Sources

Google Scholar search - "renewable energy" comparative - since 2007

Renewable energy sources: Their global potential for the first-half of the 21st century at a global level: An integrated approach. Energy Policy. April 2007.

• The risk of human-induced climate change and the volatility of world oil markets make non-fossil fuel options important. This paper investigates the potential for wind, solar-PV and biomass (WSB) to deliver energy. The focus is on land opportunities and constraints and on production costs as a function of resource availability and depletion and of innovation dynamics. The context is provided by the IPCC SRES scenarios as simulated with the IMAGE 2.2 model. We explicitly consider several sources of uncertainty, aspects of the food vs. energy trade-off and the effects of interaction between the three options through their claims on land. We show that ‘potential production’ concepts are strongly dependent on the chosen land-use scenario—and should therefore be used with an indication of the underlying assumptions. Our results indicate a potential for liquid biofuels in the order of 75–300 EJ year⁻¹ and for electricity from WSB options at production costs below 10 ¢ kWh⁻¹ of 200–300 PWh year⁻¹. Theoretically, future electricity demand can be amply met from WSB sources in most regions by 2050 below 10 ¢ kWh⁻¹, but major uncertainties are the degree to which land is actually available and the rate and extent at which specific investment costs can be reduced. In some regions, competition for land among the three WSB options may significantly reduce the total potential as estimated from simple addition—which is another source of uncertainty.

Fostering a renewable energy technology industry: An international comparison of wind industry policy support mechanisms. Energy Policy. March 2007.

• This article examines the importance of national and sub-national policies in supporting the development of successful global wind turbine manufacturing companies. We explore the motivations behind establishing a local wind power industry, and the paths that different countries have taken to develop indigenous large wind turbine manufacturing industries within their borders. This is done through a cross-country comparison of the policy support mechanisms that have been employed to directly and indirectly promote wind technology manufacturing in 12 countries. We find that in many instances there is a clear relationship between a manufacturer's success in its home country market and its eventual success in the global wind power market. Whether new wind turbine manufacturing entrants are able to succeed will likely depend in part on the utilization of their turbines in their own domestic market, which in turn will be influenced by the annual size and stability of that market. Consequently, policies that support a sizable, stable market for wind power, in conjunction with policies that specifically provide incentives for wind power technology to be manufactured locally, are most likely to result in the establishment of an internationally competitive wind industry.

Real options valuation of US federal renewable energy research, development, demonstration, and deployment. Energy Policy. Jan 2007.

• Benefits analysis of US Federal government research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RD³) programmes for renewable energy (RE) technology improvement typically employs a deterministic forecast of the cost and performance of renewable and non-renewable fuels. The benefits estimate for the programme derives from the difference between two forecasts, with and without the RD³ programme in place. Three deficiencies of this approach are that it ignores: (1) uncertainty in the cost of non-renewable energy (NRE); (2) the possibility of adjustment to the RD³ effort commensurate with the evolving state of the world; and (3) the underlying technical risk associated with RD³. In this paper, an intuitive approach to determining the option value of RE RD³ is developed. This approach seeks to tackle the first two deficiencies noted above by providing an estimate via a compound real option of an RE RD³ programme in a future with uncertain NRE costs. A binomial lattice reveals the economic intuition underlying the decision-making process, while a numerical example illustrates the option components embedded in a simplified representation of current US Federal RE RD

Weighing the Costs and Benefits of Renewables Portfolio Standards: A Comparative Analysis of State-Level Policy Impact Projections. Berkeley National Lab. January 2007.
http://www.mtpc.org/rebates/public_policy/DG/resources/2007-01-state-RPS-cost-ben-LBL-61580.pdf


If the Shoe FITs: Using Feed-in Tariffs to Meet U.S. Renewable Electricity Targets. Electricity Journal. May 2007.

• Experiences in Europe have demonstrated that well-designed FITs can drive rapid and dramatic growth in renewable electricity markets, promote strong manufacturing industries, and create thousands of new jobs in a cost-effective manner. If properly structured, FIT-inspired mechanisms in the U.S. have the potential to jumpstart rapid renewable energy market growth that could reshape the country's energy landscape.

American policy conflict in the greenhouse: Divergent trends in federal, regional, state, and local green energy and climate change policy. Energy Policy. Sept 2007.

• Climate change threatens significant impacts on global ecosystems and human populations. To address this challenge, industrialized nations have ratified the Kyoto Protocol and undertaken commitments to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, the primary agents linked to anthropogenic alteration of earth's climate. By contrast, the US government, led by the Bush Administration, has rejected mandatory targets for curbing emissions under the Protocol, and has instead pursued voluntary mitigation measures amid a larger push for clean coal and “next generation” nuclear technologies. These actions in total have fueled global perceptions that the US is not acting in substantial ways to address climate change. Nevertheless, action within the US is indeed moving forward, with states, cities and regional partnerships filling the federal leadership vacuum. This paper reviews the diverse policies, strategies, and cooperative frameworks that have emerged at regional, state and local levels to guide climate protection, and identifies the environmental and economic benefits linked to such programs. The paper also attempts to explain the existing federal impasse on climate policy, with attention given to how sub-national efforts may ultimately obviate national governmental inaction.

The current situation of wind energy in Spain. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. April 2007.

• Successive international commitments relating to energy and climatic change (embodied in the Kyoto Protocol) and the need to rationalise the sources of generated energy, have meant that renewable energies have started to gain a great deal of importance within the worldwide energy network. In the case of Wind Energy, and in terms of production, Spain is the second most important country at European level and the third most important country at global level. Spain holds these positions as a result of the establishment of a stable regulatory framework, better understanding of the resource and improved technology that have afforded considerable cost reduction in terms of initial investment, maintenance and exploitation. This article focuses on these circumstances in view of their relevance at international level, which is due to the highly feasible possibility of exporting Spain's experiences to other countries with guarantees of success.

Google Scholar Search - "renewable energy" U.S. comparison - since 2007

Green electricity market development: Lessons from Europe and the US. Energy Policy. January 2007.

• This study compares the development and implementation of green electricity policies in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States, a set of countries applying a range of policy instruments to encourage electricity from renewable energy sources. A general tendency is identified that policies shift emphasis from R&D stimulation towards dissemination and market application of renewable energy technologies. We argue that in light of the long term nature of policy goals on energy security, mitigation of climate change, and environmental protection, the applied range of policy instruments may be lacking in providing incentives for the long term development of new technologies. Clarifying policy objectives would allow careful selection of policy instruments, including support for R&D. Improved capacity building for policy implementation is also important.

Google Scholar Search - "renewable energy" jobs - since 2007

Case study on wind in Spanish region of Navarre
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v447/n7148/full/4471046a.html

Renewable energy and macroeconomic efficiency of OECD and non-OECD economies. Energy Policy. July 2007.

• This article analyzes the effects of renewable energy on the technical efficiency of 45 economies during the 2001–2002 period through data envelopment analysis (DEA). In our DEA model, labor, capital stock, and energy consumption are the three inputs and real GDP is the single output. Increasing the use of renewable energy improves an economy's technical efficiency. Conversely, increasing the input of traditional energy decreases technical efficiency. Compared to non-OECD economies, OECD economies have higher technical efficiency and a higher share of geothermal, solar, tide, and wind fuels in renewable energy. However, non-OECD economies have a higher share of renewable energy in their total energy supply than OECD economies.

State-level benefits of energy efficiency. Energy Policy. July 2007.

• This paper describes benefits attributable to state-level energy efficiency programs. Nationwide, state-level energy efficiency programs have targeted all sectors of the economy and have employed a wide range of methods to promote energy efficiency. Standard residential and industrial programs typically identify between 20% and 30% energy savings in homes and plants, respectively. Over a 20-year period of time, an average state that aggressively pursues even a limited array of energy efficiency programs can potentially reduce total state energy use by as much as 20%. Well-designed energy efficiency programs can be expected to help overcome numerous barriers to the market penetration of energy efficient technologies and accelerate the market penetration of the technologies. Energy efficiency programs are cost-effective; typical benefit–cost ratios exceed 3:1 and are much higher when non-energy and macroeconomic benefits are included. Indeed, energy efficiency and associated programs and investments can create significant numbers of new jobs and enhance state tax revenues. Several states have incorporated energy efficiency into their economic development programs. It should also be noted that increasing amounts of venture capital are being invested in the energy sector in general and in specific technologies like solar power in particular.

Five Colleges library - keywords: "renewable energy"

Feed-in tariffs : accelerating the deployment of renewable energy / Miguel Mendonça. 2007. HD9502.A2 M46 2007

Alternative energy : political, economic, and social feasibility / Christopher A. Simon. 2007. HD9502.U52 S544 200

Renewable energy policy and politics [electronic resource] : a handbook for decision-making / edited by Karl Mallon. 2007. Online book.

Prospects for sustainable energy : a critical assessment / Edward S. Cassedy. 2007. SC Young Science Library. TJ808 .C37 2005
Contents: Solar energy sources -- Biomass energy -- Windpower -- Hydroelectric power -- Energy storage -- Geothermal energy -- Ocean energy -- Nuclear fusion -- Hydrogen fuel from renewable resources -- Summary assessment of the technologies -- Research and development.

Switching to renewable power [electronic resource] : a framework for the 21st century / edited by Volkmar Lauber. 2005. E-book.