Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Economics In Transition: Issues Applicable To Climate Change, Odysseus Bostick

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents three essays on topics that characterize the challenges of the energy transition. The first two focus on mitigating the worst impacts of climate change while the final hones in on adapting to climate change.

The first essay estimates willingness-to-pay (WTP) of electricity customers for rooftop solar within the Tennessee Valley Authority. Applying a conditional logit model, the probability of adoption rises with utility rates and emissions-reductions and declines with costs. Evidence of social contagion exists with adoption probabilities increasing 55 − 57% when respondents know someone with panels. WTP also rises. Comparing aggregated to regional WTPs confirms …