Research by the Rapid Decarbonization Initiative

Peer-reviewed journal articles, working papers, and other publications apply Stanford’s interdisciplinary strengths in engineering, economics, business, and energy policy to increase global knowledge of low-carbon energy technologies.

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Working Paper

The Emergence of Cost Effective Battery Storage

Stephen D. Comello, Stefan J. Reichelstein
July2018

Energy storage will be key to overcoming the intermittency and variability of renewable energy sources, like wind and solar power. This paper proposes a cost metric for measuring the cost of energy storage and for identifying optimally sized…

Journal Article

Managerial Flexibility in Levelized Cost Measures: A Framework for Incorporating Uncertainty in Energy Investment Decisions

John E. Bistline, Stephen D. Comello, Anshuman Sahoo
Energy May2018 Vol. 151

Many irreversible long-run capital investments entail opportunities for managers to respond flexibly to changes in the economic environment. However, common levelized cost measures used to guide decision-making, such as the levelized cost of…

Working Paper

Operational Volatility and Synergistic Value in Vertically Integrated Energy Systems

Gunther Glenk, Stefan J. Reichelstein
April2018

We examine the magnitude of synergistic effects in vertically integrated energy systems that arise when the external market for an intermediate input (electricity) is imperfect and the two subsystems are subject to operational volatility in terms…

Working Paper

The Prospects for Renewable Hydrogen Production

Gunther Glenk, Stefan J. Reichelstein
December2017

Hydrogen has long been heralded as a potentially critical element in the transition to a low carbon economy. The recent sharp cost declines for renewable energy raise the question whether an economic case can be made to produce hydrogen from…

Working Paper

Managerial Flexibility in Levelized Cost Measures: A Framework for Incorporating Uncertainty in Energy Investment Decisions

John E. Bistline, Stephen D. Comello, Anshuman Sahoo
August2017

Many irreversible long-run capital investments entail opportunities for managers to respond flexibly to changes in the economic environment. However, common levelized cost measures used to guide decision-making, such as the levelized cost of…

Journal Article

Carbon Capture and Utilization in the Industrial Sector

Peter C. Psarras, Stephen D. Comello, Praveen Bains, Panunya Charoensawadpong, Stefan J. Reichelstein, Jennifer Wilcox
Environment Science Technology August2017 Vol. 51 Issue 19

The fabrication and manufacturing processes of industrial commodities such as iron, glass, and cement are carbon-intensive, accounting for 23% of global CO2 emissions. As a climate mitigation strategy, CO2 capture from flue gases of industrial…

Journal Article

Emerging Clean Energy Technology Investment Trends

A. Bumpus, Stephen D. Comello
Nature Climate Change June2017 Vol. 7 Issue 6

Early-stage capital providers and clean energy technology incubators are supporting a new wave of innovations focused on end-use efficiency and demand control. This wave complements expanding investments in supply technologies required for…

Journal Article

Relating Product Prices to Long-Run Marginal Cost: Evidence from Solar Photovoltaic Modules

Stefan J. Reichelstein, Anshuman Sahoo
Contemporary Accounting Research May2017

A basic tenet of microeconomics is that for a competitive industry in equilibrium the market price of a product will be equal to its marginal cost. This paper develops a model framework and a corresponding empirical inference procedure for…

Journal Article

Enabling Mini-Grid Development in Rural India

Stephen D. Comello, Stefan J. Reichelstein, Anshuman Sahoo, Tobias Schmidt
World Development January2017

Rural electrification rates in India lag behind government goals, in part due to the inability of distribution companies (discoms) to fund central grid expansion. In the absence of central grid electrification, mini-grids offer significant…

Journal Article

Cost Competitiveness of Residential Solar PV: The Impact of Net Metering Restrictions

Stephen D. Comello, Stefan J. Reichelstein
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews November2016 Vol. 75

The policy of net metering allows operators of residential and commercial solar PV systems to sell surplus electricity back to their utility at the going retail rate. This policy has recently been criticized on the grounds that it provides a…