Browsing by Author "Burkhardt, Jesse, committee member"
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Item Embargo Changes in shortwave solar radiation under local and transported wildfire smoke plumes: implications for agriculture, solar energy, and air quality applications(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Corwin, Kimberley A., author; Fischer, Emily, advisor; Pierce, Jeffrey, committee member; Chiu, Christine, committee member; Corr-Limoges, Chelsea, committee member; Burkhardt, Jesse, committee memberThe emission and transport of pollutants from wildfires is well-documented, particularly at the surface. However, smoke throughout the atmospheric column affects incoming shortwave solar radiation with potentially wide-ranging consequences. By absorbing and scattering light, smoke changes the amount and characteristics of shortwave radiation–a resource that controls plant photosynthesis, solar energy generation, and atmospheric photochemical reactions. In turn, these influence ecological systems as well as air quality and human health. This dissertation examines how wildfire smoke alters boundary layer and surface-level shortwave radiation in ways that are relevant for agricultural, energy, and air quality applications. First, I present an analysis of smoke frequency and smoke-driven changes in the total and diffuse fraction (DF) of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR; 400-700 nm) at the surface. I compare PAR and PAR DF on smoke-impacted and smoke-free days during the agricultural growing season from 2006 to 2020 using data from 10 ground-based radiation monitors and satellite-derived smoke plume locations. I show that, on average, 20% of growing season days are smoke-impacted and that smoke prevalence has increased over time (r = 0.60, p < 0.05). Smoke frequency peaks in the mid to late growing season (i.e., July, August), particularly over the northern Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and Midwest. I find an increase in the distribution of PAR DF on smoke-impacted days, with larger increases at lower cloud fractions. On clear-sky days, daily average PAR DF increases by 10 percentage points when smoke is present. Spectral analysis of clear-sky days shows smoke increases DF (average: +45%) and decreases total irradiance (average: −6%) across six wavelengths measured from 368 to 870 nm. Optical depth measurements from ground and satellite observations both indicate that spectral DF increases and total spectral irradiance decreases with increasing smoke plume optical depth. My analysis provides a foundation for understanding smoke's impact on PAR, which carries implications for agricultural crop productivity under a changing climate. Second, I examine smoke's impact on two key measures used to assess a location's baseline solar resource availability for solar energy production: direct normal (DNI) and global horizontal (GHI) irradiance. I quantify smoke-driven changes in DNI and GHI at different spatial and temporal scales across the contiguous U.S. (CONUS) using radiative transfer model output and satellite-based smoke, aerosol, and cloud observations. Importantly, I expand the scale of previous studies on smoke and solar energy by including areas primarily affected by dilute, aged, transported smoke plumes in addition to areas with dense, fresh, local smoke plumes. I show that DNI and GHI decrease as smoke frequency increases at the state, regional, and national scale. DNI is more sensitive to smoke with sizable losses persisting downwind of fires. Although large reductions in GHI are possible close to fires, mean GHI declines minimally (< 5%) due to transported smoke. Overall, GHI–the main resource used for photovoltaic energy production–remains a relatively stable resource across most of CONUS even in extreme fire seasons, which is promising given U.S. solar energy goals. Third, I investigate smoke-driven changes in surface-level and boundary layer downwelling actinic flux (F↓)–a crucial component of determining the rate of photooxidation in the atmosphere. I present a case study of changes in F↓ at 550 nm (process validation) and 380 nm (NO2 photolysis) along a research flight through the California Central Valley during the 2018 Western Wildfire Experiment for Cloud Chemistry, Aerosol Absorption, and Nitrogen (WE-CAN) aircraft campaign. F↓ was measured onboard via the HIAPER Airborne Radiation Package (HARP), and I use the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Tropospheric Ultraviolet and Visible (TUV) Radiation Model to compute F↓ under smoke-free and smoke-impacted conditions. Modeling F↓ with TUV facilitates calculating the change in F↓ and provides a means of assessing F↓ at altitudes not sampled by the aircraft, such as the ground. I find that the smoke-impacted F↓ from TUV aligns closely with HARP observations: all modeled fluxes are within 20% of measurements at 550 nm and 85% are within 20% of measurements at 380 nm. The average modeled-to-measured ratios (F ↓550=0.96; F ↓380=0.89) indicate that TUV minorly underestimates the observed F↓. On average, observed F↓380 decreased 26%, 17%, and 9% at 0-0.5 km, 0.5-1 km, and 1-1.5 km, respectively, while TUV estimates larger reductions of 41%, 26%, and 19% at the same altitudes. At the ground-level, I calculate a 47% decrease in F↓380 using TUV, which is likely an upper bound given the model slightly underestimates observations. As wildfire smoke increases with climate change, understanding how smoke aloft changes photochemistry is increasingly important for constraining future air quality.Item Open Access Community capacity and collaborative wildfire planning: the role of capacity in acquiring federal mitigation grant funding(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Ryan, Benjamin, author; Scott, Ryan, advisor; Goes, Iasmin, committee member; Burkhardt, Jesse, committee memberSince the passage of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act two decades ago, Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) have become the predominant planning tool for community preparedness, risk mitigation, and response; improving coordination between governments, natural resource management agencies, and residents; give communities the ability access federal grant funding programs in the Western United States. Research on CWPPs has mainly been the focus of case studies, with relatively few large-scale studies to understand how a community's biophysical, socio-economic, vulnerability, and social conditions account for the variation in federal grant allocation. This study includes over 1,000 CWPPs in 11 states to evaluate the conditions that precipitate the allocation of grant funds for risk mitigation and community resilience. Through the estimation of a Binomial Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation Model to estimate the probability of winning grant funds based on the included indicators. Findings indicate that grant winnings are closely correlated with biophysical risk, financial capacity, and CWPP Update status, while socially vulnerable communities were more likely not to receive grant funds. However, we fail to find evidence that social capital affects the likelihood of winning grant funds. These findings suggest a need for a more equitable distribution of federal grant funds to mitigate wildfire risk properly.Item Open Access Economic viability of multiple algal biorefining pathways and the impact of public policies(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Cruce, Jesse R., author; Quinn, Jason C., advisor; Bradley, Thomas, committee member; Burkhardt, Jesse, committee memberThis study makes a holistic comparison between multiple algal biofuel pathways and examines the impact of co-products and methods assumptions on the economic viability of algal systems. Engineering process models for multiple production pathways were evaluated using techno-economic analysis (TEA). These pathways included baseline hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), protein extraction with HTL, fractionation into high-value chemicals and fuels, and a small-scale first-of-a-kind plant coupled with a wastewater treatment facility. The impact on economic results from policy scenarios was then examined. The type of depreciation scheme was shown to be irrelevant for durations less than 9 years, while short-term subsidies were found to capture 50% of the subsidy value in 6 years, and 75% in 12 years. Carbon prices can decrease fuel costs as seen by the production facility through carbon capture credits. TEA tradeoff assessments determined that $7.3 of capital costs are equivalent to $1 yr-1 of operational costs for baseline economic assumptions. Comparison of algal fuels to corn and cellulosic ethanol demonstrates the need for significant co-product credits to offset high algal capital costs. Higher value co-products were shown to be required for algal fuel economic viability.Item Open Access Essays on Bitcoin mining and renewable energy: exploring sustainability and profitability(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Hutabarat, Simon Poltak Hamonangan, author; Iverson, Terrence, advisor; Fremstad, Anders, committee member; Shields, Martin, committee member; Burkhardt, Jesse, committee memberThis Ph.D. dissertation comprises three interlinked studies exploring the intersection of renewable energy economics and cryptocurrency mining, focusing on Bitcoin. Using data from the California Independent Service Operator (CAISO) and a case study from East Indonesia, this research aims to inform energy and financial policies for a sustainable future. The first chapter, "Harnessing Renewable Energy for Cryptocurrency Mining: An Analysis of Locational Marginal Prices in California," looks into the potential of Bitcoin mining to utilize the surplus renewable energy produced during daylight hours when demand is relatively low. It considers whether the Locational Marginal Prices (LMPs) are systematically lower in areas rich in renewable energy resources, presenting an opportunity for strategic Bitcoin mining operations. The second chapter, "Assessing the Impact of Bitcoin Prices on Optimal Mining Hours: Implications for Renewable Energy Development," explores the profitability dynamics of Bitcoin mining. The study discusses the influence of Bitcoin prices and electricity costs on mining operations' profitability, including the ideal hours of operation. The findings suggest that for Bitcoin to be "green" and reduce carbon emissions, the Bitcoin price must be significantly lower than historical averages. The final chapter, "Exploring the Effects of Production Tax Credits on Renewable Energy Development: A Computable General Equilibrium Approach in East Indonesia," evaluates the potential impact of production tax credits (PTCs) on Indonesia's renewable energy industry. This study provides a quantitative assessment of the economic implications of a PTC, contributing to the ongoing debate on incentivizing renewable energy development. Together, these chapters offer insights into the potential of cryptocurrency mining to harness renewable energy, the factors affecting the profitability of Bitcoin mining, and the impact of tax incentives on renewable energy development. These findings could guide policymakers and stakeholders in making informed decisions for a sustainable and profitable future.Item Open Access Human-wildlife interactions and Instagram credibility(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Nankey, Paige, author; Abrams, Katie, advisor; Park, Young Eun, committee member; Burkhardt, Jesse, committee memberWildlife selfies are becoming a more common occurrence on social media platforms today. However, approaching wildlife with the intent to use them as a photo prop can be detrimental to both the humans and the wildlife involved. By utilizing source credibility and familiarity, this study works to identify an effective method that dissuades individuals from taking wildlife selfies and posting them on Instagram, mainly by analyzing the self-reported behavioral beliefs and intentions of participants. This study varied source credibility on three levels in terms of trust and authority while also varying how familiar different wildlife species are to Colorado university students. Results determined comment author source credibility and wildlife species familiarity did not significantly affect the behavioral intent or beliefs of respondents when it comes to wildlife selfies. However, the interaction between comment source credibility and wildlife species familiarity did significantly affect the behavioral intentions and beliefs of respondents. The mixed findings of this study as thus able to contribute to and expand upon existing literature, while also providing evidence of a need for more research in this area in order to better understand social media credibility and best practices for advocating for individuals keeping their distance from wildlife, especially when it comes to posting these close encounters online.Item Open Access Renewable energy in community: economic impacts of the grid(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Saarloos, Benjamin Alexander, author; Quinn, Jason, advisor; Bradley, Thomas, committee member; Burkhardt, Jesse, committee member; Olsen, Daniel, committee memberThe U.S. energy grid is a complex system that supports everyday lives. Grid energy has traditionally flowed in one direction from large, centralized power plants through transmission and distribution networks to corporate and residential consumers. However, with a growth in renewable energy systems (RES), energy flow has begun to take on a more bi-directional character with distributed generation, including excess energy generated by consumers being fed back to the energy grid. The breadth of individual energy use impacts and societal benefits attributed to growth in RES calls for analysis and development of RES on the community scale. Beyond the physical energy connection it provides, the grid can serve as an economic mechanism whereby RES can be sustainably developed through the grid, rather than an alternative to the grid. Measures have been developed to advance RES toward sustainability targets, recognizing that the grid plays an important enabling role. Net-zero energy is a classification system designed to reduce energy consumption in buildings and communities in support of climatic goals to reduce greenhouse emissions. A hierarchy of renewable energy supply options is established with a preference for on-site renewable energy over off-site supply options. Value of Solar (VOS) is an electric rate design mechanism intended to determine the true value of solar photovoltaic (PV) generated electricity. Beyond the obvious benefit of fossil fuel saved, VOS includes cost savings associated with avoided capacity, transmission & distribution cost deferral, and environmental benefits. Net-zero energy and VOS methodology are both identified as sustainability measures within a broader RES design process. Sustainable RES design recognizes that harmonizing economic, environmental, and social interests is a community effort. Case-studies present an opportunity to further develop a consistent set of design principles while simultaneously presenting unique and important results. In this work, a net-zero energy analysis is conducted for the National Wester Center in Denver, CO. A coupled energy and economic analysis demonstrates the critical role played by the grid in the economic feasibility of achieving net-zero energy, as well as the mutual benefit of on-site energy storage. A VOS case study is performed for Sioux Center Municipal Utilities in northwest Iowa leveraging five years of municipal power consumption coupled with real PV electricity generation data. A dual optimization approach develops an electric rate structure that best aligns with and incentivizes development toward optimal VOS design. Together, these studies affirm that while local technical solutions and optimal designs may differ, the principles of sustainable design can be applied and followed consistently such that RES can grow and flourish in communities across the globe.Item Open Access Technoecomonic optimization and working fluid selection for an engine coolant driven turbo-compression cooling system(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Young, Derek Nicholas, author; Bandhauer, Todd M., advisor; Quinn, Jason C., committee member; Burkhardt, Jesse, committee memberThe abundance of low grade waste heat presents an opportunity to recover typically unused heat energy and improve system efficiencies in a number of different applications. This work examines the technoeconomic performance of a turbo-compression cooling system designed to recover ultra-low grade (≤ 100°C) waste heat from engine coolant in large marine diesel engine-generator sets. In addition, five different working fluids (R134a, R152a, R245fa, R1234ze(E), and R600a) were studied for this application to better understand the effects of fluid properties on technical and economic system performance. A coupled thermodynamic, heat exchanger, and economic model was developed to calculate the payback period of the turbo-compression cooling system. Then, the payback period was minimized by optimizing the surface area of the heat exchangers by varying the effectiveness of the heat exchangers. The sensitivity of the payback period to the heat exchanger effectiveness values was quantified to inform future design considerations. The turbo-compression cooling system with R152a had the lowest payback period of 1.67 years and an initial investment of $181,846. The R1234ze(E) system had the highest cooling capacity of 837 kW and the highest overall COP of 0.415. The R152a system provided cooling for $0.0060 per kWh which was nearly 10 times cheaper than the cost of cooling provided by a traditional electrically driven vapor compression system onboard a marine vessel.Item Open Access Three essays on producer response to information disclosure(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Yu, Shuiqin, author; Costanigro, Marco, advisor; Burkhardt, Jesse, committee member; Hoag, Dana, committee member; Cutler, Harvey, committee memberThis dissertation consists of three chapters studying how information and beliefs affect producers' behavior and decision making. The first chapter studies the effect of the Local Inspector Value Entry Specification (LIVES) program on restaurant hygiene in North Carolina. The LIVES Program, a collaboration between Yelp.com and municipalities, enables the display of restaurant inspection reports on Yelp's platform, simplifying access for consumers. Combining individual restaurant inspection data and restaurant level demographic data from Yelp.com, this study employs a difference-in-difference approach and geographic regression discontinuity design to analyze the LIVES program's impact on restaurant hygiene. The difference-in-difference analysis reveals a 1.143-point improvement in inspection scores for treated restaurants. The geographic regression discontinuity method, utilizing a neighboring county as a control group, corroborates the LIVES program's positive influence. The second chapter examines the effect of online consumer reviews on restaurant workers' wages. Online consumer reviews significantly influence the demand for experience goods, including movies, books, and restaurant meals. However, research on the impact of online reviews on restaurant workers' wages remains scarce. Utilizing decade-long panel data of quarterly consumer reviews and restaurant wages, this study demonstrates that an increase in average star ratings causes restaurant workers' wage growth. Notably, the effect varies across chain, major chain, and independent restaurants. The final chapter studies how Colorado farmers' and ranchers' subjective beliefs about the cost of adoption affect their intention to implement conservation practices. Promoting the adoption of conservation practices among farmers is challenging. Despite extensive research into farmers' reluctance to participate in conservation programs, few studies investigated how farmers' personal beliefs on the cost of adopting conservation practices affect their willingness to participate in those programs. This study adds to the literature by surveying over 150 Colorado farmers on their preferences for monetary and technical support regarding conservation tillage, soil testing, filter and buffer strips, and controlled-release fertilizers. Results from a choice experiment indicate that respondents' beliefs about costs can explain a large portion of the variation in farmers' willingness to adopt conservation practices.Item Open Access Three essays on the economics of water resources and climate change(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Blumberg, Joey, author; Goemans, Chris, advisor; Manning, Dale, committee member; Burkhardt, Jesse, committee member; Arabi, Mazdak, committee memberThis dissertation investigates three broad topics in the economics of water resources and climate change. In the first chapter, I explore how changes in perceptions about water availability affect the adoption of conservation practices. I present a theoretical framework to examine how producer perceptions influence investment in irrigation efficiency, and a period of extreme drought and institutional change in Colorado is leveraged as a natural experiment to evaluate theoretical hypotheses empirically. The second chapter assesses the sensitivity of climate change impact estimates to the climate economy functional form in agriculture. I accomplish this through the development of a long-run dataset of county-level weather and climate metrics, including hourly temperature measurements across all counties in the conterminous US, and demonstrate the consequences of multiple modelling approaches that are common in the literature. I also create a composite vulnerability index that integrates the magnitude and consistency of impacts across all defensible models to generate a comprehensive measure of climate risk to a county's agricultural sector. In the final chapter, I compare the economic efficiency of different water allocation mechanisms. A combination of optimization models and water supply simulations are employed to compare prior appropriation with and without water markets, and alternative, share-based mechanisms. I illustrate how the physical and institutional components of a river basin, such return flows, user seniority, heterogeneous value functions, and user locations (i.e., upstream or downstream), impact allocative performance.Item Open Access Three essays on water, pollution, and energy economics(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Lurbé, Salvador, author; Manning, Dale, advisor; Burkhardt, Jesse, committee member; Suter, Jordan, committee member; Anderson, Jana, committee memberThis dissertation contains three chapters related to the economics of Water, Pollution, and Energy. In Chapter one we investigate how the demand for water responds to conservation efforts based on social comparisons, specifically if the message a household receives affects the way it responds. Using ex post power tests, we demonstrate the need for a significant increase in sample size to apply causal identification strategies to identify heterogeneous impacts using Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) that are not specifically designed to identify such effects. Alternatively, RCTs could be designed specifically to identify heterogeneous treatment effects. In Chapter 2 we quantitatively test how household electricity use in rural Rwanda responds to electricity reliability. We examine technology adoption, technology disadoption, and the quantity of electricity purchased. For each model, we focus on the association between the decisions being made and the reliability of the electricity service, which is either experienced or observed depending on whether the household has adopted the electricity technology. We find that poor electricity reliability is a barrier to initial technology adoption and is associated with short-term disadoption decisions, but does not lead to permanent disadoption. The data suggest that households are short-sighted and that households can learn from peers' experiences with the service. Our research suggests that poor electricity reliability can limit willingness to pay for electrification in rural areas of the developing world, where electricity access is lagging behind development goals. In Chapter 3 we study the effects of pollution on crime by looking at the association between pollution, specifically at Particulate Matter (PM) and Ozone (O3), and counts of aggregated crime types and Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) in the UK. We primarily focus our analysis on ASB, as the literature has identified costs associated with them in the UK, but has overlooked its association with pollution. Using a fixed effects model, we find an association between pollution and some crime types, especially those that are economically motivated. We find weaker evidence of an association between pollution and offenses associated with aggressive and violent behavior (including ASB), and we discuss potential mechanisms in the context of the rational choice crime model. We conclude that one potential mechanism could be a decrease in the utility of the non-punishable alternative activity, or a decrease of the offender's value of the future costs associated with being caught.Item Embargo Three essays regarding the impacts of legalization of marijuana on housing and historical population theory(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Rasmussen, Jorgen August Skriver, author; Weiler, Stephan, advisor; Pena, Anita Alves, committee member; Pressman, Steven, committee member; Schaller, Zachary, committee member; Burkhardt, Jesse, committee memberChapter 2 looks at the novel question of whether legal marijuana dispensaries' insufficient access to banking institutions has affected home prices in Denver County, Colorado. Presently, little research exists regarding legalized marijuana's impact on home prices in Colorado. Yet such research suggests legalization positively affects such prices (Burkhardt & Flyr, 2019) (Cheng, et al., 2018) (Conklin, et al., 2020). However, mechanisms by which marijuana legalization might affect home prices are not investigated. It is well-established that banks are unable and unwilling to do business with state-legalized marijuana dispensaries (Hudak, 2020). Hence, we hypothesize that dispensaries are investing cash in the housing market. We avail ourselves of tried-and-true hedonic modeling for such analysis. In so doing, we discover a statistically significant positive correlation between the quantity of recreational marijuana revenue generated and home prices in Denver County, Colorado. Our research is novel both in its thoroughness and accuracy of the data employed. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to utilize historically accurate housing characteristics and unique economic controls in the analysis of marijuana and home prices in Denver, Colorado (Burkhardt & Flyr, 2019) (Cheng, et al., 2018) (Conklin, et al., 2020). Additionally, our study appears to represent the first consideration of implications arising from the juxtaposition of state vs. federal legal status of marijuana. As such, our research holds insights for policymakers. Chapter 3 resumes our investigation of the possible implications of legalized marijuana for housing. Specifically, Denver County home resale probabilities and any associations they might have with marijuana revenue generated. Research has presented evidence that there exists a distinct possibility of dispensaries investing in the Denver housing market (Cheng, et al., 2018) (Rasmussen, 2021). Navarro (2013) and Seefried (2019) suggest that if dispensaries are purchasing houses, it may be for money laundering purposes. However, there is reason to believe that dispensaries have incentives to retain purchased homes for either legitimate rental purposes or more nefarious grow house uses (Schaub, 2016) (Snowden, 2020). To investigate such possibilities, we employ both logit and probit probability models. Such models are used to determine any potential association between changing amounts of legal marijuana revenue and Denver home resale probabilities. We find a statistically significant rise in property resale rates associated with increased recreational marijuana revenue. Thus, our results fit the type of money laundering activity discussed by Navarro (2013) and Seefried (2019). Consideration of the impacts of the legalization of marijuana on home resale probabilities appears absent in the literature. Thus, our work has import for policymakers. In particular, there are implications for affordable housing availability. Together with Cheng, et al. (2018) and Rasmussen (2021), our findings bode ill for Denver County affordable housing. This is especially true as marijuana demand continues to grow while banking access remains largely absent. Our final chapter considers the Marquis de Condorcet's six assumptions on population growth. Such a model of population development is presented in Esquisse d'un Tableau Historique des Progress de L'Esprit Humain. In addition, we examine the original principles and outcomes of the Malthusian population model. Such an undertaking is done to discover what conclusion Malthus' model would arrive at had the views of Condorcet been incorporated. Another important aspect of our work is investigating why Malthus's essay disagreed with the Marque de Condorcet's propositions on population. Finally, we conclude our efforts by examining empirical and historical scholarly inquiry regarding which of the population models history favored. To our knowledge, only the work of Winch (1996) comes close to our investigation. However, Winch (1996) presents a hypothetical meeting of Malthus and Condorcet, intended to discuss general differences and common ground these men possessed. However, Winch (1996) fails to consider implications for the Malthusian population model of Condorcetian population theory. Thus, our research is innovative in discovering Malthus as a man of his times and Condorcet as a scryer of the distant future of population growth.