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Pollution and the Price of Power

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  • Donald N. Dewees

Abstract

This study analyses the un-priced environmental harm caused by generating electricity from fossil fuels in the ECAR control region south of the Great Lakes in 2004 and again in 2015 when the recent Clean Air Interstate Rule will have its full effect. Using existing damage values, we estimate wholesale electricity under-pricing for coal-fired plants at about $40 per MWh in 2004, almost as much again as the $45/MWh actual price. Averaging across all fuels, the price of electricity was more than $30/MWh too low. The under-pricing will still be $18/MWh for coal plants and $15 for all generation sources in 2015, a decade after CAIR was adopted. Recognizing this environmental price now could reduce pollution levels, increase energy conservation and lead to wiser choices of new generation technology.

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  • Donald N. Dewees, 2008. "Pollution and the Price of Power," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 2), pages 81-100.
    • Handle: RePEc:aen:journl:2008v29-02-a05
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    Cited by:

    1. Li, Zhe, 2008. "Productivity Dispersion across Plants, Emission Abatement, and Environmental Policy," MPRA Paper 9564, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Vera, Sonia & Sauma, Enzo, 2015. "Does a carbon tax make sense in countries with still a high potential for energy efficiency? Comparison between the reducing-emissions effects of carbon tax and energy efficiency measures in the Chile," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 478-488.
    3. Donald Dewees & Trevor Tombe, 2011. "The Impact of Sub-Metering on Condominium Electricity Demand," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 37(4), pages 435-457, December.
    4. Dormady, Noah C., 2014. "Carbon auctions, energy markets & market power: An experimental analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 468-482.
    5. Niu, Shilei & Insley, Margaret, 2013. "On the economics of ramping rate restrictions at hydro power plants: Balancing profitability and environmental costs," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 39-52.
    6. Dormady, Noah & Healy, Paul J., 2019. "The consignment mechanism in carbon markets: A laboratory investigation," Journal of Commodity Markets, Elsevier, vol. 14(C), pages 51-65.
    7. Dormady, Noah C., 2013. "Market power in cap-and-trade auctions: A Monte Carlo approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 788-797.
    8. Qunwei Wang & Cheng Cheng & Dequn Zhou, 2020. "Multi-round auctions in an emissions trading system considering firm bidding strategies and government regulations," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 25(7), pages 1403-1421, October.
    9. Tang, Ling & Wu, Jiaqian & Yu, Lean & Bao, Qin, 2017. "Carbon allowance auction design of China's emissions trading scheme: A multi-agent-based approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 30-40.

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