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The Macroeconomics of Clean Energy Subsidies

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We study clean energy subsidies in a quantitative climate-economy model. Clean energy subsidies decrease carbon emissions if and only if they lower the marginal product of dirty energy. The constrained-efficient subsidy equals the marginal external cost of dirty energy multiplied by the marginal impact of clean energy production on dirty energy production. With standard functional forms, two factors determine the impact of clean subsidies on dirty energy production: the elasticity of substitution between clean and dirty energy and the price elasticity of demand for energy services. At standard parameter values, clean production subsidies increase emissions and decrease welfare relative to laissez faire. With greater substitutability between clean and dirty energy, the subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act can generate modest emissions reductions. Even in this more optimistic scenario, a clean subsidy generates significantly higher emissions and lower welfare than a tax on dirty energy.

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  • Gregory Casey & Woongchan Jeon & Christian Traeger, 2023. "The Macroeconomics of Clean Energy Subsidies," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 23/387, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    • Handle: RePEc:eth:wpswif:23-387
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    1. Kalkuhl, Matthias & Edenhofer, Ottmar & Lessmann, Kai, 2013. "Renewable energy subsidies: Second-best policy or fatal aberration for mitigation?," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 217-234.
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    6. Newell, Richard G. & Pizer, William A. & Raimi, Daniel, 2019. "U.S. federal government subsidies for clean energy: Design choices and implications," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 831-841.
    7. Nordhaus, William D, 1993. "Optimal Greenhouse-Gas Reductions and Tax Policy in the "Dice" Model," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(2), pages 313-317, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Abajian, Alexander & Pretnar, Nick, 2024. "Subsidies for close substitutes: Aggregate demand for residential solar electricity," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    2. Gregory Casey & Yang Gao & Gregory P. Casey, 2024. "Energy Efficiency Dynamics and Climate Policy," CESifo Working Paper Series 11303, CESifo.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Climate Change Mitigation; Second-Best Policies; Economic Growth;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • O44 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Environment and Growth
    • Q43 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Energy and the Macroeconomy
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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