RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Electricity Prices, River Temperatures, and Cooling Water Scarcity
JF Land Economics
JO Land Econ
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 131
OP 148
DO 10.3368/le.90.1.131
VO 90
IS 1
A1 McDermott, Grant R.
A1 Nilsen, Øivind A.
YR 2014
UL http://le.uwpress.org/content/90/1/131.abstract
AB Thermal-based power stations rely on water for cooling purposes. These water sources may be subject to incidents of scarcity, environmental regulations, and competing economic concerns. This paper analyzes the effect of water scarcity and increased river temperatures on German electricity prices from 2002 to 2009. Having controlled for demand effects, the results indicate that the electricity price is significantly impacted by both a change in river temperatures and the relative abundance of river water. An implication is that future climate change will affect electricity prices not only through changes in demand, but also via increased water temperatures and scarcity. (JEL Q25, Q41)