dc.contributor.author |
Horan, Kevin |
|
dc.date.accessioned |
2012-03-02T02:02:57Z |
|
dc.date.available |
2012-03-02T02:02:57Z |
|
dc.date.issued |
2011-09 |
|
dc.identifier.uri |
http://hdl.handle.net/1794/11992 |
|
dc.description |
x, 59 p. |
en_US |
dc.description.abstract |
Governments around the world provide financial incentives to encourage renewable energy generation and energy conservation. The primary goals of these efforts are to mitigate climate change and improve long-term energy independence by reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The consensus in the energy incentive literature is that performance-based incentives, which fund energy output, are more cost efficient than investment-based incentives, which fund capital input. This thesis uses a 30-year case study of Oregon's Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC) program to argue that investment-based energy incentives are moderately cost efficient relative to other state performance-based incentives and can be an effective driver of clean energy deployment. However, this analysis also finds that there are significant opportunities to improve the cost efficiency of investment-based energy incentive programs by targeting least cost projects. Namely, 50% of the first year kilowatt-hour electricity returns of the BETC program could have been achieved at 10% of the cost. These lessons from historical BETC spending should guide policymakers, NGO.s, and businesses who aim to make targeted use of fiscally-constrained energy incentive programs. |
en_US |
dc.description.sponsorship |
Committee in charge: Laura Leete, Chair;
Ron Mitchell, Member;
Grant Jacobsen, Member |
en_US |
dc.language.iso |
en_US |
en_US |
dc.publisher |
University of Oregon |
en_US |
dc.relation.ispartofseries |
University of Oregon theses, Environmental Studies Program, M.A., 2011; |
|
dc.rights |
rights_reserved |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Public policy |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Environmental studies |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Health and environmental sciences |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Social sciences |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Cost efficiency |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Effectiveness |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Electricity |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Energy policy |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Financial incentives |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Tax credits -- Oregon |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Energy tax credits -- Oregon |
|
dc.title |
Evaluating the Energy Returns of Investment-Based Incentive Programs: The Case of Oregon's Business Energy Tax Credits |
en_US |
dc.type |
Thesis |
en_US |