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Emissions, Transmission, and the Environmental Value of Renewable Energy

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  • Fell, Harrison
  • Kaffine, Daniel T.
  • Novan, Kevin

Abstract

We examine how transmission congestion alters the environmental benefits provided by renewable generation. Using hourly data from the Texas and Mid-Continent electricity markets, we find that relaxing transmission constraints between the wind-rich areas and the demand centers of the respective markets conservatively increases the non-market value of wind by 31% for Texas and 13% for Mid-Continent markets. Much of this increase in the non-market value arises from a redistribution in where air quality improvements occur { when transmission is not constrained, wind offsets much more pollution from fossil fuel units located near highly populated demand centers.

Suggested Citation

  • Fell, Harrison & Kaffine, Daniel T. & Novan, Kevin, 2019. "Emissions, Transmission, and the Environmental Value of Renewable Energy," CEnREP Working Papers 283718, North Carolina State University, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:nccewp:283718
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.283718
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    Cited by:

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    2. Bohland, Moritz & Schwenen, Sebastian, 2022. "Renewable support and strategic pricing in electricity markets," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    3. Westphal, Igor, 2024. "The effects of reducing renewable power intermittency through portfolio diversification," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    4. Carattini, Stefano & Figge, Béla & Gordan, Alexander & Löschel, Andreas, 2024. "Municipal building codes and the adoption of solar photovoltaics," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    5. Harrison Fell & Melinda Sandler Morrill, 2024. "The Impact of Wind Energy on Air Pollution and Emergency Department Visits," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 87(1), pages 287-320, January.
    6. Chu, Yin & Gao, Juanxia & Li, Haoyang, 2023. "Wind power expansion and regional allocative efficiency among fossil-fuel electricity generators," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    7. Luis E. GONZALES & ITO Koichiro & Mar REGUANT, 2022. "The Dynamic Impact of Market Integration: Evidence from renewable energy expansion in Chile," Discussion papers 22050, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    8. Katzen, Matthew & Leslie, Gordon W., 2024. "Siting and operating incentives in electrical networks: A study of mispricing in zonal markets," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    9. Abrell, Jan & Kosch, Mirjam, 2022. "Cross-country spillovers of renewable energy promotion—The case of Germany," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    10. Yang, Yuting, 2022. "Electricity interconnection with intermittent renewables," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    11. Concettini, Silvia & Creti, Anna & Gualdi, Stanislao, 2022. "Assessing the regional redistributive effect of renewable power production through a spot market algorithm simulator: The case of Italy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    12. Savelli, Iacopo & Hardy, Jeffrey & Hepburn, Cameron & Morstyn, Thomas, 2022. "Putting wind and solar in their place: Internalising congestion and other system-wide costs with enhanced contracts for difference in Great Britain," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    13. Rivera, Nathaly M. & Ruiz-Tagle, J. Cristobal & Spiller, Elisheba, 2024. "The health benefits of solar power generation: Evidence from Chile," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    14. LaRiviere, Jacob & Lyu, Xueying, 2022. "Transmission constraints, intermittent renewables and welfare," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    15. Paige Weber & Matt Woerman, 2022. "Intermittency or Uncertainty? Impacts of Renewable Energy in Electricity Markets," CESifo Working Paper Series 9902, CESifo.
    16. Harleman, Max, 2024. "Who bears the cost of renewable power transmission lines? Evidence from housing values," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    17. Gugler, Klaus & Haxhimusa, Adhurim & Liebensteiner, Mario, 2023. "Carbon pricing and emissions: Causal effects of Britain's carbon tax," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    18. Jamal Mamkhezri & Leonard A. Malczynski & Janie M. Chermak, 2021. "Assessing the Economic and Environmental Impacts of Alternative Renewable Portfolio Standards: Winners and Losers," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-23, June.
    19. Novan, Kevin & Wang, Yingzi, 2024. "Estimates of the marginal curtailment rates for solar and wind generation," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Environmental Economics and Policy;

    JEL classification:

    • L94 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Electric Utilities
    • Q42 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Alternative Energy Sources
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling

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