Graduation Year
2017
Date of Submission
4-2017
Document Type
Campus Only Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Environment, Economics, and Politics (EEP)
Reader 1
Mary Evans
Reader 2
Bill Christian
Rights Information
© 2017 Maximilian Breitbarth
Abstract
I explore the environmental and economic value to be gained by using a greater proportion of renewable distributed generation, mainly solar, relative to centralized generation in the United States in this thesis. I explain the benefits of distributed solar, namely the reductions in environmental damage and the economic benefits for system owners. These benefits will are compared to the obstacles to renewable distributed generation adoption: the costs associated with installation, the political resistance from utilities and power producers, and the aspects of current energy infrastructure that limit wider adoption of distributed solar. I make recommendations for changes to utility strategy, as well as provide policy prescriptions at the local, state, and national level to incentivize distributed solar. These findings and suggested actions can help inform policymakers and utilities as they shape future U.S. energy infrastructure.
Recommended Citation
Breitbarth, Maximilian, "A Brighter Future: An Integrated Strategy for Increasing Renewable Distributed Generation to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions" (2017). CMC Senior Theses. 1600.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1600
This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.
