The Influence of Policy, Economic and Social Variables on Solar Photovoltaic Market Maturity in U.S. States with an Emphasis on Minnesota and Wisconsin from 2001-2016 - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook The Influence of Policy, Economic and Social Variables on Solar Photovoltaic Market Maturity in U.S. States with an Emphasis on Minnesota and Wisconsin from 2001-2016 write by Benjamin Nusz. This book was released on 2018. The Influence of Policy, Economic and Social Variables on Solar Photovoltaic Market Maturity in U.S. States with an Emphasis on Minnesota and Wisconsin from 2001-2016 available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. The United States solar photovoltaic (PV) market has seen rapid growth in the first half of this decade (2011-2016). Over this period, Minnesota and Wisconsin have seen divergent solar growth rates. The rate of solar deployment in Minnesota has greatly outpaced Wisconsin in this period. This thesis summarizes demographic, solar production and policy information at the state level to analyze these market irregularities and the efficacy of state solar policies. A quantitative analysis of state level data sought correlations between solar PV market maturity and economic conditions, demographic characteristics and state actions. Multiple outputs were collected as indicators of mature solar markets. Multiple single point metrics were analyzed to represent state profiles. When these metrics were analyzed with demographic and policy considerations, it was found that several non-policy factors strongly correlated with strong solar markets. Notably, Google search interest data was a relevant and new correlation technique and a likely predictor of solar PV demand. Solar economics demonstrated to be the most important factor. By 2017, 25 states had a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) equal to current market rates of electricity. Reaching grid parity provided the strongest economic indicator of robust solar markets with strong correlations with all solar PV market outcomes. Allowing third party ownership (TPO) was found to be the most effective piece of legislation that states can enact. All but one of the top producing solar states allow TPO. The additional analysis of Minnesota and Wisconsin demonstrated that effective application of solar related policies matters more than their presence. The policies implemented in Minnesota's 2013 Solar Energy Jobs Act were impactful and immediately effective at growing the solar industry. However, this legislation did not impact all sectors equally. The majority of the growth was in utility scale developments. The residential market was fairly consistent between the two states, which demonstrated to be a better predictor of solar jobs.
The Price-Concentration Relationship in Early Residential Solar Third-Party Markets
The Price-Concentration Relationship in Early Residential Solar Third-Party Markets - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook The Price-Concentration Relationship in Early Residential Solar Third-Party Markets write by . This book was released on 2017. The Price-Concentration Relationship in Early Residential Solar Third-Party Markets available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. The market for residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in the United States has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade, with installed capacity more than doubling between 2014 and 2016 alone (SEIA, 2016). As the residential market continues to grow, it prompts new questions about the nature of competition between solar installers and how this competition, or lack thereof, affects the prices consumers are paying. It is often assumed that more competition leads to lower prices, but this is not universally true. For example, some studies have shown that factors such as brand loyalty could lead to a negative relationship between concentration and price in imperfectly competitive markets (Borenstein, 1985; Holmes, 1989). As such, the relationship between prices and market concentration is an open empirical question since theory could predict either a positive or negative relationship. Determining a relationship between prices and market concentration is challenging for several reasons. Most significantly, prices and market structure are simultaneously determined by each other -- the amount of competition a seller faces influences the price they can command, and prices determine a seller's market share. Previous studies have examined recent PV pricing trends over time and between markets (Davidson et al., 2015a; Davidson and Margolis 2015b; Nemet et al., 2016; Gillingham et al., 2014; Barbose and Darghouth 2015). While these studies of solar PV pricing are able to determine correlations between prices and market factors, they have not satisfactorily proven causation. Thus, to the best of our knowledge, there is little work to date that focuses on identifying the causal relationship between market structure and the prices paid by consumers. We use a unique dataset on third-party owned contract terms for the residential solar PV market in the San Diego Gas and Electricity service territory to better understand this relationship. Surprisingly, we find that firms charged higher prices in more competitive markets in our sample. The finding is robust across multiple definitions of firm concentration. There are at least two potential explanations for our findings. First, firms could be conducting entry deterrence strategies. It is possible that firms are acting in a non-competitive way and setting prices lower than they would be otherwise. Setting low prices that are below potential competitors' marginal costs could deter entrants and ensure a larger market share. Second, there could be a group of dominant firms (with a competitive fringe), and the dominant firms may occasionally engage in price wars. If this is true, prices should be lower in more concentrated markets during the price wars (Salinger, 1990). As the rooftop PV market continues to grow, market structure will remain a relevant policy issue in consideration of the potential for rooftop solar to contribute to de-carbonization efforts or other policy objectives. This paper adds to a growing emphasis on understanding supply-side factors in scaling up solar markets in the residential sector. Generally, solar markets have become more competitive over the same time period that solar technology costs decreased. While solar system hard costs have come down, our research suggests that total costs are more nuanced in early solar system TPO markets. Policymakers should consider these findings when designing markets, and have the data needed to make informed decisions.
Solar Photovoltaic Market Structure in the United States
Solar Photovoltaic Market Structure in the United States - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Solar Photovoltaic Market Structure in the United States write by Eric Jon O'Shaughnessy. This book was released on 2018. Solar Photovoltaic Market Structure in the United States available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems could play a pivotal role in the transition toward a cleaner energy future. Yet PV still accounts for a small share of global electricity generation. Meanwhile the combustion of fossil fuels to generate electricity emits about 13 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. Finding ways to increase PV deployment by reducing PV prices is a key element to reducing those emissions and mitigating the worst impacts of global climate change. Various characteristics of the PV installation industry's market structure, such as the number of installers and the relative sizes of installers, have been shown to affect PV prices. However, the net effects of market structure on PV prices are still not understood. In this dissertation, I explore the effects of market structure on residential PV prices in the United States using a rich dataset of systems installed from 2010 to 2016. I find that PV prices are lower, on average, in markets with fewer and larger installers. This result provides evidence that large-scale PV installers find ways to reduce costs through economies of scale and pass cost savings through to customers. However, I also find that prices are higher in markets where large-scale installers hold very high market shares, suggesting that large-scale installers do not pass cost savings through to customers in markets with little competition. Together, these results show that PV prices are minimized in markets with an optimal combination of installer scale and inter-installer competition. I also find that public policy affects PV market structure, even policies not explicitly designed to affect the installation industry. My results indicate that public policy has indirect impacts on PV prices via its influence on PV market structure. The findings from my dissertation and other findings from the PV price research literature suggest that policymakers can drive future PV price reductions through innovative PV marketplace design. Such measures could form part of a suite of policies to reduce PV prices and increase PV deployment in order to mitigate the worst effects of climate change.
International Handbook of Energy Security
International Handbook of Energy Security - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook International Handbook of Energy Security write by Hugh Dyer. This book was released on 2013-01-01. International Handbook of Energy Security available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. ÔThis Handbook should be consulted by anybody interested in the issue of energy security. It convincingly demonstrates why the provision of energy is such a contentious issue, addressing the complex interaction of economic, social, environmental, technical and political aspects involved. The book is particularly valuable in investigating and highlighting processes in which (inter)national actors apply this variety of aspects in (re)constructing their notion of Òenergy securityÓ, its particular meaning and the implications thereof. Such understanding of energy security is helpful!Õ Ð Aad F. CorreljŽ, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands ÔEnergy security has for long been treated as an issue of pure geopolitics. Hugh Dyer and Maria Julia Trombetta aim at broadening energy security debates and extend them to new agendas. Their excellent Handbook offers a fresh perspective on four crucial dimensions: supply, demand, environment and human security. A diverse group of international energy scholars provides for an in-depth and comprehensive analysis of key contemporary energy problems, ranging from an oil producersÕ perspectives on energy security to ethical dimensions of renewable energy and climate governance.Õ Ð Andreas Goldthau, Central European University, Hungary This Handbook brings together energy security experts to explore the implications of framing the energy debate in security terms, both in respect of the governance of energy systems and the practices associated with energy security. The contributors expertly review and analyse the key aspects and research issues in the emerging field of energy security, test the current state of knowledge, and provide suggestions for reflection and further analysis. This involves providing an account of the multiplicity of discourses and meanings of energy security, and contextualizing them. They also suggest a rewriting of energy security discourses and their representation in purely economic terms. This volume examines energy security and its conceptual and practical challenges from the perspectives of security of supply, security of demand, environmental change and human security. It will prove essential for students in the fields of global, international and national politics of energy, economics, and society as well as engineering. It will also appeal to policy practitioners and anybody interested in keeping the lights on, avoiding climate change, and providing a secure future for humanity.
The Sun Betrayed
The Sun Betrayed - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook The Sun Betrayed write by Ray Reece. This book was released on 1979. The Sun Betrayed available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. A history of the collusion between power elites against small-scale energy development. It ends by profiling successful community projects using innovative solar technologies.
