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Residential Green Power Demand in the United States

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  • Dagher, Leila
  • Bird, Lori
  • Heeter, Jenny

Abstract

This paper investigates the demand determinants of green power in the U.S. residential sector. The data employed were collected by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and consist of a cross-section of seven utilities observed over 13 years. A series of tests are performed that resulted in estimating a demand equation using the one-way cross-section random effects model. As expected, we find that demand is highly price inelastic. More interestingly though, is that elasticity with respect to number of customers is 0.52 leading to the conclusion that new subscribers tend to purchase less green power on average than the existing customers. Another compelling finding is that obtaining accreditation will have a 28.5% positive impact on consumption. Knowing that gaining green accreditation is important to the success of programs, utilities may want to seek certification and highlight it in their advertising campaigns.

Suggested Citation

  • Dagher, Leila & Bird, Lori & Heeter, Jenny, 2016. "Residential Green Power Demand in the United States," MPRA Paper 116087, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:116087
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    Cited by:

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    3. Dagher, Leila & Mansour, Mohamad, 2020. "What can GCC countries learn from well-established green power markets in other countries?," MPRA Paper 116073, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Zhou, Shan & Solomon, Barry D., 2021. "The interplay between renewable portfolio standards and voluntary green power markets in the United States," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 720-729.
    5. Fikru, Mahelet G. & Canfield, Casey, 2022. "Demand for renewable energy via green electricity versus solar installation in Community Choice Aggregation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 186(C), pages 769-779.
    6. MacDonald, Scott & Eyre, Nick, 2018. "An international review of markets for voluntary green electricity tariffs," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 180-192.
    7. Gao, Feng & Chi, Hong & Shao, Xueyan, 2021. "Forecasting residential electricity consumption using a hybrid machine learning model with online search data," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 300(C).
    8. Woo, C.K. & Zarnikau, J., 2019. "Renewable energy's vanishing premium in Texas's retail electricity pricing plans," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 764-770.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    green power; green tariff; voluntary market; renewable energy; price elasticity; panel data;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C33 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • C51 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Model Construction and Estimation
    • Q21 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Demand and Supply; Prices
    • Q41 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Demand and Supply; Prices

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