project

The Climate Action Through Education Project aims to develop a science-based climate curriculum for U.S high school students, placing particular emphasis on reaching populations who are underserved and on countering climate denial messages. The curriculum will inform students about the causes and consequences of anthropogenic climate change, while equipping them with the knowledge and sense of agency to contribute to climate mitigation and adaptation.

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The E2e Project

Through an interdisciplinary approach to the so-called ‘energy efficiency gap’, the E2e Project seeks to evaluate and strengthen policies and incentives for improved energy efficiency. Proven research designs used to achieve these aims include randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental designs, with data and customer access provided through formal partnerships with private-sector companies.

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