Energy Policy and Planning Group

UHERO fellows conduct research to evaluate impacts of past and prospective energy-related policies, and engage with policymakers and stakeholders on contemporary and emerging energy issues, such as renewable energy and associated clean air goals, energy efficiency, electric vehicles, and carbon taxes.

Michael Roberts Receives Agricultural & Applied Economics Association’s Quality of Research Discovery Award

May 5, 2017

UHERO congratulates Michael Roberts, recipient of the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association’s Quality of Research Discovery Award for his article, “Who Really Benefits from Agricultural Subsidies? Evidence from Field-level Data.” Michael will be recognized during the AAEA 2017 Annual Meeting this summer in Chicago. Michael Roberts is a UHERO Research Fellow, Professor of Economics and co-founder of […]

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Effect of Electric Vehicles on Design, Operation and Cost of a 100% Renewable Power System

March 29, 2017

This report outlines the effect that electric vehicles could have on the cost of transport and electricity production in the context of a 100% renewable power system (RPS). Results presented here were produced using the SWITCH power system planning model, configured to choose a least-cost plan to achieve 100% renewable power on Oahu by 2045, […]

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Electric utility regulation under enhanced renewable energy integration and distributed generation

March 6, 2017

The economic environment for electric utilities is changing in the United States given increased penetration of distributed generation and limited rooms for sales growth. This paper reviews the recent development of relevant policies in the United States and their economic impacts. This review indicates both challenges and opportunities in improving the policies to enhance distributed […]

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Sherilyn Wee recognized as Outstanding Student of the Year by the U.S. Department of Transportation

January 17, 2017

UHERO congratulates Sherilyn Wee on receiving an Outstanding Student of the Year award, presented by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Sherilyn was recognized in Washington D.C. for her contribution to the transportation field through her research and leadership with the Electric Vehicle Transportation Center. For 26 years, the University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program, under […]

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Estimating the Opportunity for Load-Shifting in Hawaii: An Analysis of Proposed Residential Time-of-Use Rates

August 2, 2016

Hawaii’s largest electric utility, Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) and its subsidiaries recently proposed a Time of Use (TOU) pricing scheme for residential rates. The TOU scheme has three tiers of prices: daytime, on-peak, and nighttime. The proposed rates have the highest cost during the on-peak period from 5pm to 10pm. For Oahu, the lowest cost […]

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Electric Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Assessment for Hawaii

July 28, 2016

This study estimates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of electric vehicles (EVs) compared to that of other popular and similar cars in Hawaii, by county over an assumption of 150,000 miles driven. The GHG benefits of EVs depend critically on the electricity system from which they derive their power. The analysis shows that EVs statewide are […]

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What a Difference a Rate Makes

May 3, 2016

By Michael Roberts UHERO’s Energy Planning and Policy Group has been writing about how variable pricing of electricity, both wholesale and retail, can lower the cost of intermittent renewables. Get the rates right, and facilitate easy open-access to the grid for both buyers and sellers, and amazing things can happen. The idea is that variable […]

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Incentives for the Utility

February 26, 2016

By Michael Roberts *This post follows up on two previous installments in the Sustainable Energy Blog Series: Embrace Policy Experiments for Demand Response and Four Years to Improve Renewable Energy. Perhaps the greatest obstacle to a renewable-energy future is that our utility, Hawaiian Electric Industries (HEI), has little or no incentive to transform its operation into a […]

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Embrace Policy Experiments for Demand Response

February 25, 2016

By Michael Roberts *This post follows up on the previous post in the Sustainable Energy Blog Series: Four Years to Improve Renewable Energy. HECO has recently proposed new time-of-use rates and is developing pricing for various kinds of demand response programs.  The proposed programs are a long ways from the open-access, marginal-cost pricing, but they […]

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