How Grid Reinforcement Costs Differ by the Income of EV User Groups
Due to the increasing power demand and expected load peaks, future electric mobility scenarios require high grid infrastructure investments. Therefore, socio-economic factors, such as income, impact the charging loads and the related grid infrastructure costs. These infrastructure costs could lead to an unwanted inequitable costing allocation, as grid operators might opt for an across-the-board electricity price increase. A new paper looks into this issue.
Comments on Draft Revisions to OMB Circulars A-4 and A-94
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) issued draft Circulars A-4 and A-94 for public comment earlier this year. Circular A-4 is the set of guidelines governing how federal agencies undertaking any major regulatory initiative should do a benefit-cost analysis as part of their regulatory impact analysis. Circular A-94 sets out guidelines and discount rates for benefit-cost analysis. In this research commentary, a group of economists at MIT submitted public comments on these draft circulars.
Cost-Efficient Pathways to Decarbonize Portland Cement Production
Accounting for nearly 8% of global annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the cement industry is considered difficult to decarbonize. While a sizeable number of abatement levers for Portland cement production are technologically ready for deployment, many are still viewed as prohibitively expensive. In a new Working Paper, the researchers develop a generic abatement cost framework for identifying cost-efficient pathways toward substantial emission reductions.
Climate Impacts of Bitcoin Mining in the U.S.
In this paper, the researchers discuss the climate impacts of Bitcoin mining and provide empirical evidence that at least 38% of all Bitcoin mining activity has migrated to the U.S. and Canada as of the end of 2022. The growing transparency on locations and energy sources of large publicly listed Bitcoin miners may help dismantle unsupported industry claims, improve assumption-based academic models, and point regulators to areas where Bitcoin mining may bring climate benefits.
The EU Commission’s Proposal for Improving the Electricity Market Design
In this research commentary, the authors discuss several crucial elements that are part of recently proposed European Commission regulation. In an extremely stressful moment, the biggest challenge has been the avoidance of entering into a regressive process that would have disabled some of the fundamental tools that have supported an increasingly efficient integration of the EU’s electricity systems. The proposal preserves the key role of short-term electricity markets and puts the focus on the key flaw: the perennial incompleteness of long-term power markets.
Why Aren’t Schools Teaching Kids about Climate Change?
A recent NPR/Ipsos poll suggested that a majority of American parents and teachers want their kids to learn about climate change. But the poll also confirmed that there is hardly any climate education in our schools: “most teachers aren't actually talking about climate change in their classrooms.” A commentary in WBUR explores this question and references the MIT Climate Action Through Education (CATE) program's work, which aims to launch a climate change curriculum soon, and the Mass Youth Climate Coalition, which CATE is collaborating with on this problem.
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Clean Energy Sector Debates Impact of GOP Efforts to Repeal Tax Credits
An article in The Hill discusses the current debate in Congress over efforts to eliminate the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy tax credits. Some industry players and experts say this may be negatively impacting the sector — especially with potential financial backers nervously looking ahead to next year’s elections. “It definitely creates uncertainty in the market and is bad for both Democratic and Republican jurisdictions around the U.S.,” said Christopher Knittel, a professor of applied economics at MIT. Read the full article here for more thoughts.
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What Does the Perfect Carbon Price Look Like?
To most economists, putting a price on greenhouse-gas emissions is the best way to tackle climate change. It is efficient, allowing society to identify the cheapest unit of carbon-dioxide equivalent to forgo. It is fair: polluters pay; the proceeds can be redistributed. And it aids other forms of decarbonization: complying with a carbon price forces companies to track their emissions and investors to work out which of their assets are the dirtiest. This article in the Free Exchange Column of The Economist discusses CEEPR Visiting Professor Gib Metcalf’s recent paper with Harvard’s Jim Stock on the macroeconomic impacts of a carbon tax.
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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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