Masters Theses

Keywords and Phrases

Voluntary Procurement; Renewable Energy; Consumer Demand; Utility-Scale; Distributed; Photovoltaic Solar

Abstract

“In the past 5 years, consumer options for procuring renewable energy have increased, ranging from rooftop solar installation to utility green pricing to Community Choice Aggregation. These options vary in terms of costs and benefits to the consumer as well as grid integration implications. However, little is known regarding how the presence of a wide range of options for utility-scale renewable procurement affects demand for distributed residential solar installations. In theory, there are three possible relationships, (1) positive correlation, where utility-scale and distributed resources complement each other to increase overall production, (2) negative correlation, where utility-scale and distributed resources are substitutes, and (3) no correlation, suggesting that these different procurement choices are unrelated. To examine the relationship, aggregated at the state level, we use a mixed effects regression model with panel data from 2016 to 2019 for all fifty US states plus the District of Columbia, controlling for policy, resource availability, and demographics. Although there was no evidence of a relationship between demand for utility-scale and distributed options across states, the estimated random effects suggest variation between states. An investigation of Vermont (positive), North Dakota (negative), and Oregon (zero) suggest that the policy environment, available resources, and average energy cost may explain this heterogeneity. As more data becomes available over time, there will be additional opportunities to explore this relationship”--Abstract, page iii.

Advisor(s)

Canfield, Casey I.

Committee Member(s)

Fikru, Mahelet G.
Long, Suzanna, 1961-

Department(s)

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering

Degree Name

M.S. in Systems Engineering

Publisher

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Publication Date

Spring 2022

Pagination

viii, 65 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographic references (pages 57-64).

Rights

© 2022 Eric Michael Hanson, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Thesis Number

T 12112

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