Identifying Free-Riding in Energy-Conservation Programs Using Revealed Preference Data

Identifying the incidence of free-ridership is significant to a range of issues relevant to program evaluation, including the calculation of net program benefits and more general assessments of political acceptability. Estimates of freeridership in the area of energy policy frequently rely on ex-post surveys that ask program participants whether they would have behaved differently in the absence of program support.The present paper proposes an ex-ante approach to the calculation of the free-rider share using revealed preference data on home renovations from Germany’s residential sector.We employ a discretechoice model to simulate the effect of grants on renovation choices, the output from which is used to assess the extent of free-ridership under a contemporary subsidy program. Aside from its simplicity, a key advantage of the approach is that it bestows policymakers with an estimate of free-ridership prior to program implementation.Energy efficiency, residential sector,random utility model, discrete choice simulation

Emissions Trading: Impact on Electricity Prices and Energy-Intensive Industries

The EU-wide Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), established in 2005, is a key pillar of Europe’s strategy to attain compliance with the Kyoto Protocol. Under this scheme, CO2 allowances have thus far been allocated largely free of charge. This paper demonstrates that such cost-free allocation, commonly called grandfathering, implies an increase in electricity prices even when strong competition prevails on electricity markets.As our estimations for Germany’s power sector show, these price increases result in substantial windfall profits, giving rise to public skepticism and calls for an auctioning of certificates in the future.While empirical evidence on the ETS’ impacts is scant, the findings reviewed here indicate that even in the absence of certificate auctioning, energy-intensive industry sectors, such as primary aluminum production, may suffer heavily from the ETS-induced electricity price increases.We therefore argue that an abrupt transition to a complete auctioning system may endanger the competitive position of energy-intensive industries in Europe, unless all other major industrial and transition countries are integrated into a global emissions trading system.Grandfathering, auctioning, competition

A Regression on Climate Policy - The European Commission's Proposal to Reduce CO2 Emissions from Transport

As part of its efforts to reach the targets of the Kyoto Protocol, the European Commission is currently considering a new directive to reduce the per-kilometer CO2 emissions of newly registered automobiles. This paper critically assesses this proposal with respect to its economic and technological underpinnings. We argue that the proposal’s reliance on targets based on per-kilometer emissions not only conceals the true costs of compliance and thereby stifles informed public discourse, but is also less cost-effective than alternative measures such as emissions trading.We further examine the proposal’s underlying assumptions, finding that these misrepresent the current state of automotive technology and therefore may overestimate the feasibility of achieving the suggested emissions targets. Alternative targets are consequently proposed that are argued to more accurately reflect the industry's technological evolution to date.Technological progress, private automobiles, efficiency standards

Decidability of higher-order matching

We show that the higher-order matching problem is decidable using a game-theoretic argument.Comment: appears in LMCS (Logical Methods in Computer Science

Static and Dynamic Response of Silty Toyoura Sand with PVA Fibre and Cement Additives

After the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, nearly 24 million tons of disaster debris such as concrete products, natural and polymeric fibres, and tsunami deposits remained on the coast of Japan. Much of this debris was recycled and repurposed in engineering projects such as embankments, park restoration, and agricultural field restoration around Tokyo Bay, one of the hardest hit regions of the country. Such a major disaster developed a need for the stabilization of the liquefaction susceptible regions of the reclaimed Tokyo Bay coastline. This thesis specifically focuses on the stabilization against liquefaction of Toyoura sand with the typical silt contents found in the Tokyo Bay region using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibres and Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC). A link between the large strain static and dynamic behavior of the silty sand and the microstructural elements controlling the mechanical response of the amended soil was developed. On a macro scale (Rowe cell, bender element, & cyclic triaxial tests), trends based on cement content, fibre content, silica flour content, and cyclic stress ratio were developed to aid the prediction of the mechanical response of the soil mixture. On a micro scale (SEM and CT scans, mercury intrusion porosimetry), the pore structure, soil structure and soil fabric were visualized to understand the mechanisms underlying these trends. Results from the many tests performed confirmed that the addition of polymer fibres and cement improve the liquefaction resistance, undrained shear strength, and stiffness of silty and clean Toyoura sand. In general, the results suggest that the addition of silica flour is beneficial until a threshold percentage of 28-35% is reached, after which the soil becomes mechanically unstable and more susceptible to static and cyclic liquefaction. The addition of 0-2% fibres provides minimal improvement in all tests. Cement, as expected, improves the soils stiffness and liquefaction resistance proportional to the addition percentage

Economic Impacts from the Promotion of Renewable Energy Technologies - The German Experience

The allure of an environmentally benign, abundant, and cost-effective energy source has led an increasing number of industrialized countries to back public financing of renewable energies. Germany's experience with renewable energy promotion is often cited as a model to be replicated elsewhere, being based on a combination of far-reaching energy and environmental laws that stretch back nearly two decades. This paper critically reviews the current centerpiece of this effort, the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), focusing on its costs and the associated implications for job creation and climate protection. We argue that German renewable energy policy, and in particular the adopted feed-in tariff scheme, has failed to harness the market incentives needed to ensure a viable and cost-effective introduction of renewable energies into the country's energy portfolio. To the contrary, the government's support mechanisms have in many respects subverted these incentives, resulting in massive expenditures that show little long-term promise for stimulating the economy, protecting the environment, or increasing energy security.Energy policy, energy security, climate, employment

Utilisation and usefulness of face composites in the South African Police Service - an evaluation study

The current study investigates the degree to which face composites are utilised as an investigative tool in the South African Police Service. The article provides an overview of the conditions under which composites are produced by eyewitnesses to a crime, and points out constraints in terms of their usefulness and applicability. Composites were found to be produced after a longer delay than is recommended, and predominantly in violent and menacing crimes. Conviction rates for composite-related crimes were very low. However, more insight into actual use and case characteristics is needed before concluding on the usefulness of composites as an investigative tool or evidence. Directions for further research in this area are explored

Definition of Spaces by Means of Surveying and Limitation

Die Forschungen dieser Gruppe zu römischer Feldvermessung, den Meilensteinen des römischen Straßennetzes in den provinciae Hispaniae sowie der Konstituierung sozialen und politischen Raums im antiken Griechenland und Rom teilen den gemeinsamen Gegenstand des durch allgemein-soziales sowie fachliches Wissen gebildeten und geformten Raums. Das Ziel unserer Forschung liegt in der verstehenden Erschließung jener verschiedenen Typen antiker Wissensformen, die jeweils zur Bildung der erwähnten historischen und sozialen Räume führten. Die Methoden, die dabei zur Anwendung gebracht werden, sind so vielfältig wie die Quellen, die den Teilprojekten als Grundlage der Erschließung dienen. Das Projekt zum corpus agrimensorum Romanorum ordnet die Theorie und Praxis römischer Feldvermesser in einen politischen, wissenschafts- und rechtshistorischen Zusammenhang und verfährt gemäß den Zielen des Projekts (Erstellung einer ersten deutschen Übersetzung und eines Kommentars) v. a. historisch und philologisch. Die epigraphische Erschließung und Edition der miliaria in der provincia Hispania Citerior wird philologisch und historisch-geographisch verfolgt. Jene Teilprojekte, die sich mit der Bildung von politisch-sozialem Raum und den dabei zugrundeliegenden Wissensformen beschäftigen, sind mit einer besonderen methodischen Herausforderung konfrontiert. In Auseinandersetzung mit unterschiedlichsten antiken Quellen müssen sie eine angemessene theoretische Grundlage für deren Interpretation erarbeiten, um das Verhältnis von Raum und Wissen vor einem jeweils spezifischen Zielhorizont zu rekonstruieren. Die jetzt erreichte Fixierung eines theoretischen Rahmens für die soziale, politische und wissenschaftliche Konstituierung des Raums durch diese Teilprojekte ermöglicht eine Verständigung innerhalb der Gruppe insbesondere in Bezug auf die raumkonstituierenden Aspekte von verschiedenen expliziten und impliziten Normen, die im Fachwissen und »common knowledge« bestehen. Durch die Fokussierung auf diese Normen ist eine Vertiefung der Diskussion innerhalb der Gruppe durch regelmäßiges, gemeinsames Quellenstudium möglich

The global shift: shadows of identifiability

The presence of overwhelming amounts of information in our big-data era society is growing. Globalisation is increasingly giving these solicitations (regarding information) a more social aspect causing behavioural changes. While restricting my focus on this aspect of the Bentley et al article, I address related medical questions and pin-point the conceptual interest of the roadmap given therein

Development of a Rangeland Degradation Risk Model for the Peruvian Andes

This study developed a Rangeland Degradation Risk Model for the Peruvian Andes based on the Unit Stream Powered Erosion Deposition Model using globally available datasets. A supervised land cover classification was conducted to identify suitable grazing areas and to conduct a regional analysis of susceptibility to erosion. Field data were collected from two different study sites, Huascaran National Park and Nor Yauyos Cochas Landscape Reserve, and were used to assess the model’s accuracy in different ecosystems and land use types. Field data were also leveraged to identify additional data needs and other potential drivers of degradation not taken into account by the model. The accuracy assessment showed that while the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer Digital Elevation Model (ASTER DEM) was adequate for estimating slope and aspect, data sets used for estimating vegetative cover and soil properties were unable to capture spatial heterogeneity seen in the field. A correlation analysis among field data suggested that topographic forcing was a major driver of degradation, but discrepancies between modelled and observed field condition suggested that the effects anthropogenic factors need to be better accounted for in order to improve the model’s accuracy. The integration of a supervised land cover classification with a soil erosion and deposition model allows for areas at risk for degradation due to topographic forcing to be identified for further analysis and monitoring. Additional research is needed to predict soil properties and vegetative cover at a higher spatial resolution to better understand their influence on rangeland condition as well as to further investigate other drivers of degradation