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The private and social consequences of purchasing an electric vehicle and solar panels: Evidence from California

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  • Delmas, Magali A.
  • Kahn, Matthew E.
  • Locke, Stephen L.

Abstract

Rising greenhouse gas emissions raise the risk of severe climate change. The household sector׳s greenhouse gas emissions have increased over time as more people drive gasoline cars and consume electricity generated using coal and natural gas. The household sector׳s emissions would decline if more households drove electric vehicles and owned solar panels. In recent years automobile manufacturers have been producing high-performance electric vehicles, and solar panels are becoming more efficient and less expensive. Using several data sets from California, we document evidence of the growth of the joint purchase of electric and hybrid vehicles and solar panels. We discuss pricing and quality trends for these green durable goods.

Suggested Citation

  • Delmas, Magali A. & Kahn, Matthew E. & Locke, Stephen L., 2017. "The private and social consequences of purchasing an electric vehicle and solar panels: Evidence from California," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(2), pages 225-235.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:reecon:v:71:y:2017:i:2:p:225-235
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rie.2016.12.002
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. A Quick Summary of My Published Work in 2017
      by Matthew Kahn in Environmental and Urban Economics on 2017-12-20 19:39:00
    2. The Substitution and Income Effects Induced by Introducing Carbon Taxes
      by Matthew Kahn in Environmental and Urban Economics on 2018-12-11 15:41:00
    3. Low Carbon Suburban Living in 2021 in our "Post-COVID19" World
      by Matthew E. Kahn in Environmental and Urban Economics on 2020-04-05 23:04:00
    4. The Microeconomics of the Rise of Green Buildings and Climate Change Adaptation: A California Example
      by Matthew E. Kahn in Environmental and Urban Economics on 2020-12-23 16:05:00

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    Cited by:

    1. Fang, Yingkai & Asche, Frank & Novan, Kevin, 2018. "The costs of charging Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEVs): Within day variation in emissions and electricity prices," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 196-203.
    2. Irwa Issa & Sebastian Delbrück & Ulrich Hamm, 2019. "Bioeconomy from experts’ perspectives – Results of a global expert survey," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(5), pages 1-22, May.
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    4. Hoarau, Quentin & Perez, Yannick, 2019. "Network tariff design with prosumers and electromobility: Who wins, who loses?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 26-39.
    5. Terenzi, Marco & Ogheri, Chiara & Locatelli, Giorgio, 2025. "Understanding homeowners' behavioural determinants: A study on house retrofitting and PV adoption," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 397(C).
    6. Debnath, Ramit & Bardhan, Ronita & Reiner, David M. & Miller, J.R., 2021. "Political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental dimensions of electric vehicle adoption in the United States: A social-media interaction analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    7. Figueiredo, Raquel & Nunes, Pedro & Brito, Miguel C., 2017. "The feasibility of solar parking lots for electric vehicles," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 140(P1), pages 1182-1197.
    8. Hoarau, Quentin & Perez, Yannick, 2018. "Interactions between electric mobility and photovoltaic generation: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 510-522.
    9. Buonomano, Annamaria, 2020. "Building to Vehicle to Building concept: A comprehensive parametric and sensitivity analysis for decision making aims," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
    10. Barone, Giovanni & Buonomano, Annamaria & Forzano, Cesare & Giuzio, Giovanni Francesco & Palombo, Adolfo & Russo, Giuseppe, 2022. "Energy virtual networks based on electric vehicles for sustainable buildings: System modelling for comparative energy and economic analyses," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 242(C).
    11. Qu Zhao, 2018. "Electromobility research in Germany and China: structural differences," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 117(1), pages 473-493, October.
    12. Chihiro YAGI & Kenji TAKEUCHI, 2025. "Light after the darkness: Estimating the impact of power outages on subsequent solar installations," Discussion papers e-25-010, Graduate School of Economics , Kyoto University.
    13. Buonomano, A. & Calise, F. & Cappiello, F.L. & Palombo, A. & Vicidomini, M., 2019. "Dynamic analysis of the integration of electric vehicles in efficient buildings fed by renewables," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 245(C), pages 31-50.
    14. Calise, Francesco & Cappiello, Francesco Liberato & Cartenì, Armando & Dentice d’Accadia, Massimo & Vicidomini, Maria, 2019. "A novel paradigm for a sustainable mobility based on electric vehicles, photovoltaic panels and electric energy storage systems: Case studies for Naples and Salerno (Italy)," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 97-114.
    15. Mariangela Scorrano & Romeo Danielis & Stefano Pastore & Vanni Lughi & Alessandro Massi Pavan, 2020. "Modeling the Total Cost of Ownership of an Electric Car Using a Residential Photovoltaic Generator and a Battery Storage Unit—An Italian Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-21, May.
    16. Liang, Jing & Qiu, Yueming (Lucy) & Xing, Bo, 2022. "Impacts of the co-adoption of electric vehicles and solar panel systems: Empirical evidence of changes in electricity demand and consumer behaviors from household smart meter data," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    17. Cha, Min-kyeong & Struthers, Cory L. & Brown, Marilyn A. & Kale, Snehal & Chapman, Oliver, 2024. "Toward residential decarbonization: Analyzing social-psychological drivers of household co-adoption of rooftop solar, electric vehicles, and efficient HVAC systems in Georgia, U.S," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    18. Priessner, Alfons & Hampl, Nina, 2020. "Can product bundling increase the joint adoption of electric vehicles, solar panels and battery storage? Explorative evidence from a choice-based conjoint study in Austria," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    19. Cohen, Jed & Azarova, Valeriya & Kollmann, Andrea & Reichl, Johannes, 2019. "Q-complementarity in household adoption of photovoltaics and electricity-intensive goods: The case of electric vehicles," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 567-577.

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