The environmental cost of power outages: Evidence from Delhi

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Lin, Yatang; Kassem, Dana
• 署名单位: Hong Kong University of Science & Technology; Hong Kong University of Science & Technology
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2727
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2024.105289
• 发表日期: 2025
• 关键词: Electricity outages; Air pollution

摘要

This paper examines an overlooked consequence of an unstable electricity supply: air pollution. Using a unique dataset with high-frequency records of outage events and pollution, we find that outages lead to a 0.4% and 1.3% increase in hourly NO2 and NO concentrations and a 0.4% increase in PM10 levels. This is likely attributable to the widespread use of highly polluting backup diesel generators. The environmental cost of outages exceeds the private cost for users when backup generators are adopted. Welfare analysis using bunching estimation highlights the importance of incorporating environmental benefits in the evaluation of policies aimed at mitigating outages.