Patterns of Outsiting by US Electric Utilities

摘要

Comparison of the service areas of US electric utilities with the locations of electric power plants reveals a substantial number of plants outside the boundaries of the areas they serve. This outsiting separates the negative attributes associated with the plants from the recipients of the benefits of power generation, within the service areas. We examine regional and temporal variation of the national pattern of outsiting and hypothesize several processes that may account for the variation. The methodology reveals relatively little separation of benefits and costs in the Southeast, with its large service areas and balanced distribution of good power plant sites. The outsiting pattern in the Northeast reflects small service areas, high population densities, and a complex pattern of utility ownership and organization. The pattern within the Ohio River basin appears to reflect a process of depleting the region's resource of good power plant sites. Much of the pattern in the Southwest appears to result from various policies adopted by the State of California. The results presented are from the exploratory phase of a larger study that will use several methodologies and scales of analysis, and the paper discusses some of the work planned for the larger study. (ERA citation 09:031029)