Each week, we review the papers, studies, reports, and briefings posted at the “indispensable” RFF Library Blog, curated by RFF Librarian Chris Clotworthy. Check out this week’s highlights below:
Does Size Matter? ["Chaos" article arguing for downsizing of the power grid to reduce blackouts]
In a study published online Tuesday by the journal Chaos, two physicists and an engineer say the nation’s electrical distribution system would face a lower risk of severe outages if it were divided into scores of gridlets rather than the three major grids that exist today for the East, the West and a large chunk of Texas. — via Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science
The Economic Case for Restoring Coastal Ecosystems
This report analyzes the economic benefits provided by 3 of the 50 coastal restoration projects that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, funded with grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA, of 2009 and finds that each dollar invested by taxpayers returns more than $15 in net economic benefits for the three projects. — via Center for American Progress
Shifting Gears: A New Approach to Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Transportation Sector
In 2007, Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act, which requires a certain percentage of biofuels like ethanol to be blended with the regular gasoline supply each year. A central goal of the Act was to take a bite out of the climate-changing pollution emitted from the tailpipes of motor vehicles. The transportation sector is second only to the electricity sector in its volume of carbon pollution, so targeting it for reductions makes good sense. — via NYU School of Law, Institute for Policy Integrity
Climate Cooperation with Technology Investments and Border Carbon Adjustment
A central question in climate policy is whether early investments in low-carbon technologies are a useful first step towards a more effective climate agreement in the future. We introduce a climate cooperation model with endogenous R&D investments where countries protect their international competitiveness via border carbon adjustments (BCA). BCA raises the scope for cooperation and leads to a non-trivial relation between countries’... — via Belfer Center, Kennedy School, Harvard University
Annual Energy Outlook 2014: Staged Roll-out Begins Today, Ends 4/30/14
On Monday April 7, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) will begin the staged release of the complete Annual Energy Outlook 2014 (AEO2014), expanding on the AEO2014 Reference case tables and highlights that were issued in December 2013. The April 7 release will include the first of eight Issues in Focus articles, which will be released according to the schedule below over the next four weeks. — via US Energy Information Administration
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