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Showing all content in Energy
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Blog post
The value of electricity reliability in India
India’s electricity distribution utilities face a debt trap that is common to electricity supply systems across the developing world. Highly subsidised residential electricity prices mean that utilities lose money on most kilowatt-hours they sell to households. These pricing policies leave utilities with neither the incentives nor the capital to improve reliability,...
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Project
The value of electricity reliability in India
In many low- and middle-income countries, frequent and prolonged power outages constrain energy access for large segments of the population connected to the electricity grid. For policymakers in these countries, the value of electricity reliability to customers is a central policy parametre for understanding the benefits of expanding energy access by reforming tariff design...
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Project
Emissions rating programme: Environmental impacts and firm behaviour
Several countries have used emissions rating programmes to incentivise industrial plants to comply with emissions standards and maintain low levels of pollution. Such programmes function by using regularly monitored emissions data from major industrial plants to rate firms from the least compliant to the most compliant. Besides making environmental performance more...
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Blog post
The social cost of electricity price increases in Zambia
The Zambian electricity sector has struggled with frequent power outages since 2016, largely due to declining generation capacity at the main hydropower stations at Kariba. With the worsening drought in recent months, the power deficits have increased, forcing the state power utility ZESCO to announce increased load shedding of up to 15 hours per day in most residential...
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Blog post
Pollution, climate change, and growth in India
To mark the 10-year anniversary of the IGC, a research conference on Evidence for Inclusive growth was organised in New Delhi on 10th September 2019, with a panel discussion titled “Pollution, climate change, and growth in India”. The panellists for the discussion were Michael Greenstone (Director, Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago; Research Programme...
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Blog post
Should electricity be a right?
The question ‘is electricity a commodity or a public utility?’ is thought provoking. A related question is if electricity should be a right and what does it mean. Does it mean people have the right to use as much electricity as they want and at what price? Or should a basic minimum quantity of electricity be available to all irrespective of their ability to pay? The...
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Publication - Policy Brief
Cooling developing countries: How income and climate drive air conditioning adoption
Over 90% of people living in hot areas lack air conditioning. The expansion of air conditioning in these areas will bring comfort but increase greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and refrigerant leaks and could stress electric grids. This study develops country-specific estimates of how air conditioning saturation relates to climate and household income and...
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Publication - Policy Brief
Energy efficiency in smallholder agriculture: Do micro‐irrigation systems deliver?
Promoting energy efficiency is a global priority, as it has promise to slow carbon emissions, aid in expanding energy access, and spur economic growth. However, investments in energy efficiency do not always deliver the expected benefits. Micro-irrigation systems are a widely promoted efficient technology with the potential to improve both water and energy efficiency...
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Publication - Policy Brief
How do credit and psychology affect the adoption of profitable energy efficient technologies in Kenya?
Energy efficient technologies are often cited for their potential to meet sustainable development goals by slowing greenhouse gas emissions and generating financial savings for households living in poverty, but adoption of energy efficient technologies remains low. This study conducts a randomised experiment with 1,000 low-income households in Nairobi. The authors...
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Publication - Evidence Paper
IGC evidence paper - Energy and environment (Draft)