Consequentiality, Elicitation Formats, and the Willingness-To-Pay for Green Electricity: Evidence from Germany

Abstract Background: In order to achieve an environmentally friendly and sustainable energy supply, it is necessary that this goal is supported by society. In different countries worldwide it has been shown that one way consumers want to support the energy transition is by switching to green electricity. However, few people make the leap from their intention to a buying decision. This study explores parameters that influence whether German consumers would hypothetically decide to switch to a green electricity tariff.Methods: A quota-representative online survey including a discrete choice experiment with 371 German private households was conducted in 2016. For the econometric analysis, a generalized multinomial logit model in willingness to pay space was employed, enabling the estimation of WTP values to be as realistic as possible.Results: The results show that consumers’ decision whether or not to make the switch to green energy is mainly influenced by the source of green energy, whether a person can outsource the switching process, and a person’s attitude towards the renewable energy sources levy that currently exist in Germany.Conclusions: The findings indicate that politics should focus on supporting wind and solar energy as German consumers prefer these sources over biogas. As the results suggest, the EEG levy is a reason why consumers have lower WTP for switching to a green tariff. Therefore a switching bonus with a specifically “framed” bonus in the amount of the current EEG levy could be a promising strategy for the increase of green energy tariff acceptance. Furthermore, attention should be given to psychological and behavioral aspects, as the results indicate that these factors influence the consumer’s choice for a green electricity tariff.JEL classifications: C23, C25, Q40, Q50

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Economic Valuation of Green Electricity Sources in Pakistan

Business and Economic Research ◽

10.5296/ber.v10i3.17051 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 47

Author(s):

Muhammad-Jawad Iqbal ◽

Abdul-Rahim Samad Abdul

Keyword(s):

Willingness To Pay ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Contingent Valuation Method ◽

Renewable Energy Sources ◽

Economic Valuation ◽

Green Electricity ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Valuation Method ◽

Bid Price ◽

The Government

Green electricity, which comes from renewable sources such as wind, hydro and solar, are well appreciated for their being environment friendly. The advantage of these sources are apparent in part of already natural environment. Moreover, this modern form of electricity also contributes in the poverty alleviation in developing countries, which is one of the sustainable development goals (SDG). The objective of this study is to explore electricity consumers’ willingness to pay for the sustainable energy by employing the contingent valuation method (CVM). The respondents were divided into two broad categories of urban and rural consumers. A total of 400 respondents from urban and 405 respondents from rural areas were selected for this study. The CVM calculated the overall price of green electricity for the improvement of environment through increasing the share of electricity from renewable energy sources. The widely used WTP measure double-bounded dichotomous was utilised to elicit the appropriate value of green electricity from the bid price. The results from the logit regressions showed that the respondents with high income and a higher level of education are willing to pay more for green electricity in both urban and rural models. However, results also revealed that the willingness to pay for green electricity is high in younger people than older people. The mean willingness to pay has found 0.33 cents per kWh in the urban model, while is 0.24 in the rural model. The results provided a guideline to the government to charge an appropriate surcharge from the consumers in order to enhance the share of green electricity in energy mix.

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