Andrew Campbell

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

energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/04/07/w...

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!
energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/03/31/a...

New Energy Institute Blog Post: Universities – The Origin of Many Electrifying Ideas - by @auffhammer.bsky.social

energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/03/24/u...

@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.
energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/01/27/g...
#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.

energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/01/06/g...

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...

Electric utilities are being asked to expand their systems and energy sources to serve massive data centers. @severinborenstein.bsky.social addresses the challenge of how to fairly recover the costs.

Might Green Subsidies Trump Pollution Taxes? The fate of the Inflation Reduction Act will hold lessons for designing durable climate policy. If you’ve been forced to spend time with economists in your life, you’ve probably noticed certain ten…

"What we need is a vision of how to construct a climate policy portfolio that has wide enough political appeal so that its core components can be sustained for several decades." James Sallee discusses how climate-oriented energy policies could play out. energyathaas.wordpress.com/2024/11/18/m...

How Did Oil and Gas Futures Markets React to the Election? Prices for 2025 and 2026 reflect beliefs about where energy markets are headed. During the campaign Trump made bold claims about his ability to increase U.S. oil and gas production.  “I will end Ka…

"Despite the bold campaign rhetoric from Trump, unchanged futures prices suggest that oil and gas traders believe Trump’s victory is not so important to U.S. oil and natural gas production." Lucas Davis on oil and gas prices after the election. energyathaas.wordpress.com/2024/11/12/h...

Do Time-of-Use Prices Deliver Energy Savings at the Right Time? Fixed TOU rates can still drive significant peak-period energy savings, especially on high-demand days. This week’s blog is co-authored with Kevin Novan. In 2018 and 2019, the Sacramento Municipal …

Time-of-use (TOU) electricity pricing follows a predictable daily pattern, but peak prices on the electric grid do not. New work by Kevin Novan and Aaron Smith finds that TOU pricing can, nonetheless, drive down demand during peak periods. energyathaas.wordpress.com/2024/11/04/d...

"Killing programs like Cap-and-Trade and [the Low Carbon Fuel Standard] while maintaining the underlying carbon reduction goals will only limit compliance options and increase the ultimate cost to businesses and consumers." Jim Bushnell on conflicts between consumer costs and ambitious climate goals