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Environmental Economist | Data Scientist | Energy Systems Researcher
I am an environmental economist whose research combines econometrics, optimization, geospatial data science, and machine learning to study electricity systems, renewable energy deployment, and climate policy. My work develops quantitative tools that help policymakers, utilities, and researchers make better decisions about the transition to a cleaner, more reliable, and more resilient energy system.
You can reach me at elizabetho.yoder@gmail.com
Featured Research
Featured Research
Optimizing Solar Deployment Under Competing Land Use Constraints
Optimizing Solar Deployment Under Competing Land Use Constraints
How can we accelerate renewable energy deployment while minimizing conflicts with food production and environmental goals?
How can we accelerate renewable energy deployment while minimizing conflicts with food production and environmental goals?
Rapid solar expansion requires balancing competing land-use priorities. In this work, my coauthors and I develop an optimization model to identify pathways for solar photovoltaic deployment in California’s Central Valley, integrating agricultural productivity, renewable energy potential, land constraints, and environmental considerations.
Results show that socially optimal renewable deployment diverges substantially from privately optimal land-use decisions, with increasingly large financial incentives required to achieve solar capacity targets past 30 GW. These findings provide a quantitative framework for designing renewable energy siting policies that balance grid decarbonization with agricultural productivity and water resource constraints.
[View working paper]
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