Biography

I am an energy and environmental economist working at the intersection of electricity markets and climate policy. I use empirical methods to evaluate policy effectiveness and to better understand the behaviour of individuals, households, and firms.

Prior to returning to academia, I had a 15 year career in energy trading, specializing in electricity, natural gas and emissions markets. I received my PhD in economics from the University of Calgary, Master of Philosophy in economics from the University of Cambridge and bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Queen’s University. Currently, I am a postdoctoral fellow and Fulbright Scholar at Stanford University.

• The Role of Storage in Alberta’s Electricity Market: Summary of a School of Public Policy Roundtable Event, School of Public Policy Summary Paper, Volume 12, Issue 28, Sep 2019

• All’s Well that Ends Well: Addressing End-of-Life Liabilities for Oil and Gas Wells, C.D. Howe Research Paper no.492, Sep 2017 (with Ben Dachis and Vincent Thivierge)

• The Challenge of Integrating Renewable Generation in the Alberta Electricity Market, School of Public Policy Summary Paper, Volume 9, Issue 25, Sep 2016 (with G. Kent Fellows and Michal Moore)

• The Political Economy of Free Allocations in Revenue Recycling: Six Position Papers on the Options for Recycling Carbon Pricing Revenue, Ecofiscal Commission, Apr 2016 (with David Houle and Mark Purdon)

• Lifting the hood on Alberta’s royalty review, School of Public Policy Briefing Paper, Volume 9, Issue 7, Feb 2016

• Will electric vehicle subsidies spur widespread adoption?, School of Public Policy, Energy & Environmental Policy Trends, May 23, 2019

• You get what you pay for: Considering cost and value in renewables procurement, C.D. Howe Intelligence Memo, Dec 18, 2018

• To Change or not to Change? The Daylight Savings Debate Won’t Die, C.D. Howe Intelligence Memo, Mar 6, 2018

• Alberta’s Renewable Auction Sets a New Low for Prices, but Tweaks Are Needed in the Future, C.D. Howe Intelligence Memo, Dec 14, 2017

• What’s the Real Deal with Keystone XL?, C.D. Howe Intelligence Memo, Nov 21, 2017

• Smooth transitions: Shifting from cap-and-trade to a carbon tax, Ecofiscal Commission blog, Nov 15, 2017 (with Dale Beugin and Trevor Tombe)

• On Site C: Dam(ned) if You Do, Dam(ned) if You Don’t, C.D. Howe Intelligence Memo, Nov 3, 2017

• An Ontario surprise: a good idea about electricity pricing, C.D. Howe Intelligence Memo, Sep 10, 2017

• Does Daylight Saving Time Reduce Energy Consumption? (Part 1), C.D. Howe Intelligence Memo, Mar 7, 2017 (with Nic Rivers)

• Does Daylight Saving Time Reduce Energy Consumption? (Part 2), C.D. Howe Intelligence Memo, Mar 8, 2017 (with Nic Rivers)

• Reconciling Pipelines with Canada’s Climate Goals, C.D. Howe Intelligence Memo, Dec 8, 2016 (with Trevor Tombe)

• What Does a Capacity Market Mean for Alberta?, C.D. Howe Intelligence Memo, Nov 24, 2016

• When it comes to vehicles, Canada tops the charts for poor fuel economy, The Conversation Canada, May 9, 2019

• Redwater decision is progress, but environmental liabilities run deep, Globe and Mail, Feb 4, 2019 (with Simon Dyer and Chris Ragan)

• Canada’s new large-emitter pricing system might defeat the carbon tax’s own purpose, Maclean’s, Nov 5, 2018

• Will LNG Canada increase greenhouse gas emissions?, Maclean’s, Oct 3, 2018

• On Policy Durability, The Hill Times, Aug 13, 2018 (ungated)

• Why John Horgan deserves credit for going ahead with Site C, Maclean’s, Dec 11, 2017

• Why the B.C. Liberals and NDP are both wrong about bridge tolls, Maclean’s, Apr 10, 2017

• Saskatchewan swallows the fiscal pill Alberta refuses, Maclean’s, Mar 23, 2017 (with Trevor Tombe)

• Paying for pipelines: How consumers can end up footing some of the bill, CBC, Feb 9, 2017

• Making sense of Alberta’s new energy efficiency program, Maclean’s, Jan 31, 2017 (with Sara Hastings-Simon and Trevor Tombe)

• Alberta Electricity: There’s something happening here, what it is ain’t exactly clear, Calgary Herald, Nov 28, 2016

• Carbon tax: The real debate is about how the revenue is used, Globe and Mail, Oct 15, 2016

• Making sense of a $15 minimum wage in Alberta, Maclean’s, Jun 30, 2016 (with Trevor Tombe)

• Alberta’s climate plan requires serious debate, Globe and Mail, May 27, 2016

• Making sense of provincial debt downgrades, Maclean’s, Dec 22, 2015 (with Trevor Tombe)

Teaching instructor for the following course at the University of Calgary:

• ECON 329: Economics of Electricity Markets (Fall 2019)

• ECON 373: Game Theory and Strategic Thinking for the Social Sciences (Spring 2018) (Course Outline)

Teaching assistant for the following courses at the University of Calgary:

• ECON 357: Intermediate Microeconomics (Fall 2017)
• ECON 707: Advanced Microeconomics, PhD (Fall 2016)
• ECON 373: Game Theory and Strategic Thinking for the Social Sciences (Fall 2014)

• blake.shaffer@ucalgary.ca
• @bcshaffer