Econometrica

Journal Of The Econometric Society

An International Society for the Advancement of Economic
Theory in its Relation to Statistics and Mathematics

Edited by: Guido W. Imbens • Print ISSN: 0012-9682 • Online ISSN: 1468-0262

Econometrica: Sep, 2023, Volume 91, Issue 5

The Investment Effects of Market Integration: Evidence from Renewable Energy Expansion in Chile

https://doi.org/10.3982/ECTA20769
p. 1659-1693

Luis E. Gonzales, Koichiro Ito, Mar Reguant

We study the investment effects of market integration on renewable energy expansion. Our theory highlights that market integration not only improves allocative efficiency by gains from trade but also incentivizes new investment in renewable power plants. To test our theoretical predictions, we examine how recent grid expansions in the Chilean electricity market changed electricity production, wholesale prices, generation costs, and renewable investments. We then build a structural model of power plant entry to quantify the impact of market integration with and without the investment effects. We find that the market integration in Chile increased solar generation by around 180%, saved generation costs by 8%, and reduced carbon emissions by 5%. A substantial amount of renewable entry would not have occurred in the absence of market integration. Our findings suggest that ignoring these investment effects would substantially understate the benefits of market integration and its important role in expanding renewable energy.


Log In To View Full Content

Supplemental Material

Supplement to "The Investment Effects of Market Integration: Evidence from Renewable Energy Expansion in Chile"

Luis E. Gonzales, Koichiro Ito, and Mar Reguant

This online appendix contains material not found within the manuscript.

Supplement to "The Investment Effects of Market Integration: Evidence from Renewable Energy Expansion in Chile"

Luis E. Gonzales, Koichiro Ito, and Mar Reguant

This zip file contains the replication files for the manuscript.

Journal News

View