Mission-based non-profit consulting in the areas of energy, climate, environment, and social equity
Research Highlights
Savings from Coal to Gas Conversion: Florida’s Northside 1 and 2
April 2026
On behalf of Sierra Club, Principal Economist Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD, Senior Researcher Joshua R. Castigliego, Researcher Jordan Burt, PhD, and Principal Analyst Bryndis Woods, PhD, prepared a white paper that investigates the potential cost savings associated with transitioning JEA’s Northside Generation Station to retire its coal-fired operations and run exclusively on natural gas. Using a simple model of annual expenses and revenues at the unit for the period 2026 to 2035, AEC compared net costs under a “business-as-usual” scenario in which the operations of recent historical years continue into the future with a “gas conversion” scenario in which full-time gas operations commence in 2030. Over the 10-year modeling period, elimination of all coal operations at Northside Units 1 and 2 result in a total savings of $122.8 million, or $51.9 million at Northside Unit 1 and $70.9 million at Unit 2. Northside Unit 1’s levelized costs fall by $11.4 per MWh and Unit 2’s by $8.5 per MWh.
Savings from Coal to Gas Conversion: Florida’s Deerhaven 2
April 2026
On behalf of Sierra Club, Principal Economist Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD, Senior Researcher Joshua R. Castigliego, Researcher Jordan Burt, PhD, and Principal Analyst Bryndis Woods, PhD, prepared a white paper that investigates the potential cost savings associated with transitioning Gainesville Regional Utilities’ (GRU) Deerhaven Generation Station to retire its coal-fired operations and run exclusively on natural gas. Using a simple model of annual expenses and revenues at the unit for the period 2026 to 2035, AEC compared net costs under a “business-as-usual” scenario in which the operations of recent historical years continue into the future with a “gas conversion” scenario in which full-time gas operations commence in 2030. Over the 10-year modeling period, elimination of all coal operations at Deerhaven Unit 2 results in a total savings $31.3 million (or a reduction in levelized costs of $7.4 per MWh).
Rhode Island Heat Pump Rate “RI Test” Report
April 2026
On behalf of Conservation Law Foundation and Environmental Defense, Principal Economist Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD, Senior Researcher Joshua R. Castigliego, and Researcher Jordan Burt, PhD, prepared a report assessing the results of a “Rhode Island Benefit Cost Test” (RI Test) cost-benefit analysis comparing the monetized costs and benefits of a new heat pump electric rate proposed in Rhode Island Public Utility Commission Docket No. 25-45-GE.
Contact | Address: Applied Economics Clinic, 6 Liberty Sq., PMB 98162, Boston, MA, 02109 | Email: info@aeclinic.org