PhD Candidate: Victoria Godwin

Dissertation Title: “Institutions and Operational Frictions in the Energy Transition: Evidence on Solar Adoption, Daylight Saving Time, and Grid Imbalances”

Abstract: 

This dissertation studies how institutional rules and operational constraints shape energy outcomes during the energy transition. The first chapter examines whether private local governance hinders clean technology diffusion by studying homeowners associations (HOAs) and rooftop solar adoption. Exploiting staggered adoption of state Solar Access Laws that limit HOA authority, the chapter combines property level installation data with zip code measures of HOA penetration and estimates causal effects using modern staggered difference in differences methods. The results show economically meaningful increases in residential solar installations after Solar Access Laws take effect, with larger gains in areas where HOAs are more prevalent, implying that restrictive HOA authority materially inhibits household adoption.

The second chapter evaluates whether Daylight Saving Time (DST) achieves its original energy saving goal in a modern electricity system. Using hourly electricity generation from major U.S. market operators as a proxy for consumption, this chapter finds no detectable effect of DST on aggregate generation. However, hourly estimates reveal a systematic morning increase in electricity generation around the time shift, and disaggregated results indicate that natural gas generation rises during morning hours to meet this incremental demand. These results highlight that broad institutions that appear neutral in aggregate can still shift the timing of load and dispatch.

The third chapter studies a distinct operational margin: how renewable uncertainty translates into real-time system imbalance. Using high frequency operational data, this chapter links wind forecast errors to area control error (ACE), a standard reliability metric summarizing supply demand imbalance. Hourly estimates show a robust positive relationship. Larger wind forecast errors are associated with larger absolute ACE, with instrumental variables results supporting a causal interpretation. The estimates imply that forecast accuracy and balancing capability are central determinants of reliability as wind penetration expands.

Across the three chapters, a common theme is that the energy transition is mediated by institutions and frictions that operate at different margins and different time scales. Local governance can slow distributed generation adoption, which affects the composition of supply over years. Time policy can alter demand within the day, changing which technologies are marginal even when total energy use is unchanged. Forecast error and balancing limits then determine how well the system can accommodate variable renewable supply in real time. The results suggest that decarbonization policy cannot be evaluated solely through average effects or long run cost metrics: adoption constraints, intra-day timing shifts, and reliability frictions can each alter emissions, system costs, and the realized benefits of clean energy deployment.

Committee:

Dr. Casey J. Wichman (Co-Chair), Associate Professor, School of Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Matthew E. Oliver (Co-Chair), Associate Professor, School of Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Robert I. Harris, Assistant Professor, School of Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Laura O. Taylor, Director, Energy Policy and Innovation Center

                 Professor, School of Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Santiago Carlos Grijalva, Professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

Date: 03/20/2026

Location: OCE 204

Time: 11:00 AM