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| Darmstadter, Joel; Kropp, Brian. |
| Labor productivity in U.S. coal mining increased at an average annual rate of slightly over four percent during the past 45 years. This report examines key factors contributing to that record - particularly, technological innovation in both surface and underground mining and concurrent geographic shifts in U.S. coal production. Health, safety, and environmental regulations introduced in the sixties and seventies, as well as labor unrest, interrupted long-term productivity advance; but the interruption was of limited duration. Although our principal focus is on worker productivity, steady growth in the relative importance of nonlabor inputs underscores the need to consider total factor productivity. The report touches on the productivity record using that... |
| Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper |
Palavras-chave: Coal mining; Productivity; Technological change; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy; Q41; L72; O31. |
| Ano: 1997 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10874 |
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| MacAuley, Molly K.; Shih, Jhih-Shyang; Aronow, Emily; Austin, David H.; Bath, Tom; Darmstadter, Joel. |
| In this paper we develop a cost index-based measure of the expected consumer welfare gains from innovation in electricity generation technologies. To illustrate our approach, we estimate how much better off consumers would be from 2000 to 2020 as renewable energy technologies continue to be improved and gradually adopted, compared with a counterfactual scenario that allows for continual improvement of conventional technology. We proceed from the position that the role and prospects of renewable energy are best assessed within a market setting that considers competing energy technologies and sources. We evaluate five renewable energy technologies used to generate electricity: solar photovoltaics, solar thermal, geothermal, wind, and biomass. For each, we... |
| Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper |
Palavras-chave: Energy economics; Technical change; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy; Q4; O3. |
| Ano: 2002 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10588 |
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| MacAuley, Molly K.; Darmstadter, Joel; Fini, John N.; Greenberg, Joel S.; Maulbetsch, John S.; Schaal, A. Michael; Styles, Geoffrey S.W.; Vedda, James A.. |
| Satellite solar power (SSP) has been suggested as an alternative to terrestrial energy resources for electricity generation. In this study, we consider the market for electricity from the present to 2020, roughly the year when many experts expect SSP to be technically achievable. We identify several key challenges for SSP in competing with conventional electricity generation in developed and developing countries, discuss the role of market and economic analysis as technical development of SSP continues during the coming years, and suggest future research directions to improve understanding of the potential economic viability of SSP. |
| Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper |
Palavras-chave: Energy economics; Solar power; Space; Satellites; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy. |
| Ano: 2000 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10542 |
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| Darmstadter, Joel. |
| This paper looks at the status and prospects of renewables-with particular emphasis on windpower-in the electric power sector. Although renewables account for a steadily rising share of electricity generation in various countries, their role remains small in absolute terms. In part, this is because of technological progress of and successful competition from fossil-fueled generation-notably, combined cycle gas turbines. While diminishing, subsidies continue to be indispensable to the use of renewables in most places. Viability of renewables-based electricity is undermined by the cost of externalities for which fossil energy combustion is only partially charged. A number of countries (and states in the U.S.) have launched obligatory requirements for... |
| Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper |
Palavras-chave: Renewable energy; Electricity; Windpower; Externalities; Environmental Economics and Policy; Q21; L94. |
| Ano: 2003 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10777 |
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| McVeigh, James; Burtraw, Dallas; Darmstadter, Joel; Palmer, Karen L.. |
| This study provides an evaluation of the performance of five renewable energy technologies used to generate electricity: biomass, geothermal, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal, and wind. We compared the actual performance of these technologies against stated projections that helped shape public policy goals over the last three decades. Our findings document a significant difference between the success of renewable technologies in penetrating the U.S. electricity generation market and in meeting cost-related goals, when compared with historic projections. In general, renewable technologies have failed to meet expectations with respect to market penetration. They have succeeded, however, in meeting or exceeding expectations with respect to their cost. To a... |
| Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper |
Palavras-chave: Renewable energy; Regulation; Electricity generation; Energy cost; Environmental Economics and Policy; Q42; L94. |
| Ano: 1999 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10627 |
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