Publications
Publications
Godwin, V., & Oliver, M. E. (2025). Wind Intermittency and Supply-Demand Imbalance: Evidence from U.S. Regional Power Markets. The Energy Journal, 46(6), 241-269.
Working Papers
“Do local regulations hinder rooftop solar adoption? Evidence from state-level policy changes” (JMP)
presented at The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia 2025, Southeastern Workshop on Energy and Environmental Economics and Policy [SWEEEP] 2025*, Southern Economic Association [SEA] 2025*, CSWEP Mentoring Workshop 2024
Homeowners associations (HOAs) often restrict installation of rooftop solar panels, limiting homeowners' ability to adopt this renewable energy technology. More than half of U.S. states have passed laws that prohibit HOAs from blocking the installation of rooftop solar, but it is unclear whether these laws inhibit adoption of rooftop solar. I exploit the staggered introduction of these state laws to measure the impact of reducing HOA authority on rooftop solar adoption. I combine property-level solar installation data with zip code-level measures of HOA penetration to estimate the effect of policy changes on solar installations using two-way fixed effects, Poisson, and staggered difference-in-differences methods. Results show that solar installations increased by about 120 percent in zip codes with high HOA penetration after states passed laws restricting HOA authority, while solar adoption declined in areas without HOAs. Event-study estimates show no evidence of differential pre-trends, supporting a causal interpretation. Estimates suggest that restrictive HOA authority prevented more than 26,000 residential solar installations in 2020 alone in states without policies limiting HOA authority, resulting in roughly \$54 million in forgone environmental benefits. Overall, the findings suggest that HOAs inhibit household solar adoption and that limiting their authority significantly increases adoption of residential rooftop solar.
“Does Daylight Saving Time Save Energy? Evidence from Electricity Generation”
presented at Southern Economic Association [SEA] 2025*, Berkeley/Sloan Summer School in Environmental and Energy Economics 2024, Southeastern Workshop on Energy and Environmental Economics and Policy [SWEEEP] 2023
Does Daylight Saving Time (DST) save energy? Originally implemented to reduce energy consumption, DST is currently facing scrutiny. The United States government is attempting to pass the Sunshine Protection Act which would do away with the twice-annual clock change. Existing literature yields mixed results and some scholars question whether DST realizes its intended energy savings. To further explore this question, I use electricity generation data from 7 major energy providers in the U.S. as a proxy for electricity consumption. Using a fixed effects approach, I find that DST does not impact aggregate electricity generation. Analyzing aggregate hourly treatment effects shows a spike in electricity generation during the morning hours, and this trend is visible in each of the regions. Notably, I disaggregate the results by fuel type, finding natural gas generation, a non-renewable and relatively dirty form of energy, increases during the morning hours to compensate for the spike in electricity use due to DST.
Drafts and/or slides available upon request
*indicates upcoming
Work in Progress
"The Cost of Missing the Forecast: Wind Uncertainty and System Imbalance in Power Grids"
As wind penetration increases in electricity markets, grid operators face growing challenges from renewable variability. In this paper, I examine how forecast uncertainty—measured by wind forecast errors—affects system imbalance, separately from the effects of intermittency. Using area control error (ACE) as the outcome, I extend prior work on wind variance by isolating the impact of unpredictability. I find that forecast errors significantly increase system imbalance, suggesting that intermittency and uncertainty impose distinct operational burdens. These results have important implications for forecasting, reserve planning, and the efficient integration of renewables into power systems.