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The Surprising Pass-Through of Solar Subsidies

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  • Pless, Jacquelyn
  • Van Benthem, Arthur

Abstract

We estimate the pass-through of solar energy subsidies to solar system prices. Rich micro-level transaction and subsidy data from California indicate that pass-through is remarkably high and differs substantially for consumers who buy versus lease solar systems. Buyers capture nearly the full subsidy, while there is more-than-complete pass-through to lessees. We formalize pass-through over-shifting as an under-utilized test for market power that can also be applied in other contexts. We rule out alternative explanations for over-shifting and conclude that our estimates provide evidence for imperfectly competitive solar markets. Our findings have implications for the distributional effects of energy subsidies.

Suggested Citation

  • Pless, Jacquelyn & Van Benthem, Arthur, 2017. "The Surprising Pass-Through of Solar Subsidies," CEPR Discussion Papers 11908, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:11908
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    Cited by:

    1. Li, Yumin, 2018. "Incentive pass-through in the California Solar Initiative – An analysis based on third-party contracts," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 534-541.
    2. Gao, Xue, 2021. "The comparative impact of solar policies on entrepreneurship in the U.S. solar photovoltaic installation industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    3. Bruno Lanz and Evert Reins, 2021. "Asymmetric Information on the Market for Energy Efficiency: Insights from the Credence Goods Literature," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 4).
    4. Buchheim, Lukas & Watzinger, Martin & Wilhelm, Matthias, 2020. "Job creation in tight and slack labor markets," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 126-143.
    5. O'Shaughnessy, Eric, 2022. "How policy has shaped the emerging solar photovoltaic installation industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    6. Reeves, D.C. & Rai, V., 2018. "Strike while the rebate is hot: Savvy consumers and strategic technology adoption timing," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 325-335.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    buy vs. lease; demand curvature; market power; over-shifting; Pass-Through; solar subsidy; third-party ownership;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H22 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Incidence
    • Q42 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Alternative Energy Sources
    • Q48 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Government Policy
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

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