In the absence of an infrastructure for the harvest, storage and purchase of cellulosic biomass, contracting is an important mechanism through which biorefineries can ensure adequate feedstock supply. We develop an optimization model to assess the economic potential of dedicated energy crops...

Based on the proposition that leasing is environmentally superior to selling, some firms have adopted a leasing strategy and others promote their existing leasing programs as environmentally superior to "green" their image. The argument is that because a leasing firm retains ownership of the...

We develop a cost-benefit framework for extending electricity access in currently un-electrified regions. We first show that distributed technologies may be the lowest-cost electrification option in areas where electricity consumption is low and grid connection costs are high. We also show that...