Essays on U.S. Renewable Energy and Local Sustainability Policy

The first chapter examines what motivates airports to deploy on-site solar PV system. Currently, over 20% of U.S. public airports have adopted solar photovoltaic (PV) on their property. Yet, the vast majority of research on solar energy adoption focuses on state, local, or individual levels, largely overlooking one of the most utilized public properties for solar PV—airports. Combining a unique dataset of 488 U.S. public airports and interviews with managers at four key airports, this paper investigates why and to what degree (i.e., capacity generated) do airports deploy on-site solar PV systems. Findings suggest state-operated airports are more likely to adopt solar PV, airports in the service area of cooperatives are less likely to deploy solar PV, and the level of connectivity to other airports in airport associations positively correlates to solar PV adoption and capacity. Airport governance, support from electric utilities, and renewable policy incentives are also important factors influencing solar and renewable energy development. Policy and management implications for renewable energy deployment at airports and other publicly-used properties are discussed. Insight for future research on the general linkage between governance structure and renewable energy development is considered. The second chapter examines make-or-buy decisions (i.e., providing in-house or contracting out) in financing solar PV projects at U.S. airports. Airports are one of the fastest growing adopters of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems, but little is known about how airports finance solar projects. Financing arrangements can influence long-term economic viability and cost-benefit distribution of solar projects. Based on the transaction cost approach, this paper hypothesizes that make-or-buy decisions for solar projects are shaped by airport governance structure, utility ownership, state policies, and renewable market conditions. Hypotheses are examined through multinomial logistic analysis, using data from all U.S. airports that have adopted a solar PV project as of June 2018. The analysis finds that airports operated by special-purpose governments are more likely to own and self-operate solar systems, while airports in the service area of investor-owned utilities are more likely to lease land for a solar project. Statewide renewable energy regulations and solar market conditions are also important factors influencing make-or-buy decisions. This chapter has implications for solar PV policy design, taking into account positive externalities of renewable energy projects given institutional environments. The third chapter examines how local government organizational characteristics and management activities relate to public-nonprofit collaboration and perceived performance in local sustainability. Local governments have been increasingly responsible for promoting sustainability, but we are only beginning to learn how organizational characteristics and management activities influence local sustainability policy. Using 2015 sustainable cities survey data and case studies in the U.S., this study finds that public-nonprofit collaboration in sustainability is positively associated with perceived inter-departmental competition and functional fragmentation. It is also found that perceived sustainability performance is positively correlated with public-nonprofit collaboration, functional fragmentation, and performance information use. However, the relationship between performance information use and perceived performance is nonlinear, indicating that the effect of performance information use on perceived performance has an inverse u-shape. Performance information use in highly fragmented administrative arrangements may be negatively related to perceived sustainability performance. Implications for local sustainability implementation are discussed.