We evaluate the efficacy of anti-contagion policies designed to slow the spread of COVID-19. While the economic and social costs of these policies are highly visible, the health benefits — in the form of infections and deaths avoided or delayed — are unseen. In the absence of policy, we estimate that early infections of COVID-19 grow at a rate of roughly 38% per day, implying a doubling time of approximately two days.

We estimated the effect of intermittent wind generation in France and Germany on electricity prices and the impact of increasing market integration in that context. Wind generation is depressing prices and increasing volatility both domestically and in the neighboring market. With a larger interconnection, the effect of wind generation on price variance is mitigated domestically and "exported" to the neighboring market, although the net effect of market integration is an overall decrease in price volatility in the two markets.