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Optimal Investment in Clean Production Capacity

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  • Fischer, Carolyn

    (Resources for the Future)

  • Toman, Michael
  • Withagen, Cees

Abstract

For the mitigation of long-term pollution threats, one must consider that both the process of environmental degradation and the switchover to new and cleaner technologies are dynamic. We develop a model of a uniform good that can be produced by either a polluting technology or a clean one; the latter is more expensive and requires investment in capacity. We derive the socially optimal pollution stock accumulation and creation of nonpolluting production capacity, weighing the tradeoffs among consumption, investment, and adjustment costs, and environmental damages. We consider the effects of changes in the pollution decay rate, the capacity depreciation rate, and the initial state of the environment on both the steady state and transition period. The optimal transition path looks quite different with a clean or dirty initial environment. With the former, investment is slow and the price of pollution may overshoot the long-run optimum before converging. With the latter, capacity may overshoot.

Suggested Citation

  • Fischer, Carolyn & Toman, Michael & Withagen, Cees, 2002. "Optimal Investment in Clean Production Capacity," RFF Working Paper Series dp-02-38, Resources for the Future.
  • Handle: RePEc:rff:dpaper:dp-02-38
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ben Jebli, Mehdi & Ben Youssef, Slim, 2014. "Timing of adoption of clean technologies, transboundary pollution and international trade," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 8, pages 1-31.
    2. Chakravorty, Ujjayant & Magne, Bertrand & Moreaux, Michel, 2006. "A Hotelling model with a ceiling on the stock of pollution," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 30(12), pages 2875-2904, December.
    3. Kollenbach, Gilbert, 2017. "On the optimal accumulation of renewable energy generation capacity," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 157-179.
    4. Oskar Lecuyer & Adrien Vogt-Schilb, 2013. "Assessing and ordering investments in polluting fossil-fueled and zero-carbon capital," CIRED Working Papers hal-00850680, HAL.
    5. Goeschl, Timo & Perino, Grischa, 2007. "Innovation without magic bullets: Stock pollution and R&D sequences," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 54(2), pages 146-161, September.
    6. Amigues, Jean-Pierre & Kama, Alain Ayong Le & Moreaux, Michel, 2015. "Equilibrium transitions from non-renewable energy to renewable energy under capacity constraints," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 89-112.
    7. Rozenberg, Julie & Vogt-Schilb, Adrien & Hallegatte, Stephane, 2014. "Transition to clean capital, irreversible investment and stranded assets," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6859, The World Bank.
    8. Benchekroun, Hassan & Ray Chaudhuri, Amrita, 2014. "Transboundary pollution and clean technologies," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 601-619.
    9. Neetzow, Paul, 2021. "The effects of power system flexibility on the efficient transition to renewable generation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    10. Renaud Coulomb & Oskar Lecuyer & Adrien Vogt-Schilb, 2019. "Optimal Transition from Coal to Gas and Renewable Power Under Capacity Constraints and Adjustment Costs," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 73(2), pages 557-590, June.
    11. Slim Ben Youssef, 2015. "Timing of Adoption of Clean Technologies by Regulated Monopolies," Panoeconomicus, Savez ekonomista Vojvodine, Novi Sad, Serbia, vol. 62(1), pages 77-92.
    12. Vogt-Schilb, Adrien & Meunier, Guy & Hallegatte, Stéphane, 2018. "When starting with the most expensive option makes sense: Optimal timing, cost and sectoral allocation of abatement investment," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 210-233.
    13. repec:awi:wpaper:0437 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Slim Ben Youssef, 2015. "Timing of Adoption of Clean Technologies by Regulated Monopolies," Panoeconomicus, Savez ekonomista Vojvodine, Novi Sad, Serbia, vol. 62(1), pages 77-92, March.
    15. Goeschl, Timo & Perino, Grischa, 2009. "On backstops and boomerangs: Environmental R&D under technological uncertainty," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 800-809, September.
    16. Javier Frutos & Víctor Gatón & Paula M. López-Pérez & Guiomar Martín-Herrán, 2022. "Investment in Cleaner Technologies in a Transboundary Pollution Dynamic Game: A Numerical Investigation," Dynamic Games and Applications, Springer, vol. 12(3), pages 813-843, September.
    17. Benchekroun, Hassan & van der Meijden, Gerard & Withagen, Cees, 2019. "An oligopoly-fringe non-renewable resource game in the presence of a renewable substitute," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 1-20.
    18. Bazhanov, Andrei, 2006. "Decreasing of Oil Extraction: Consumption behavior along transition paths," MPRA Paper 469, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. repec:hal:journl:hal-00850680 is not listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    pollution accumulation; clean technology; capacity investment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q2 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation
    • Q42 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Alternative Energy Sources

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