Nuclear power has long been controversial because of concerns about nuclear accidents, storage of spent fuel, and how the spread of nuclear power might raise risks of the proliferation of nuclear weapons. These concerns are real and important. However, emphasizing these concerns implicitly...

Generating electricity from renewable sources is more expensive than conventional approaches but reduces pollution externalities. Analyzing the tradeoff is much more challenging than often presumed because the value of electricity is extremely dependent on the time and location at which it is...

Following electricity market restructuring, approximately half of all commercial US nuclear power reactors were sold by price-regulated public utilities to independent power producers. At the time of the sales, some policymakers raised concerns that these corporations would ignore safety. Others...

Central to the future perspective presented here is nanotechnological construction with enhanced efficiency of each aspect of the natural photosynthetic process into units capable of inexpensive mass production for domestic use. This involves a vision of artificial photosynthesis research that...

Solar Photovoltaics (PV) on individual rooftops are a potentially revolutionary form of electricity generation. This paper critically analyses this potential in light of key debates on the impact of solar PV on the existing electricity market in Australia. These debates draw on electricity...

Under what conditions does cost-of-service regulation lead firms to distort costs? This paper analyzes changes in fuel procurement practices by coal- and natural gas-fired electricity generating plants in the United States following state-level legislation that ended cost-of-service regulation...

This paper presents an overview of the issue of resource adequacy in general, and the specific problems presented by restructured markets for ensuring adequate investment in generation capacity. The theory of investment in ideal markets is contrasted with the actual behavior of investors in US...

As the United States attempts to increase the percentage of no- and low-carbon electricity sources in the fuel mix, one consideration is whether these sources are more expensive or are capable of being competitive in the market without subsidies. This article explores the types of subsidies that...