Date of Award
5-2012
Level of Access Assigned by Author
Campus-Only Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Resource Economics and Policy
Advisor
Mario Teisl
Second Committee Member
Gary Hunt
Third Committee Member
Jonathan Rubin
Abstract
This thesis consists of two parts, the first of which examines a demand-side aspect of the emerging biofuels market by estimating New England residents' willingness-to-pay for cellulosic ethanol as a fuel source. Survey results of a conjoint analysis scenario point to positive, though modest, levels of willingness-to-pay among New England residents. The second study attempts to quantify the cost of externalities associated with the generation of hydroelectric power in the Canadian province of Quebec by consolidating available literature on the subject, as well as original calculation in the absence of available literature. The results of this second study indicate that emissions impacts, while relatively low, are not currently accounted for in the price of electricity in the region, and in doing so, this study points to areas in need of further study in order to better reflect the true costs of electricity generation.
Recommended Citation
Farrow, Katherine, "A Thesis in Two Parts: Estimating Willingness-to-Pay for Cellulosic Wood Ethanol and Examining the Social Costs of Hydroelectric Production in Quebec, Canada" (2012). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1674.
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/1674