Measuring Renewable Energy Externalities: Evidence from Subjective Well-Being Data

Charlotte von Möllendorff and Heinz Welsch

No 779, SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research from DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP)

Abstract: Electricity from renewable sources avoids disadvantages of conventional power generation but often meets with local resistance due to visual, acoustic, and odor nuisance. We use representative panel data on the subjective well-being of 46,678 individuals in Germany, 1994-2012, for identifying and valuing the local externalities from solar, wind and biomass plants in respondents’ postcode area and adjacent postcode areas. We find significant well-being externalities of all three technologies that differ with regard to their temporal and spatial characteristics. The monetary equivalent of 1 MW capacity expansion is estimated to be in the range of 0.3-0.7 percent of per capita income.

Keywords: renewable energy; local externality; subjective well-being; life satisfaction; non-market valuation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D62 I31 Q42 Q51 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 20 p.
Date: 2015
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene, nep-eur, nep-hap and nep-reg
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Measuring Renewable Energy Externalities: Evidence from Subjective Well-being Data (2017)
Working Paper: Measuring Renewable Energy Externalities: Evidence from Subjective Well-Being Data (2014)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:diw:diwsop:diw_sp779

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