Andrew Campbell

Whether data centers bring higher or lower electric bills for other consumers could depend on the actions of regulators. @severinborenstein.bsky.social discusses in his new @ucenergyinstitute.bsky.social Blog post.

Meredith Fowlie on newly passed California legislation aimed at getting electricity bills under control "The promising bill restructuring and cost reallocation initiatives will fall short if that third lever — cost containment — is not working well."

"So, overall, I want to give credit to EPA/DOT. This is about the best you can do with a national label. That said, it would be even better if the labels could be customized by state." Lucas Davis takes a look at the labels you'll see when shopping for a new electric vehicle.

Range anxiety was on my mind this summer. I wrote this blog post about recent research by on the topic by Asensio, Buckberg, Cole, Heeney, @knittelmit.bsky.social and Stock.

California’s Refinery Closure Drama The state must plan today for the import capacity that can smooth the transition. When two major California refineries recently announced they would be closing – Phillips 66’s Wilmington facility w…

My Energy Institute blog post today reviews California's options for dealing with impending refinery closures. There's really only one sustainable approach: the state must plan today for the import capacity that can smooth the transition off of gasoline.
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From Belts and Suspenders to Pants Around the Ankles? The rapidly evolving rollback of policy support for electric vehicles. Source: Where are EVs headed? Back in April, I wrote a piece surveying various threats to the EV transition in the US. I argue…

US policy has been supporting electric vehicles through a number of separate policies. James Sallee describes how the President and Congress are killing these policies and holds out for the possibility that some policies survive. energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/07/28/f...

"Policies like the IRA’s electricity production subsidies can significantly reduce the uncertainty of future outcomes. The elimination of the subsidies means a much wider range of outcomes."

Now That the IRA Is Nearly Gone, Do We Know How Much We Will Miss It? Forecasting is hard. Especially the future. In the wake of the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” (OBBBA) there has been a rush to assess the impact of this legislation on the energy sect…

"The coverage I’ve seen of the removal of the IRA subsidies shares the same weakness of much of the coverage of the IRA’s passage. There is too much focus on overly specific numbers..." James Bushnell's new Energy Institute Blog post. energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/07/21/n...

@severinborenstein.bsky.social differentiates between demand reductions that save society's resources and demand reductions that are wasteful.

Meredith Fowlie describes how the EPA case for regulatory repeal hinges on private sector cost reductions and ignores health and environmental impacts.

My new blog post addressing the DOE's take down of minimum energy efficiency standards for products.

Build It and Hope They Mandate It? U.S. renewable diesel production capacity has increased sixfold since 2020, but future production will be far below capacity unless the federal government significantly expands policy support.&nbsp…

Aaron Smith explores the US renewable diesel market and puzzles through why US producers are developing so much more capacity than required by federal requirements. energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/06/02/b...

James Bushnell addresses the politics that are holding back geoengineering.

Can Data Centers Flex Their Power Demand? First they need to have the right incentives to do so. Electricity world these days is filled with concern about supersized (“hyperscale”) data centers, those computing facilities that use more ele…

"Recent research suggests that a bit of flexibility at peak times –ratcheting down demand during less than 1% of annual hours – could drastically reduce the grid constraints that are causing planners to slow interconnections" @severinborenstein.bsky.social energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/04/14/c...

New Energy Institute Blog Post: Winners and Losers from Interregional Transmission - by Lucas Davis

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Are Clean Electricity Tax Credits a Bad Deal? Only when you ignore environmental benefits and electricity bill impacts. U.S. electricity demand is on the rise. A data center boom, a possible renaissance in domestic manufacturing, and a push to…

My working paper with @bistline.bsky.social is the subject of today's @ucenergyinstitute.bsky.social blog post by Meredith Fowlie. Honored!
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New Energy Institute Blog Post: Universities – The Origin of Many Electrifying Ideas - by @auffhammer.bsky.social

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@severinborenstein.bsky.social summarizes my new blog post well...

New Energy Institute Blog Post: Should the Price of Electricity Depend On What You Use It For? @severinborenstein.bsky.social

energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/03/10/s...

About half of U.S. households with a heat pump have some kind of backup heating. Lucas Davis digs into the data and the implications.

Early Bird Deadline Ends March 7th for our POWER Conference on March 21st!

#energyresearch #energypolicy #energymarkets #electrification #electricvehicles #electricalgrid #renewableenergy #solarenergy #electricityprices #greenhousegases #climatechange #electricity #cleanenergy

tinyurl.com/5cen87dh

"Assessing the net impact on global greenhouse gas emissions hinges on understanding how LNG exports move energy prices and shift global energy substitution patterns across the globe." Meredith Fowlie discusses research on how new US LNG exports could impact US consumers and the global climate.

"While the idea of providing different levels of at least financial – if not physical – reliability to different customers, or even utilities, seems to make electricity operators’ heads’ explode, I don’t see why it has to be so difficult." Jim Bushnell in the @ucenergyinstitute.bsky.social Blog.

"A far simpler way forward is to restructure existing annual registration fees for trucks to reflect vehicles’ pollution impacts." James Sallee looks at steps California can still take to reduce pollution from the trucking fleet by increasing adoption of new trucks.

Aaron Smith works through a comparison between planting corn to produce ethanol and deploying solar panels to generate electricity.

Guess What Didn’t Kill Rooftop Solar? California’s solar industry is doing just fine despite their complaints about net energy metering reform. There is a new administration in DC producing a raft of misguided actions to bolster fossil…

My EI blog post today addresses the claim from CA's rooftop solar industry that the 2023 change in net energy metering rules devastated their business. State's DG database shows it didn't. Just pulled forward sales to beat the new policy.
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#EnergySky

Constellation, Calpine, and Market Power The combined company would have significant market share in several ISOs. As energy economist Frank Wolak once said, “It is difficult to conceive of an industry more susceptible to the exercise of …

Lucas Davis addresses the significance of Constellation's proposed acquisition of Calpine - both large power generators. energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/01/21/c...

Can California Afford Carbon Pricing? Affordability isn’t the enemy of cap-and-trade—It’s the goal. California lawmakers are back to work in Sacramento. Heading into the new legislative session, cost of living concerns loom large. Both…

Meredith Fowlie explains why California politicians' should address energy affordability by extending the state's cap-and-trade program, but revisit how program revenues are allocated. energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/01/13/c...

Going Car Shopping With Your Economist Parent Is the old, heavy clunker strategy still the right call? Happy 2025 (which is not only a square, but also a Harshad number and also the sum of the first 45 odd numbers)! I know you come here for in…

Shopping for a car for your new-driver child? @auffhammer.bsky.social describes what he did.

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Top 10 Energy Institute Blog Posts of 2024 In 2024 readers flocked to the Energy Institute Blog to read analysis on fuel policy, heat pumps, utility responses to wildfires, rooftop solar and electric bikes. As the end of the year approaches…

Top 10 most viewed Energy Institute Blog posts of 2024. Enjoy! energyathaas.wordpress.com/2024/12/16/t...