03/24/2026

Academic Focus: Matthew E. Oliver

USAEE NEWSLETTER | SPRING 2026

 

I am an associate professor in the School of Economics at Georgia Institute of Technology. I received a BBA in Economics from the University of Memphis in 2008, and my PhD in Economics from the University of Wyoming in 2013. I have been an active member of USAEE for 13 years.

My research is primarily in the field of energy economics. Specifically, the main thrusts of my work might best be described as occurring at the intersection of energy economics with (1) environmental and natural resource economics, (2) industrial organization, and/or (3) development economics. Much of my early research was on natural gas markets and the economics of pipeline transmission. More recently, my work has largely focused on economic issues related to renewable energy, specifically the effects of renewable generation intermittency on electricity markets and the effects of rooftop solar on household energy consumption behavior (e.g., the solar rebound effect). Methodologically, the core of my approach is applied microeconomics, and I have both published and working papers that employ microeconomic theory, reduced-form econometrics, and numerical simulation methods.

Two recent publications exemplify my current research focus. In “Microeconomics of the Solar Rebound under Net Metering,” with Juan Moreno-Cruz (University of Waterloo) and Ken Gillingham (Yale, NBER), we analytically explore how the solar rebound effect relates to the structure of net metering compensation paid to rooftop solar generation, also exploring behavioral drivers and welfare effects of the solar rebound. In “Wind intermittency and supply-demand imbalance: Evidence from U.S. regional power markets,” with Georgia Tech Economics PhD student Victoria Godwin, we empirically estimate how uncontrolled variability in wind generation affects the area control error (ACE), the key indicator of system imbalance used by electricity system operators.

I also have several works in progress related to these and other topics. For example, in one working paper, my coauthors and I are calculating the emissions cost of the solar rebound effect in the U.S. The policy implications of this are clear—because residential rooftop solar does not displace grid-supplied electricity on a one-for-one basis, failure to account for the solar rebound effect implies forecasts of direct CO₂ emissions reductions resulting from rooftop solar are overestimated. In another working paper, my coauthors and I econometrically estimate the suppressive effect that homeowners’ associations (HOAs) have had on residential rooftop solar adoption in the U.S., highlighting a key institutional barrier to the clean energy transition. Another work in progress models optimal dynamic pricing in retail electricity markets when customers can both generate and store electricity.

Georgia Tech is an ideal environment to study energy economics, and I am excited at what the future holds for our field!

In addition to serving as Associate Professor of Economics at Georgia Institute of Technology, Matthew E. Oliver (matthew.oliver@econ.gatech.edu) is also Concurrent Session Co-chair for the 2026 USAEE/IAEE North American Conference.