Comparing Connecticut's Electric Vehicle Charging Program with Others from around the United States

Prepared on behalf of Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel

Authors: Bryndis Woods, PhD, Sachin Peddada, Jay Bonner, Liz Stanton, PhD

March 2023

On behalf of the Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel, this Applied Economics Clinic (AEC) white paper reviews the potential for electric vehicle (EV) charging programs to provide net benefits to consumers in Connecticut and fourteen other states. AEC finds that Connecticut’s EV charging programs are well-positioned to provide net benefits to consumers and meet the state’s EV and electric vehicle supply equipment deployment goals. Connecticut stands out as a leader due to the detailed nature of its EV and EV charging deployment goals, the inclusion of alternative rate structures to incentivize public EV charging stations, the availability of incentives to cover up to 100 percent of EV charging “make-ready” costs, and enhanced incentives for underserved communities (inclusive of low-income populations). AEC also finds, however, that Connecticut’s EV charging program could be strengthened by adopting best practices from other states’ programs, such as by setting more ambitious EV and EV charging deployment goals, working to target EV charging in as equitable a fashion as possible, and by offering ongoing incentives for EV charging.

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Electric Justice: A Toolkit for the Mid-Atlantic Region

Prepared on behalf of PJM Cities and Communities Coalition

Authors: Tanya Stasio, PhD, Elisabeth Seliga, Sachin Peddada, Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD

Energy decisions affect everyone, but local communities and businesses often lack the time and resources needed to engage in grid operator decision-making. On behalf of the PJM Cities and Communities Coalition, AEC Researcher Tanya Stasio, PhD, Assistant Researchers Elisabeth Seliga and Sachin Peddada, and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD developed a report to assist coalition members and other consumer groups in advocating for greater equity in PJM Interconnection decision-making. This resource was developed with the invaluable input of representatives of organizations that sponsored the Fix the Grid campaign in New England, which is focused on rejecting fossil fuels and calling for a just and democratic energy grid.

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Cumulative Impact Assessment of the North Brooklyn Pipeline Project

Prepared on behalf of Sane Energy and Alliance for a Green Economy

Author: Tanya Stasio, PhD, Jordan Burt, Elisabeth Seliga, Sachin Peddada, Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD

The National Grid Phase 5 expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure and the Vaporizer 13/14 project at the Greenpoint Energy Center create a multi-pronged set of threats to the North Brooklyn communities.

AEC Researcher Tanya Stasio, PhD, Research Assistant Jordan Burt, Assistant Researchers Elisabeth Seliga and Sachin Peddada, and Senior Economist, Liz Stanton, PhD  have prepared a cumulative impact assessment on behalf of Sane Energy and Alliance for a Green Economy to highlight the existing and overlapping socioeconomic, environmental, and health-related burdens facing the communities living near the pending Phase 5 pipeline construction and vaporizer additions at the Greenpoint Energy Center. AEC finds that the Bushwick, Bedford, and Williamsburg neighborhoods would be impacted the most from these fossil fuel expansion projects and include densely populated communities with majority BIPOC and low-income residents.

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Testimony on The United Illuminating Company’s Proposed Clean Energy Transformation Initiatives

Prepared on behalf of The Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel

Author: Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD

On behalf of the Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel, Senior Economist Elizabeth A. Stanton provided expert testimony to Docket No. 22-08-08 before Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA). In her testimony, Dr. Stanton reviewed The United Illuminating Company’s (UI) Application and proposed Clean Energy Transformation initiatives to assess whether they are consistent with Connecticut’s climate and clean energy policies, plans, and targets and in the best interest of ratepayers. Dr. Stanton concluded that UI has not provided enough information to adequately assess its proposed cost recovery for clean energy transformation initiatives. Dr. Stanton recommends that PURA should require electric distribution companies to do the following when seeking approval of proposed initiatives and programs: (1) submit benefit-cost analyses, (2) present comparative assessments, (3) engage in public stakeholder processes, and (4) evaluate performance based on specific metrics.

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Energy Storage Benefit-Cost Analysis

Prepared on behalf of the Clean Energy States Alliance

Authors: Bryndis Woods, PhD, Sachin Peddada, Elisabeth Seliga, Chirag Lala, Eliandro Tavares, Gabriel Lewis, Tsanta Rakotoarisoa, Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD

Contributing Editor: Todd Olinsky-Paul, Clean Energy States Alliance

AEC staff prepared a report that provides a framework for state energy agencies contemplating a benefit-cost analysis (BCA) for battery storage on behalf of the Clean Energy States Alliance. AEC’s battery storage BCA framework provides guidance for state energy agencies preparing to conduct cost-effectiveness evaluation for battery storage, including information regarding: cost-effectiveness tests, discount rates, benefits, costs, sensitivity analyses, and stakeholder engagement.

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Testimony on Washington Gas Light Company’s Application to the District of Columbia

Prepared on behalf of the Office of the People’s Counsel for the District of Columbia

Author: Senior Economist Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD

Senior Economist Elizabeth A. Stanton submitted testimony before the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia on behalf of the Office of the People’s Counsel for the District of Columbia in response to the Washington Gas Light Company’s (WGL) application to the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia for authority to increase existing rates and charges for gas service. Dr. Stanton found that the WGL proposals provided limited emission reductions and that in order to achieve the goal of 60% emission reduction by 2030, the District of Columbia needs WGL climate-related proposals to provide for serious emission reductions in the near-term.

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Testimony on Indiana Michigan Power IRP

Client: Sierra Club

Author: Senior Researcher Tyler Comings

Senior Researcher Tyler Comings filed testimony before the Michigan Commission on the Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). Mr. Comings found several major flaws with I&M's calculations which unfairly biased the results in favor of keeping its contracted power from some of the oldest coal units in the U.S. He also argued that this contract should be re-evaluated and that, in the event of its termination, related costs should not be passed on to ratepayers.

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Evergy Kansas IRP Comments

Client: Sierra Club

Authors: Senior Researcher Tyler Comings and Researcher Joshua Castigliego

Senior Researcher Tyler Comings and Researcher Joshua Castigliego assisted the Sierra Club in comments on the Evergy Kansas Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). AEC had several criticisms of the Evergy plan, including that the company 1) failed to choose one of its alternative plans that was lower-cost and had accelerated coal unit retirements; 2) failed to conduct true optimization of coal unit retirements; 3) inflated the costs of new renewable resources; and 4) failed to consider any battery storage.

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Estimating the Net Change in Carbon Dioxide Emissions for Solar Projects in Massachusetts

Client: Borrego

Authors: Joshua R. Castigliego, Chirag Lala, Eliandro Tavares, and Liz Stanton, PhD

September 2021

On behalf of Borrego, Researchers Joshua Castigliego and Chirag Lala, Assistant Researcher Eliandro Tavares, and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD conducted analysis estimating the net change in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of Borrego’s proposed solar projects at three sites in Wareham, Massachusetts. AEC estimated net emission savings of the proposed projects as the sum of “positive” CO2 emissions savings from the electric grid due to renewable energy generation, and “negative” CO2 emissions due to land use conversion from forestland to grassland. AEC found that Borrego’s proposed projects offset four times more CO2 emissions than are emitted in their development.

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Conditional Benefits of Sustainable Community Microgrids

Client: GreenRoots

Authors:
Joshua R. Castigliego, Tanya Stasio, and Eliandro Tavares

May 2021

On behalf of GreenRoots, Researcher Joshua Castigliego, Research Assistant Tanya Stasio, and Assistant Researcher Eliandro Tavares prepared a policy brief on the impacts of community microgrids on vulnerable populations. AEC staff defined “sustainable community microgrids” as independently controlled energy systems that, depending on their design, have the potential to enhance grid resilience, lower electric bills, improve public health, and strengthen local communities while prioritizing equitable outcomes.

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State of Maine Renewable Energy Goals Market Assessment

Client: Maine Governor’s Energy Office

Authors: Bryndis Woods, PhD and Liz Stanton, PhD

February 2021

In collaboration with Energy and Environment Economics (E3), Senior Researcher Bryndis Woods, PhD and Clinic Director and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD prepared a report on behalf of the Maine Governor’s Energy Office, where E3’s role was to evaluate the options for meeting Maine’s renewable targets over the next decade and AEC’s role was to assess the equity impacts of those options. By 2030, Maine aims to have 80 percent of the State’s electricity come from renewable sources.

The report analyzes six future scenarios to meet Maine’s renewable energy targets and finds that Maine will likely need to add 800 to 900 megawatts of new renewable sources between 2026 and 2030. E3 and AEC find that achieving Maine’s renewable energy goals may result in at least three benefits for its vulnerable communities: 1) reductions in emissions resulting in corresponding improvements in air quality and human health, 2) renewable resources increasing the energy supply’s safety and resiliency, and 3) clean energy development creating employment and community investment. Ensuring energy equity is prioritized during Maine’s clean energy transition will require careful attention to resource diversity, customer-sited resources, geographic resource distribution, and the cost impacts experienced by vulnerable communities.

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Municipal Light Plants and Energy Efficiency

Client: Massachusetts Climate Action Network

Authors: Bryndis Woods, Sagal Alisalad, Myisha Majumder, Liz Stanton, PhD

September 2020

On behalf of the Massachusetts Climate Action Network, the Applied Economics Clinic reviewed over 60 Municipal Light Plants (MLPs) and electric cooperatives across 27 states to identify leaders in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and beneficial electrification programs. This white paper includes case studies of effective programs implemented by electric providers in this assessment. Overall, AEC found that MLPs in Massachusetts can utilize energy efficiency, renewable energy, and beneficial electrification to improve their energy programs.

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Testimony on Pennsylvania’s Duquesne Light Default Service Plan

Windmill farm in Bradford County, PA. Photo Credit: Don Biresch

Client: MAREC Action

Author: Liz Stanton, PhD

July 2020

On behalf of the MAREC Action, Clinic Director and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD provided Applied Economics Clinic expert testimony to Docket 20-3019522 before the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. In her testimony, Dr. Stanton discussed the benefits of long-term contracts for renewables in the context of Duquesne Light’s Default Service Plan proposal. Dr. Stanton recommended that the Commission require Duquesne to issue a bundled renewables Request for Proposal, or require Duquesne to initiate a pilot program amounting to 10 percent or more of its total obligation. Lastly, Dr. Stanton recommended that, for optimal results for ratepayers, the Commission should direct Duquesne to collaborate with stakeholders to design a prudent mixture of resources to yield the benefits of long-term contracts for renewables. In response to several rebuttal testimonies, Dr. Stanton provided a surrebuttal testimony also on behalf of MAREC Action to provide additional information and updates relating to long-term renewable contracts.

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A Whole New Ballgame: Indiana Coal and the New Energy Landscape

Client: Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana

Authors: Liz Stanton, PhD, Bryndis Woods, Joshua Castigliego, Eliandro Tavares and Sagal Alisalad

February 2020

Clinic Director and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD, Researchers Bryndis Woods and Joshua Castigliego and Assistant Researchers Eliandro Tavares and Sagal Alisalad prepared a report on behalf of the Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana that responds to several myths that persist regarding claimed benefits of aging coal-fired generators over renewable wind and solar. The report finds that legacy power generation sources like coal are characterized by a lack of flexibility, making them costly and inconvenient to integrate with more modern renewables.

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Cost and Emission Impacts of Community Choice Energy: Renewable Energy Options for the City of Chelsea

Client: GreenRoots

Authors: Bryndis Woods, Sagal Alisalad, and Hannah Brown

November 2019

Researcher Bryndis Woods, Assistant Researcher Sagal Alisalad, and Research Assistant Hannah Brown present the cost and emission savings of different designs for Community Choice Energy (CCE) programs in the City of Chelsea, Massachusetts as compared to electricity purchased from the default utility. This policy brief concludes that all types of CCE programs save residents money on their electric bills, and that Chelsea has the potential to reduce its emissions by an additional 34 percent by 2030 if it chooses to pursue a CCE program that mandates 25 percent more renewable energy than Massachusetts law.

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Testimony on Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) Least Cost Integrated Resource Plan

Client: Environmental Defense Fund

Liz Stanton, PhD

October 2019

On behalf of Environmental Defense Fund, Clinic Director and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD provided Applied Economics Clinic expert testimony to Docket 2018-0001 before the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau. In her testimony, Dr. Stanton recommended that the Energy Bureau reject Puerto Rico’s energy utility’s (PREPA) June 2019 IRP and require that the Utility submit a new IRP under a set of outlined instructions and conditions. Dr. Stanton concluded that PREPA must constrain all scenarios to follow Puerto Rican Law, must submit model runs with higher demand forecasts, must issue an all resource RFP for new generation and peak-shifting resources, and must hold stakeholder meetings for the general public for future IRPs, including meetings in Spanish.

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Puerto Rico Integrated Resource Plan: Lessons from Hawaii's Electric Sector

Client: Earthjustice

Authors: Bryndis Woods, Eliandro Tavares, Sagal Alisalad and Liz Stanton, PhD

October 2019

Researcher Bryndis Woods, Assistant Researchers Eliandro Tavares and Sagal Alisalad and Clinic Director and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD prepared a report that compares Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s (PREPA’s) most recent version of its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), released in June 2019, to best practices distilled from the most recent Hawaiian electric sector planning process, which was finalized in 2016. The report presents the parallels between Hawaii and Puerto Rico’s island electric systems and outlines how important lessons from the Hawaiian context have the potential to improve Puerto Rico’s planning process, ensure that PREPA is in compliance with Puerto Rico’s climate laws, and provide the lowest possible rates to consumers.

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A Future for Indiana Coal: Emissions and Costs of Alternative Electric Generation

Client: Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana

Authors: Bryndis Woods and Liz Stanton, PhD

October 2019

Researcher Bryndis Woods and Clinic Director and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD prepared a report on behalf of the Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana that examines the cost and emission impacts of various options available to the State of Indiana as it replaces its aging coal generation fleet with other electric-generating resources. The report finds that: replacing aging coal with renewables reduces emissions and saves money and that gas-fired resources do not provide clear benefits as a bridge to greater renewables.

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Risks Growing for India’s Coal Sector

Client: Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA)

Authors: Bryndis Woods and David Schlissel (IEEFA)

September 2019

Researcher Bryndis Woods and Director of Resource Planning Analysis at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) David Schlissel prepared a report that presents three major risks confronting India’s coal sector:

(1)   The over-building of coal-fired capacity. The boom in coal plant construction during the early 2010s has resulted in significant over-capacity. The amount of installed coal-fired capacity in India is now 20 percent higher than the country’s peak demand level and fully 50 gigawatts (GW) above average demand levels.

(2)   Increasing competition from renewable energy sources, particularly during the monsoon season. Low-cost renewable wind and hydro energy sources have a great advantage during the monsoon season, when coal generation dips while wind and hydro generation peak.

(3) Declining water supplies. Groundwater levels across India are in decline. Since 2012, both total annual rainfall and monsoon rainfall have generally been below normal levels ‒ a major concern for coal generation, which requires substantial amounts of water for steam production and cooling.

The report concludes that these risks are already manifesting, and will intensify in the years ahead. As a result, Indian policy makers should: agree not to built additional coal-fired plants; review plants under construction for possible cancellation; conduct an economic assessment of the nation’s oldest coal-fired power plants to determine their financial viability; and address coal capacity in the most drought-stricken as a priority.

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Emission Reduction Synergies for Massachusetts Community Choice Energy Programs, Heat Pumps and Electric Vehicles

Client: Green Energy Consumers Alliance (GECA)

Authors: Bryndis Woods, Liz Stanton, PhD, Tyler Comings and Eliandro Tavares

August 2019

Researcher Bryndis Woods, Clinic Director and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD, Senior Researcher Tyler Comings and Assistant Researcher Eliandro Tavares prepared a policy brief that estimates the greenhouse gas emissions reduction impact from an electric heat pump or electric vehicle of a typical Massachusetts household enrolled in a Community Choice Energy (CCE) program. We find that Massachusetts households that have an electric heat pump or electric vehicle—as opposed to natural gas heating and electric A/C or a gas vehicle—and are enrolled in a CCE program with 5 percent additional renewable supply than mandated by state law reduce their emissions by 69 and 74 percent, respectively, in 2030.

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