Not So Clean Peak Energy Standards

The research finds that the "Clean Peak Standard" is largely ineffective at reducing emissions because it reinforces existing storage operator incentives and fails to account for high-frequency changes in marginal operating emissions rates. The authors suggest that alternative policies, such as a carbon tax, would be more effective.

• The "Clean Peak Standard" policy, which incentivizes storage discharge during high-demand periods to offset high-pollution generators, is largely ineffective at achieving its emissions reduction goal.
• The policy fails to significantly alter discharging behavior because it reinforces existing incentives for storage operators and cannot capture high-frequency changes in marginal operating emissions rates.
• Alternative policy mechanisms, specifically a carbon tax, are more effective than Clean Peak-style policies at reducing the emissions increase caused by electricity storage.

APA

Unel, J. S. C. L. G. M. I. R. A. B. (2021). Not So Clean Peak Energy Standards. Institute for Policy Integrity. https://policyintegrity.org/publications/detail/not-so-clean-peak-energy-standards

Chicago

Unel, Jeffrey Shrader, Christy Lewis, Gavin McCormick, Isabelle Rabideau, and Burcin. Not So Clean Peak Energy Standards. Institute for Policy Integrity, 2021. https://policyintegrity.org/publications/detail/not-so-clean-peak-energy-standards.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Unel |first1=Jeffrey Shrader, Christy Lewis, Gavin McCormick, Isabelle Rabideau, and Burcin |title=Not So Clean Peak Energy Standards |publisher=Institute for Policy Integrity |date=15 March 2021 |url=https://policyintegrity.org/publications/detail/not-so-clean-peak-energy-standards |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unel2021not, author = {Unel, Jeffrey Shrader, Christy Lewis, Gavin McCormick, Isabelle Rabideau, and Burcin}, title = {{Not So Clean Peak Energy Standards}}, institution = {Institute for Policy Integrity}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://policyintegrity.org/publications/detail/not-so-clean-peak-energy-standards}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }