The economic, legal, and policy implications of renewable energy and climate change mitigation

Abstract

The problem of climate change poses one of the most substantial threats humans have ever faced. On the other hand, climate change mitigation poses several significant tradeoffs, and despite the impacts of climate change, implementation of renewable energy to mitigate the climate change contributions of energy systems has developed slowly and unevenly. This dissertation explores these tradeoffs through various perspectives to understand the optimal implementation of renewable energy. The dissertation is comprised of three separate chapters, discussing different economic and environmental impacts of energy systems, including climate change, human health impacts, and wildlife population impacts. The first chapter investigates the cost effectiveness of an electric bus that is vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capable, by conducting a cost benefit analysis. Next, the second chapter will evaluate the relationship between the public trust doctrine and the ensuing implications for electricity production and its impacts on water and wildlife resources. The third chapter employs electric system modeling to determine the optimum of electricity and transportation technology mix if externalities such as health costs and social costs of carbon were incorporated. These three essays are tied together by their implications for energy, environmental and climate change policy.