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The global‐scale empirical analysis of how renewable energy policies (REPs) affect carbon emissions and the mediating role of renewable energy development (RED) in this mechanism remains underexplored. To fill this research gap, we extracted and organized REPs data from IEA's databases for 135 countries until 2018 and conducted empirical analyses of these issues. We find that: (a) REPs significantly reduce global carbon emissions, especially through regulatory, economic, and R&D policies. (b) REPs' effectiveness in mitigating carbon emissions is enhanced by robust energy infrastructure, strong control of corruption, and adherence to the rule of law. Besides, the balance of REPs types does not influence their efficiency, but REPs prioritizing certain renewable energy (RE) types aligns better with carbon reduction goals. (c) RED displays a Janus‐faced influence on REPs' carbon reduction effect—renewable energy consumption (REC) positively mediates it, whereas renewable energy share (RES) exerts a negative mediation. Specifically, REC consistently reduces carbon emissions, while RES initially increases and then decreases carbon emissions, exhibiting an inverted U‐shape. (d) The initial rise in carbon emissions with RES is due to the low substitution of RE for fossil energy and the country‐specific heterogeneity in organizational, geographic, industrial, economic, demographic, and temporal factors. Plain Language Summary: This study looked at how renewable energy policies (REPs) help lower carbon emissions worldwide and the role of renewable energy development (RED) in this process. We used data from the International Energy Agency on 135 countries up to 2018. Our findings show that REPs are effective in reducing carbon emissions, particularly through laws, economic incentives, and research and development. The success of these policies is better in countries with strong energy infrastructure, good governance, and rule of law. Interestingly, not all types of REPs are equally effective; those focusing on specific types of renewable energy (RE) align more closely with carbon reduction goals. We also discovered a dual role of RED in this scenario. While the use of RE helps lower emissions, just increasing the share of RE in the overall energy mix can initially lead to more emissions before eventually decreasing them. This increase at first happens because RE doesn't immediately replace fossil fuels and because countries are different in terms of their organization, geography, industry, economy, population, and changes over time. Key Points: Renewable energy policies (REPs) cut global carbon emissions, mainly via regulatory, economic, and R&D policiesREPs' carbon reduction boosted by robust infrastructure, anti‐corruption, and law adherenceRenewable energy development has a Janus‐faced impact on REPs' carbon reduction effect [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To accelerate the clean energy transition, it is necessary to better understand the global policy dynamics and motivations behind clean energy policy adoptions and diffusion. This article examines the differential roles of internal and external diffusion factors on decisions to adopt renewable energy policies, that is, Feed‐In Tariffs (FIT) and Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), employing a unique blend of cluster analysis and event history analysis. Cluster analysis uncovers a dichotomy in adopting countries. First, early adopters emerge as high‐income, democratic countries, mostly energy importers with high CO2 emissions, with OECD and EU membership. Conversely, the second cluster consists of adopters from middle‐income, non‐OECD, and non‐EU nations with lower CO2 emissions. Strikingly, these clusters align with UNFCCC party classifications, underscoring the pivotal role of international agreements. Event history analysis suggests that especially environmental pressure, but also democratic governance and economic development are important when adopting renewable energy policies. Interestingly, environmental endowments seem to be less important. These findings lead to an important question: Are the requisite policy tools readily available to navigate diverse socio‐economic, political, and environmental landscapes, and are they deployed in a timely fashion? Beyond these findings, the study also shows that policy diffusion especially through normative emulation and social learning—operationalized as political globalization, OECD member and following regional neighbors—are important for policy adoption, suggesting the importance of such tools for promoting policies. Moreover, distinctive factors come into play when examining the adoption of FIT versus RPS policies, emphasizing the need for nuanced policy approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A desire to shift from fossil fuels to non-carbon-emitting energy sources has become an imperative supported by national, state, and local policies. In the U.S., a diverse array of policies at multiple levels of government have helped the solar industry achieve exponential growth. These advancements, however, are mediated by local implementation processes, which might be expected to have a large impact in the context of U.S. federalism. This paper investigates the effects of two countervailing forces – policy incentives and implementation disincentives – on residential solar adoption in New Jersey. The New Jersey case study includes two complementary analyses designed to illuminate policy incentives and implementation disincentives, respectively. The first is an interrupted time-series analysis that evaluates the effects of federal and statewide renewable energy policies on residential photovoltaic (PV) growth. The second is a set of semi-structured in-depth interviews with solar industry experts, providing implementation insights from the solar industry and indirectly portraying residential customers' experiences. Results confirm that market-based instruments at the state-level play a crucial role in increasing the relative financial advantage of these systems and, thus, the attraction of residential solar PV to adopters. In addition, the behaviours of future adopters and the valuation of this technology as an investment in the housing market will impact the spread of residential PV systems in the future. Unfortunately, case study findings also confirm that an absence of standardized solar application procedures and outdated interconnection standards is a significant drag on the adoption rate. This highlights a need for policymakers to place greater emphasis on local implementation pathways in solar policy design. Options to achieve this include more robust ex-ante coordination among state and local levels of government and with industry to standardize implementation processes. While U.S. federalism may at times be constraining, our results suggest that even minimal levels of ex-ante coordination can lead to implementation gains that will have a large impact on solar diffusion outcomes. Federal and state-level financial incentives significantly impact the residential photovoltaic solar adoption rate. The absence of streamlined interconnection application procedures and outdated interconnection standards for the grid limit the residential PV adoption in New Jersey. Our findings underline the importance of paying equal attention to both policy design and to technical standards to underpin implementation processes, especially in the decentralized context of U.S. federalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In recent years, growth in environmental awareness and increasing non‐renewable energy costs have augmented the interest in hydropower generation as a renewable energy. The volume of water stored in a reservoir system is crucial in hydropower production and has deep uncertainty. The subject of this investigation is the estimation of the amount of future hydropower generation in reservoir systems, some of which have multi‐purpose use. This investigation was carried out in Turkey at Atatürk, Keban, Karakaya and Demirköprü Dams. In the estimation of the hydropower generation for future, the decision matrices were devised and run separately for each reservoir system. In the verification of the validity of the model, the amounts of energy generated in reality in the last three years, which were not included in the modelling process, were used for the reservoirs investigated. In the verification process, when the model results and the amounts of energy produced in reality are compared, similar satisfactory results were obtained which are compatible with the properties of the regions where the reservoirs were built. It is expected that the proposed model will provide a decision support tool especially in multi‐objective planning of constrained water resources.

German companies view high and uncertain electricity prices a major challenge. A Renewable Energy Pool (RE-Pool), wherein the favorable conditions of competitive tenders for new wind and solar power projects are passed on to electricity consumers, could hedge such price risks. Consumers' electricity prices are thus hedged for the share of their consumption that corresponds to the RE-Pool's generation profile. This, in turn, strengthens the incentives to invest in flexibility, such as in heat storage systems or batteries, in order to adjust their demand to wind and solar electricity production in the pool. In addition, the RE-Pool profile can serve as a reference against which new products to hedge flexibility can be introduced in the futures and forward markets. The RE-Pool also addresses financing risks linked to regulatory uncertainties faced by renewable energy projects. This reduces financing costs and thus costs for consumers and enhances confidence in future renewable deployment and thus supports investments into the supply chain of project developers and manufacturers. The RE-Pool contributes to an even better use of renewable energy sources in the energy supply and prepares the electricity system for a future powered by a greater share of renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, growth in environmental awareness and increasing non‐renewable energy costs have augmented the interest in hydropower generation as a renewable energy. The volume of water stored in a reservoir system is crucial in hydropower production and has deep uncertainty. The subject of this investigation is the estimation of the amount of future hydropower generation in reservoir systems, some of which have multi‐purpose use. This investigation was carried out in Turkey at Atatürk, Keban, Karakaya and Demirköprü Dams. In the estimation of the hydropower generation for future, the decision matrices were devised and run separately for each reservoir system. In the verification of the validity of the model, the amounts of energy generated in reality in the last three years, which were not included in the modelling process, were used for the reservoirs investigated. In the verification process, when the model results and the amounts of energy produced in reality are compared, similar satisfactory results were obtained which are compatible with the properties of the regions where the reservoirs were built. It is expected that the proposed model will provide a decision support tool especially in multi‐objective planning of constrained water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition to renewable energy is strongly affected by legal regulation. To increase the efficiency of the introduction of renewable energy into the energy systems of component states of federations and accelerate the energy transition, it is necessary to carry out systematic work to improve regional legislation in this area. The purpose of this study was to analyze the current regulatory legal acts on the renewable energy of the regions of a number of countries such as the USA, Germany, India, Switzerland and Russia in order to form a universal list of issues that need regulation at the regional level. The main methods for achieving the objectives set in this study were the comparative legal method and the method of analysis and synthesis. As a result, a number of recommendations were developed describing how legal relations primarily need to be regulated by regional legislation, and examples of different approaches to their settlement were presented. The issues in need of legal regulation were divided into three groups according to the degree of importance of their regulation by the legislation of the component state of the federation. Further development of this study will be aimed at identifying the most effective industrial practices for resolving each of the issues included in the compiled list which will help improve the efficiency of regional legal regulation of renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The global‐scale empirical analysis of how renewable energy policies (REPs) affect carbon emissions and the mediating role of renewable energy development (RED) in this mechanism remains underexplored. To fill this research gap, we extracted and organized REPs data from IEA's databases for 135 countries until 2018 and conducted empirical analyses of these issues. We find that: (a) REPs significantly reduce global carbon emissions, especially through regulatory, economic, and R&D policies. (b) REPs' effectiveness in mitigating carbon emissions is enhanced by robust energy infrastructure, strong control of corruption, and adherence to the rule of law. Besides, the balance of REPs types does not influence their efficiency, but REPs prioritizing certain renewable energy (RE) types aligns better with carbon reduction goals. (c) RED displays a Janus‐faced influence on REPs' carbon reduction effect—renewable energy consumption (REC) positively mediates it, whereas renewable energy share (RES) exerts a negative mediation. Specifically, REC consistently reduces carbon emissions, while RES initially increases and then decreases carbon emissions, exhibiting an inverted U‐shape. (d) The initial rise in carbon emissions with RES is due to the low substitution of RE for fossil energy and the country‐specific heterogeneity in organizational, geographic, industrial, economic, demographic, and temporal factors.

The Asian region has rich agricultural resources that can be utilized for clean biogas technology. Few countries in Asia, namely China and Nepal, have developed policies and technologies for the biogas sector. Whereas Pakistan, a major agricultural country, cannot tap the bio-energy from the agriculture sector. This study aims to present a comprehensive policy analysis across different countries to identify the obstacles that impede the growth of the biogas sector in Pakistan. The research thoroughly reviews the most recent literature and policy documents and engages with stakeholders to gather their feedback on policy formulation. While most renewable energy policies predominantly focus on photovoltaic and wind energy resources, they tend to overlook the utilization of the available bioresources. Further, the absence of banking and microfinance institutions (MFIs) hampers the smooth flow of funds between donor agencies and farmers/end-users, which has proven to be a key factor for success in Nepal and China.

To reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and achieve carbon neutrality, worldwide governments are establishing various policies and systems for the diffusion of renewable energy. Hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) is evaluated as a next-generation energy source as it can supplement the existing renewable energy sources, while providing stable energy supply and demand. To address low HFC generation share, the Korean government introduced the world's first Hydrogen Portfolio Standard (HPS) into the energy market, where public acceptance is crucial for the implementation of such policies. Thus, this study analyzed the public preference and acceptance for HPS through a discrete choice experiment. Although the public accepted the HPS itself, they preferred a higher proportion of fuel cell generation when the fuel cell was operated through clean hydrogen (blue/green hydrogen). Specifically, the marginal willingness to pay values for a 10% increase in fuel cell generation when changing from grey hydrogen to blue hydrogen or green hydrogen were estimated to be USD 1.94 and 2.97, respectively. Further, the acceptance of green hydrogen-based HPS rises along with the expansion in the HFC generation share. Thus, to expand the fuel cell generation in the national energy mix, transition to a clean hydrogen-based energy system should be attached. • Public's inclination toward hydrogen fuel cells (HFCs) technology was analyzed. • Discrete choice experiment analyzed public inclination toward alternatives. • Marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) and relative importance (RI) were analyzed. • Electricity rates have a significant impact on energy system acceptability. • Public acceptance of fuel cell power increased when clean hydrogen was used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modelling methodology to analyze documents related to renewable energy laws and policies at the central level in China. The objective is to investigate the development and evolution of renewable energy policies in China and to gain insights into the national-level attitudes towards renewable energy development. The study consists of two phases: initially, renewable energy policy documents undergo keyword analysis using word clouds and keyword co-occurrence network analysis to elucidate the focal areas and their interconnections within the legal and policy texts. Subsequently, after determining the optimal number of topics for modelling based on topic perplexity and consistency results, the text undergoes data cleaning to isolate words with practical significance. These words are then incorporated into the LDA topic model to analyze the distribution and content of potential topics within the policies. Lastly, by linearly segmenting the time frame, changes in topic intensity over time are visually examined using heat maps. The findings indicate that energy policies have consistently prioritized “development” and emphasized the significance of “new energy” in renewable energy policies. Moreover, as renewable energy has progressed, governments and policymakers have come to acknowledge the importance of comprehensive energy planning, transitioning to clean energy sources, and regulating the electricity market. This growing awareness has led to efforts to strengthen policy and regulatory measures to foster renewable energy's sustainable development and utilization. In summary, this study highlights the effectiveness of the LDA topic model in analyzing renewable energy policies, advancing its adoption and furthering research in the field.

Abstract The British Isles, consisting of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, were investigated for a sustainable energy system transition towards 100% renewable energy in 2050. Under given framework conditions, three pathways comprising the entire energy system were investigated in 5‐year time steps and hourly resolution applying an advanced energy system modelling tool and identifying the lowest cost solutions. The British Isles were structured into 10 sub‐national regions. Special attention was paid to the high offshore wind potential of the British Isles, as well as the limited societal acceptance for onshore wind in the United Kingdom. The results indicate that a transition to 100% renewable energy is economically more attractive than the governmental strategy that involves nuclear power and fossil carbon capture and storage. The total annualised system costs can decrease to 63 b€ and a levelised cost of electricity of 40 €/MWh if onshore wind and solar photovoltaics are allowed to be built to a higher extend. High levels of electrification and sector coupling are the main reasons for decreasing primary energy demand. The multiple risks of nuclear technology can be avoided if dedicated action towards 100% renewable energy is taken.

The FIT policy are widely adopted in the world to promote the utilization of renewable energy technology (RET). Tariff rates, tariff regression mechanisms, contract term, and quota constraints are all components of the FIT policy. This policy has also been adopted by Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN countries to optimize their renewable energy (RE) potential. This paper examines the utilization of RET in power generation under the FIT policy from the perspective of the growth of renewable energy, environment, and investment which applied in five major ASEAN countries in term of the biggest generation capacity, such as: Indonesia Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. This study shows that the FIT has been successful in accelerating renewable energy growth compared to pre-FIT, where annual RE capacity growth was 7.52% in Thailand (2007-2021), 16.38% in Vietnam (2011-2021), 4.56% in Indonesia (2012-2021) 2021), 9.11% in Malaysia (2012-2021), and 5.21% in the Philippines (2012-2021). FIT also managed to keep CO2/kWh emissions production stable in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand while increasing RE production in their power systems. Otherwise, due to the low utilization of RET in Indonesia and the Philippines, CO2 emissions in them has increased significantly, 6.67% per year at Indonesia, and 15.25% per year at the Philippines after the introduction of the FIT. Generally, FIT has succeeded in increasing the value of international funding investments in RE sector in Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines

The British Isles, consisting of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, were investigated for a sustainable energy system transition towards 100% renewable energy in 2050. Under given framework conditions, three pathways comprising the entire energy system were investigated in 5‐year time steps and hourly resolution applying an advanced energy system modelling tool and identifying the lowest cost solutions. The British Isles were structured into 10 sub‐national regions. Special attention was paid to the high offshore wind potential of the British Isles, as well as the limited societal acceptance for onshore wind in the United Kingdom. The results indicate that a transition to 100% renewable energy is economically more attractive than the governmental strategy that involves nuclear power and fossil carbon capture and storage. The total annualised system costs can decrease to 63 b€ and a levelised cost of electricity of 40 €/MWh if onshore wind and solar photovoltaics are allowed to be built to a higher extend. High levels of electrification and sector coupling are the main reasons for decreasing primary energy demand. The multiple risks of nuclear technology can be avoided if dedicated action towards 100% renewable energy is taken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The FIT policy are widely adopted in the world to promote the utilization of renewable energy technology (RET). Tariff rates, tariff regression mechanisms, contract term, and quota constraints are all components of the FIT policy. This policy has also been adopted by Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN countries to optimize their renewable energy (RE) potential. This paper examines the utilization of RET in power generation under the FIT policy from the perspective of the growth of renewable energy, environment, and investment which applied in five major ASEAN countries in term of the biggest generation capacity, such as: Indonesia Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. This study shows that the FIT has been successful in accelerating renewable energy growth compared to pre-FIT, where annual RE capacity growth was 7.52% in Thailand (2007-2021), 16.38% in Vietnam (2011-2021), 4.56% in Indonesia (2012-2021) 2021), 9.11% in Malaysia (2012-2021), and 5.21% in the Philippines (2012-2021). FIT also managed to keep CO2/kWh emissions production stable in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand while increasing RE production in their power systems. Otherwise, due to the low utilization of RET in Indonesia and the Philippines, CO2 emissions in them has increased significantly, 6.67% per year at Indonesia, and 15.25% per year at the Philippines after the introduction of the FIT. Generally, FIT has succeeded in increasing the value of international funding investments in RE sector in Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increasing emission of greenhouse gases and global warming, the development of renewable energy has become very important. The availability of fossil fuels and the low cost of their extraction compared to renewable energy projects reduce the motivation of countries, especially countries that have abundant natural resources, to develop this technology. Renewable energy deployment has become crucial in response to rising greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Policies supporting renewable energy play a significant role in this. This study examines the effect of such policies on the deployment of renewable energy technologies, considering the role of natural resources. Two groups of countries were analysed: 20 oil developed countries and 20 oil developing countries. Given the availability of data and the achievement of balanced panels to evaluate short-term and long-term relationships between variables, in current research Data from 2010 to 2020 was used, and various panel data estimators such as Feasible Generalized Least Squares and Generalized Method of Moments were employed. The Quantile estimator was also used to assess the accuracy of the results. The findings suggest that renewable energy policies consistently lead to increased deployment of renewable energy technologies, regardless of a country's group. Of course, this positive effect is different according to the level of development in countries. Due to the higher efficiency of renewable energy policy, developed oil countries have more capacity to support renewable energy projects than oil developing countries. The abundance of natural resources in oil developed countries did not negatively impact renewable energy capacity, but in oil developing countries, the "resource curse" hindered the development of installed renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study investigates powering Ghana’s future: unraveling the dynamics of electricity generation and the path to sustainable energy by estimating endogenous parameters and employing an unrestricted Vector Autoregression (VAR) model. The model examines the linear lead–lag relationships between variables in the Ghanaian electricity sector and power consumption, using data from 2002 to 2021. The results reveal structural long-and-short-run headwinds for the unrestricted models and indicate that the growth rate of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and electricity from fossil fuels are directly correlated. Granger causality analysis highlights a feedback relationship between GDP growth rate and electricity from fossil fuel sources. The impulse response function reveals that the GDP growth rate is sensitive to exogenous shocks with lasting effects. Variance decomposition results show that renewable energy without hydropower explains a minimal variance due to shocks, while total global greenhouse emissions account for a significant proportion of the variance due to headwinds. Electricity from fossil fuel sources explains a substantial part of the variance due to headwinds, suggesting Ghana’s overreliance on conventional energy sources. The study forecasts that installed renewable energy capacity will experience considerable growth by 2036, accounting for most of the energy mix. To promote a sustainable energy future, the study recommends implementing fiscal instruments that incentivize renewable energy consumption, gradually diversifying the energy mix towards natural gas as a medium-term transition fuel for grid electricity generation and shifting entirely to renewables in the long time. This research contributes valuable insights into the dynamics of electricity generation in Ghana and provides policy recommendations for sustainable energy development.

The transition to renewable energy is strongly affected by legal regulation. To increase the efficiency of the introduction of renewable energy into the energy systems of component states of federations and accelerate the energy transition, it is necessary to carry out systematic work to improve regional legislation in this area. The purpose of this study was to analyze the current regulatory legal acts on the renewable energy of the regions of a number of countries such as the USA, Germany, India, Switzerland and Russia in order to form a universal list of issues that need regulation at the regional level. The main methods for achieving the objectives set in this study were the comparative legal method and the method of analysis and synthesis. As a result, a number of recommendations were developed describing how legal relations primarily need to be regulated by regional legislation, and examples of different approaches to their settlement were presented. The issues in need of legal regulation were divided into three groups according to the degree of importance of their regulation by the legislation of the component state of the federation. Further development of this study will be aimed at identifying the most effective industrial practices for resolving each of the issues included in the compiled list which will help improve the efficiency of regional legal regulation of renewable energy.

Solar thermal technologies can help alleviate the sustainable energy access challenge in West Africa by offering complimentary solutions to reduce dependency on wood and fossil fuels. This paper provides a comprehensive regional overview of the water-based solar heating technology sector in West Africa in order to identify crucial factors that could boost a successful deployment of solar water heating systems in the region. Emphasis is placed on solar water heaters (SWHs), solar sorption refrigeration and solar heat for industrial process. The article summarizes the salient characteristics of widely used technological solutions and offers an understanding of the development and applications of solar water heating technology in the region. The review includes trends and research focusing on market, technologies, local manufacturing and policies, and shows that solar water heating potential remains scarcely exploited, with different status in different countries in the region. There are mostly thermosiphon systems with very few pumped systems. Industrial applications are practically inexistent, including concentrated solar heat. Finally, problems lying in the solar thermal sector in West Africa are analysed and measures for solving the problems are suggested.

The development of renewable energy has effectively promoted the process of reaching global carbon neutrality. However, the academic community has not reached a consensus on whether the development of renewable energy will inhibit economic growth. The crux of the debate centers around whether renewable energy paradigms ignore differences in the structure of factor endowments across countries. The panel data of 125 countries from 1990 to 2021 were used to perform group regression for countries with different factor endowment structures. The results show that the renewable energy curse of developed countries becomes stronger and weaker with economic development; the renewable energy curse in developing countries is growing with economic growth; and the economic development of countries with poor natural resources is more vulnerable to the negative impact of renewable energy development. The group regression results of different development stages of renewable energy show that the negative impact of renewable energy development on economic development is not significant in the early stage, but that it has significant impacts in the growth and maturity stage. The mechanism test found that the development of renewable energy affected changes in trade structure and inhibited economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Energy Policy Journal / Polityka Energetyczna is the property of Mineral & Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

• Unique panel data 2015–2020 were used to examine perceptions and responses to solar PV. • Solar PV adoption among Dutch farmers increased from 17% in 2015 to 43% in 2020. • Long-term policy stability is a pivotal condition for creating an attractive payback time. • Full-scale adoption of solar PV in Dutch agriculture could offset 12.4% of GHG emissions. Farmers can play an important role in the critical renewable energy transition by generating solar energy. Farmers' adoption of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system results from a complex and interdependent array of technical, political, social, and economic factors. Under the regime of a covenant on energy and greenhouse gas emissions, the evolution of perceptions and responses to solar PV was monitored for a panel of 279 Dutch farmers in a unique series of surveys in 2015, 2018, and 2020. We observed that the willingness to reduce greenhouse gas emissions steadily increased from 35% of the farmers in 2015 to 82% in 2020, while the perceptions toward solar PV adoption among Dutch farmers fluctuated over this period. We examined Dutch farmers' determinants of solar PV uptake through multiple regression analyses. Consistent with the literature, our results indicate that behavioural intentions, the perceived importance of renewable energy, and farmers' innovativeness are the most critical determinants for solar PV adoption. Many farmers mentioned the decreased payback time as the most crucial motive to adopt solar PV. We argue that a stable long-term policy for renewable energy, as implemented in the Netherlands, creates attractive economic conditions for solar PV adoption. At the same time, the payback time is a critical factor in shaping farmers' intentions and behaviour. We recommend more extensive research using panel datasets of farmers, while we also acknowledge the difficulty of obtaining high-quality panel data, which underlines the uniqueness of our analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The relationship between corn and ethanol markets has become a popular topic and has been investigated in various studies. However, examining the co-volatility spillover between corn and ethanol markets remains neglected in the literature. This paper aims to fill this gap by analyzing the co-volatility spillover between corn and ethanol markets in the world’s largest ethanol producers and consumers, including the United States, Brazil, and China. To achieve this purpose, we utilize the Bayesian BEKK-GARCH(1,1) model to estimate the degree of co-volatility of corn and ethanol returns. Our empirical results indicate a significant bidirectional volatility spillover between corn and ethanol in all countries. We also find that the co-volatility between corn and ethanol returns is not stable and fluctuates over time, particularly in 2016 and 2020, which correspond to the 2010s oil glut and the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively.

This study investigates powering Ghana's future: unraveling the dynamics of electricity generation and the path to sustainable energy by estimating endogenous parameters and employing an unrestricted Vector Autoregression (VAR) model. The model examines the linear lead–lag relationships between variables in the Ghanaian electricity sector and power consumption, using data from 2002 to 2021. The results reveal structural long-and-short-run headwinds for the unrestricted models and indicate that the growth rate of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and electricity from fossil fuels are directly correlated. Granger causality analysis highlights a feedback relationship between GDP growth rate and electricity from fossil fuel sources. The impulse response function reveals that the GDP growth rate is sensitive to exogenous shocks with lasting effects. Variance decomposition results show that renewable energy without hydropower explains a minimal variance due to shocks, while total global greenhouse emissions account for a significant proportion of the variance due to headwinds. Electricity from fossil fuel sources explains a substantial part of the variance due to headwinds, suggesting Ghana's overreliance on conventional energy sources. The study forecasts that installed renewable energy capacity will experience considerable growth by 2036, accounting for most of the energy mix. To promote a sustainable energy future, the study recommends implementing fiscal instruments that incentivize renewable energy consumption, gradually diversifying the energy mix towards natural gas as a medium-term transition fuel for grid electricity generation and shifting entirely to renewables in the long time. This research contributes valuable insights into the dynamics of electricity generation in Ghana and provides policy recommendations for sustainable energy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined diversity and similarity of orientations for renewable energy policies across US states through frame analysis based on semantic topic modeling technique. More specifically, it analyzed Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) bills of 29 RPS adopted states. Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) modeling for semantic topic analysis was applied to explore hidden meanings within text bills, as well as shared patterns of the meanings among states, by utilizing latent information of nested topic. It found two major themes of the definition of eligible renewables and implementation mechanisms, underlying the states' RPSs substantially contributed to framing each state's renewable energy policies. In accordance with the state's energy situation and socioeconomic interests in renewable energy, however, states' frames for defining eligible renewables and for building implementation and compliance mechanisms differed substantially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2020, China pledged to peak its carbon emission before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. These ambitious carbon targets will inevitably boost the development of renewable energy generation, which has advantages from energy and water perspectives but disadvantages from land use perspective. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss the interaction among renewable energy development, water consumption as well as land use in the power sector, and determine a reasonable power-related land use range for the land administration in China. In this research, a series of multi-period, multi-regional power system optimization models with different objective functions and constraints are established to study the interrelationship among renewable energy development, water consumption, and land use in the coverage area of China Southern Power Grid from 2018 to 2030, and provide a reasonable land use range for the power sector in this region in 2030. Based on the above calculation results, the development of renewable energy promoted by energy and water policies will increase the land use of power sector under a cost objective function, and the minimum land area demand for this power system in 2030 considering energy and water policies is 24785.14 km2. What is more, according to the influence of land use constraint on the total cost of power sector from 2018 to 2030, this paper selected the increase ratio from 5 to 16% compared with the minimum land area demand as the reasonable land use range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate adoption of renewables has been lukewarm at best in Singapore. This study aims to identify the drivers and barriers to renewable procurement, establish key criteria for renewable energy certificates (RECs, a type of renewable energy product), and recommend policies to accelerate corporate renewable energy adoption in Singapore. We surveyed seven drivers, 12 barriers, nine criteria of RECs, and 11 actions for REC adoption with 35 experienced professionals from major business sectors in Singapore. The top three drivers of corporate renewable procurement were to meet corporate sustainability goals, reduce energy procurement costs, and demonstrate corporate leadership. The most concerning criterion of RECs was traceability that RECs must be generated and transacted through a REC tracking system endorsed by the government or a third party. The most significant barrier to REC adoption was the lack of awareness of RECs and their benefits. Plausible actions to address the barriers include seeking support from senior management, establishing corporate sustainability targets, developing national standards for RECs, promoting successful local business cases, and for government to endorse private-sector REC tracking system(s). The findings could raise corporate awareness and assist policymakers in formulating policies, infrastructure, and initiatives to accelerate renewable energy adoption in Singapore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Pakistan is currently undertaking a substantial expansion of electricity generation capacity to provide electricity for all its end‐users and to satisfy a fast‐growing economy. Adoption of low‐cost, abundant and clean renewable energy will not only fulfil its growing electricity, heat, transportation and desalinated water demand but also help achieve the goals set under the Paris Agreement. A technology‐rich energy system model applied in hourly resolution has been used for investigating the transition in 5‐year periods until 2050. This study demonstrates that a 100% renewable energy system across the power, heat, transport and desalination sectors is not only technically feasible but also economically viable. Solar photovoltaics emerges as a key technology to generate electricity and contribute a share of 92% to the total primary energy demand across all sectors by 2050. The levelised cost of energy for a 100% renewable energy system is calculated as 56.1 €/MWh in 2050, lower than 70 €/MWh for the current fossil fuel‐based system. A key feature of Pakistan's future energy system is the huge increase in demand across all energy sectors, particularly for desalinated water, which is almost 19% of the final energy demand. This share of energy for desalination is among the highest in the world. Direct and indirect electrification across all demand sectors increases the efficiency of the future energy system. Moreover, GHG emissions from all the sectors will drop to zero by 2050 in a fully sustainable energy scenario.

Solar energy is an inexhaustible and pollution-free energy source that plays a significant role in the sustainable provision of energy services. The main purpose of this study is to examine the potential, current situation, future strategies, and policies of solar energy, which is a renewable resource in Azerbaijan. This study is research in which qualitative methods are used and within the scope of the study, literature review, systematic approach and inductive methods were used. In the study, Azerbaijan's policy towards solar energy has been examined based on the potential sources of solar energy, the current situation and the country's future strategies. Azerbaijan is slightly behind in the production of electricity from renewable energy sources. Along with all this, the most important strategic goals for the use of renewable and alternative energy sources in Azerbaijan have been defined. Thus, by 2030, the share of renewable energy investment in the country's total energy balance to 30% has been determined as the main goal. As a result of the study, it can be said that solar energy policies will have a positive effect on the country's economy in the coming years, since Azerbaijan has a geographical location and an infrastructure system that can be delivered to the countries in need.

[Introduction] With the proposal of the goal of "carbon neutrality and peak carbon dioxide emission" in China, renewable energy power generation enterprises are facing the demands of rapidly expanding the installed capacity and vigorously developing investment and mergers and acquisitions. Under the background of the increasing shortage of existing subsidy funds in China, how to determine the subsidy income of renewable energy projects and adopt a reasonable method to evaluate the project has always been the difficulty of M&A decision. [Method] This paper focused on the new subsidy policy issued in 2020, calculated the cashing coefficient of renewable energy stock subsidy, and calculated the scale and time of subsidy cash inflow based on multi scenario assumption. [Result] Through the calculation of equal subsidy coefficient and investment valuation model, the end time of subsidy gap and the equal subsidy coefficient of each year are defined, and the best valuation method is selected based on the characteristics of renewable energy projects. [Conclusion] The offshore wind power and onshore wind power projects in some regions are valued using the valuation model, which provides important decision support for enterprise investment and mergers and acquisitions.

The development of the energy sector is one of the most critical issues in the Western Balkans region. Due to the region’s high renewable energy sources (RES) potential, renewable energy is considered a promising method for building sustainable and resilient energy systems that offer attested and affordable energy to fuel economic development of a region, while reducing import dependence. The aim of this research is to discuss current trends in renewable energies in Western Balkans countries, and to analyze the policies promoting and barriers to RES development, as well as to provide recommendations for the future growth of renewable energy in this region. Even though these countries have defined targets for RES in their energy policies, there are gaps between the targets and actual results, as national government face various energy challenges. The main barriers common to all countries are regulatory uncertainty and low transparency levels, a slow and unpredictable planning process and limited regional market integration. Thus, it is necessary to undertake a more active approach through targeted renewable energy policies.

Russia is known to be a country with enormous energy resources both renewables and non-renewables. Much of the country’s effort towards energy generation has been on the development of the non-renewables over the years. This study examined the opportunities and challenges in Russia’s Renewable energy (RE) sector. By coupling both interviews and literature reviews, a total of 8 main opportunities and 7 key challenges were identified and discussed. The Best–Worst-Method was used to assign weights to the various factors using inputs of 30 experienced experts in Russia’s RE sector. According to the obtained results, the most significant opportunity that the country would have to take advantage of is the opportunity to export RE outside the shores of the country, it recorded 27.7 percent. This is followed by the country’s target for the RE sector which scored 18%, hydrogen production and need to meet local energy requirements followed with 12% each. The greatest challenge which also serve as a hindrance to the development of RE in the country is the low attention given to clean technologies from government, it recorded a weight of 31.4%. This is followed by unequal playing field, and strict local content requirements which recorded 17.9% and 13.5%, respectively. The study ended with some strategic recommendations to authorities for the development of the sector.

Developing renewable energy (RE) is necessary for economic growth and sustainable development. Policy support provides a source of motivation for developing RE. Thus, after analyzing the evolution of China's RE policy, we establish a Two-way fixed effects model using the data of 30 Chinese provinces during the period 2011–2018. We explored the differences in the impacts of five different types of RE policies on provincial RE development in China. Furthermore, we explored the influencing mechanism and heterogeneity of between different policies and RE development. Results show that: 1) technology development policies can promote RE development by creating an innovation effect while the effect worsens during 2015–2018. 2) the increase in market management policies can inhibit RE development, especially for the provinces with rich RE resources. and 3) the number of comprehensive planning policies and industrial management policies as well as polices' number of electricity price regulation, finance, and tax support have no significant effects on RE development in the total sample. To further achieve the high-quality development of RE, the Chinese government needs to control the number of policies in the market management but enhance the execution and supervision of planning management for provinces with poor RE resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we perform a comparative analysis between China and Brazil to study the causal relations and interdependencies between elements of public policies concerning renewable energy and their influence on the development trajectories of the wind industry. China has achieved superior development of the wind turbine manufacturing industry. In the Chinese case, there has been a better articulation and integration of the energy and industrial policies. There was also a better agreement between the industrial policy and the Chinese technology policy. In the case of Brazil, energy and infrastructure policies were connected, which resulted in an installed wind capacity in greater balance with its effective generation. We conclude that the development of the wind energy industry depends on the recognition of a reciprocity between the energy and the industrial policies for the wind industry, as well as on their reciprocal interdependence with other policies, such as those governing technology, environment and infrastructure. A framework was developed representing these reciprocal interdependencies and the complexity existing among these policies. The framework serves as a tool for international benchmarking in this context. A set of recommendations for the formulation of public policies are presented in the form of lessons learned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is anchored on the global best practice policies for achieving sustainable goals for Malaysia. Malaysia is among the countries that made commitment at 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference to reduce its carbon emissions by 2030. This is expected to contribute to the country's sustainable development. Malaysian quarterly data of 1992Q1–2019Q4 with relevant policy-based instruments (renewable energy policy, technological innovations, financial development, and entrepreneur activities) are adopted in our study for explicit and clear insight on the subject. Different scientific and analytical methods are equally applied in this study, but the focus and emphasis are laid on the findings from linear (dynamic ordinary least square, DOLS) and non-linear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) and Granger causality. Findings from both NARDL and DOLS confirmed the positive shocks of renewable energy policy, technological innovations, financial development, and entrepreneur activities are mitigating carbon emissions. Also, inverted U shape of EKC hypothesis is found for Malaysia. Findings from Granger causality support the findings from both estimates by establishing both feedback and unidirectional causal nexus among the instruments. From the finding myms, policy-based instruments are mitigating carbon emissions in Malaysia; thus, it will be a very good idea to frame policies around these instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing energy consumption, the rapid depletion of traditional resources, and the damage they cause to the environment direct countries to meet the needs with appropriate and environmentally friendly methods. Solar photovoltaic systems are also the most suitable energy generation systems for these needs. In this context, interest in solar systems is increasing day by day and solar system installations are becoming widespread. However, the diffusion rate varies according to the incentives and policies implemented by the countries. Because solar systems can be considered the new and incentives-policies act as a catalyst in the spread of this energy type. Therefore, countries need to determine appropriate policies. FIT (Feed-In-Tariff), NEM (Net metering), portfolio standards, project and tendering applications, tax exemptions, R&D incentives, micro-generation network incentives are the leading policies implemented by countries in solar systems. The most used incentive method is FIT and NEM. In addition, roof-Top system incentives have been frequently applied in recent years. Countries have implemented one or more of these supports according to their renewable energy targets and achieved different results. In this study, which was created in this context, the incentive systems applied to PV systems were examined, the incentives and policies they applied were analyzed by selecting countries from Europe, America, Asia, South America, and Africa. In addition, the current PV situation and potential of Turkey have been examined, and the incentives and policies applied to PV systems have been analyzed comparatively with other countries. The focus of this study is Turkey and the improvements that can be made in the field of incentives and policies in Turkey are analyzed in this study.

Based on the demand for green development and sustainable economic growth, the most effect approach for improving the sustainability of energy firms through energy policy and green investment is an important concern for those from all walks of life. This study examines the relationship between renewable energy policies and firm sustainability in China. Using 32,267 datapoints from 2007 to 2019 for A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen, China, our results suggest that renewable energy policies are not conducive to enhancing firm sustainability and sustainability rate; this result is inconsistent with our theoretical expectations. We further find that firm green investment promotes firm sustainability and plays a partial mediating effect in the impact of renewable energy policies on firm sustainability. In addition, the differences in firm characteristics and market environment make the impact of renewable energy policy on firm sustainability heterogeneous. Renewable energy policies mainly inhibit the sustainable development of state-owned firms, labor-intensive firms, and firms with low equity concentration. • New energy industrial policies are not conducive to the enhancement of corporate sustainability and sustainability rate. • Corporate green investment is beneficial to promote corporate sustainability. • New energy industrial policies mainly inhibit the sustainable development of state-owned enterprises. • New energy industrial policies inhibit labor-intensive enterprises, and enterprises with low equity concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy policies which promote a green transition are of particular interest to the European Commission and are one of the key elements of the European Green Deal. This article takes a close look at the interplay and tensions between two theoretically separated frameworks, renewable energy law and the State aid regime, and analyses the impact of the European Green Deal on their revision. As State aid plays a pivotal role in the green transition and in the fulfilment of the Commission’s policy objectives, the implementation of the European Green Deal can offer a great opportunity to establish new State aid control rules. More specifically, the analysis focuses on a market-based approach towards renewable energy support schemes, and attempts to answer the question of whether or not such a solution fits the purpose of achieving the newly established EU sustainable goals defined in the European Green Deal.

Abstract Background The paper explores how regional actors engage with energy systems, flows and infrastructures in order to meet particular goals and offers a fine-tuned analysis of how differences arise, highlighting the policy-relevant insights that emerge. Methods Using a novel framework, the research performs a comparative case study analysis of three regions in Italy and two of the devolved territories of the UK, Wales and Scotland, drawing on interviews and documentary analysis. Results The paper shows that acknowledging the socio-materialities of renewable energy allows a fine-tuned analysis of how institutions, governance and infrastructure can enable/constrain energy transitions and policy effectiveness at local and regional levels. The heuristic adopted highlights (i) the institutions that matter for renewable energy and their varied effects on regional renewable energy deployment; (ii) the range of agencies involved in strategically establishing, contesting and reproducing institutions, expectations, visions and infrastructure as renewable energy deployment unfolds at the regional level and (iii) the nature and extent of infrastructure requirements for and constraints on renewable energy delivery and how they affect the regional capacity to shape infrastructure networks and facilitate renewable energy deployment. The paper shows how the regions investigated developed their institutional and governance capacity and made use of targets, energy visions and spatial planning to promote renewable energy deployment. It shows that several mediating factors emerge from examining the interactions between regional physical resource endowments and energy infrastructure renewal and expansion. The analysis leads to policy-relevant insights into what makes for renewable energy deployment. Conclusion The paper contributes to research that demonstrates the role of institutional variations and governance as foundations for geographical differences in the adoption of renewable energy, and carries significant implications for policy thinking and implementation. It shows why and how policy-makers need to be more effective in balancing the range of goals/interests for renewable energy deployment with the peculiarities and specificities of the regional contexts and their infrastructures. The insights presented help to explain how energy choices and outcomes are shaped in particular places, how differences arise and operate in practice, and how they need to be taken into account in policy design, policy-making and implementation.

Brazil is a case of the achievement of a high share of wind energy integration to an interconnected power system in an emerging market. A series of successful energy supply programmes and a strong renewable-oriented finance framework implemented since 2002, have promoted alternative renewables – wind installed capacity increased over 22-fold from 927 MW in 2011 to 21 GW in 2022, reaching 11.77% of total procured power. From this, about 90% are concentrated in Brazil's least developed region, the Northeast, where wind investment should create jobs and propel socioeconomic development. Despite that, there is no studies specific assessing the regional and economy-wide effects of those programmes, gap that this paper aims to fill by applying the regional Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model TERM-BR10. We assess that by modelling an alternative scenario for the period 2010-19 based on an official electricity matrix built in 2010, that projected 3.4 additional GW of wind power while not considering all the success of renewable policies, against the observed installed capacity expansion, where wind power was 3.7 times higher than what had been planned. Our results show that in the absence of renewable policies, Brazil would have faced economic losses such as GDP (−0.27%) and investment (−4.76%). The Northeast region would have been the most impacted in terms of GDP (−1.3%), real wage (−2.99%) and employment creation (−0.1%). We propose that such socioeconomic co-benefits are incorporated in energy planning, which could promote regional equality through renewable energy expansion. • Wind power capacity increased over 20-fold from 2011 to 2022. • 90% are in the poorest region where policies propel development and job creation. • Policy absence would entail a GDP loss of 0.27% nationally and of 1.3% in the region. • Negative impacts to labour market are mostly over skilled jobs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable Energy Systems are considered to be a powerful component of local sustainability innovation strategies. This paper uses a policy mix approach to study innovation policy criteria, which include municipalities' location factors, stakeholder collaboration activities, and local knowledge about renewable energy sources and projects. The aim is to study the impact of these factors on decision-making and developing renewable energy projects and their local sources. Moreover, this paper aims to understand the impact of the mix of different policies on the energy sector and technological innovation systems, through the innovation policy criteria that has been identified. These impacts are studied as they constitute the policy mix, and affect the process of developing renewable energy sources in the Palestinian municipalities and local councils. In this study a sample of 216 Palestinian municipalities and local councils is analyzed. The results indicate the need for policymakers to promote cooperation between the public and private sectors, and the importance of focusing on location factors such as energy import reduction, incentives, and emissions that directly affect renewable energy sources. Whereas, local knowledge does not have a direct impact on the process of developing renewable energy systems, as it can constitute indirect support at a later stage for the implementation of other policy criteria discussed in this study. The results confirm that increasing the potential for developing renewable energy sources takes place when policymakers adopt the role of facilitator and establish a local innovation network in which different actors cooperate so that public and private stakeholders can provide support in order to develop local renewable energy systems. • Different policies impact on RE sector by innovation policy criteria are measured. • The policies and practices of 216 Palestinian local government units are analyzed. • Positioning factors, collaborative activities, & local knowledge standards are used.≥. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greater deployment of non-hydropower renewable energy sources in Central Asia appears to be a rational solution to energy security in the region. However, renewable energy diffusion in Central Asia is at an incipient stage. Moreover, the utilization of renewable energy sources varies substantially across the region. Whereas fossil fuel-rich, more developed Central Asian economies pursue the deployment of non-hydropower renewable energy sources, water-rich, lower-income countries retain their reliance on large-scale hydropower. This article argues that wider deployment of non-hydropower renewable energy sources is critical for Central Asian countries' sustainability and attempts to explain the double paradox of plenty through the specifics of institutional environments in energy-poor and rent-dependent Central Asian economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We measure the comprehensive carbon price from 2008 to 2019 resulting from climate policies imposed by 25 high-polluting countries that represent 82 percent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2019. Comprehensive carbon prices build upon previous notions—including explicit, effective, and implicit carbon prices—by incorporating a broad range of policies that reduce carbon emissions. We consider seven types of major market-based policies commonly used to create marginal incentives to reduce emissions: carbon taxes, emissions trading systems, fossil fuel taxes, fossil fuel subsidies, renewable portfolio standards, feed-in tariffs, and low-carbon fuel standards. Comprehensive carbon prices represent the weighted average of marginal incentives imposed on polluters by country policy mixes. We measure country-level comprehensive carbon prices by summing across all seven policies the product of (1) the marginal incentive imposed by a policy (expressed in dollars per ton of CO2 emitted), and (2) a CO2-emissions-coverage weight for that policy (equal to the proportion of CO2 emissions regulated by the policy relative to that country's total CO2 emissions). We measure the global comprehensive carbon price by summing across all 25 countries the product of (1) each country's comprehensive carbon price, and (2) that country's proportion of CO2 emissions relative to total CO2 emissions from our sample of 25 countries. The global comprehensive carbon price has risen upward from +8.68 USD in 2008 to +19.13 USD in 2019, with a dip to +6.94 USD per ton in 2012. These values are far too low to appropriately address climate change. The comprehensive carbon price varies widely between countries, ranging from −128.35 USD to +146.25 USD in 2019. This heterogeneity means that polluters face uneven marginal incentives to reduce CO2 emissions. Our focus is on measuring marginal incentives rather than policy outcomes, such as overall emissions abatement, which we identify as a promising area for future research. Comprehensive carbon prices represent a useful metric for summarizing and tracking global and country-level efforts to mitigate carbon emissions through public policy. Comprehensive carbon prices report a dollar per ton of carbon dioxide emissions imposed by a wide range of climate policies including carbon taxes, emissions trading systems, fossil fuel subsidies and taxes, renewable portfolio standards, feed-in tariffs, and low-carbon fuel standards. Country-level comprehensive carbon prices vary widely, from −128.35 to +146.25 USD in 2019, reflecting wide heterogeneity in the overall effort countries are putting into climate mitigation. The global comprehensive carbon price has approximately doubled over the last decade, reaching a value of +19.13 USD in 2019, and remains too low to seriously address climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan is currently undertaking a substantial expansion of electricity generation capacity to provide electricity for all its end‐users and to satisfy a fast‐growing economy. Adoption of low‐cost, abundant and clean renewable energy will not only fulfil its growing electricity, heat, transportation and desalinated water demand but also help achieve the goals set under the Paris Agreement. A technology‐rich energy system model applied in hourly resolution has been used for investigating the transition in 5‐year periods until 2050. This study demonstrates that a 100% renewable energy system across the power, heat, transport and desalination sectors is not only technically feasible but also economically viable. Solar photovoltaics emerges as a key technology to generate electricity and contribute a share of 92% to the total primary energy demand across all sectors by 2050. The levelised cost of energy for a 100% renewable energy system is calculated as 56.1 €/MWh in 2050, lower than 70 €/MWh for the current fossil fuel‐based system. A key feature of Pakistan's future energy system is the huge increase in demand across all energy sectors, particularly for desalinated water, which is almost 19% of the final energy demand. This share of energy for desalination is among the highest in the world. Direct and indirect electrification across all demand sectors increases the efficiency of the future energy system. Moreover, GHG emissions from all the sectors will drop to zero by 2050 in a fully sustainable energy scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy plays an essential part in economic progress in today's societies. In this regard, West African countries have introduced ECOWAS Renewable Energy Policy to promote the use of renewable energy sources. This study assessed the effects of ECOWAS Renewable Energy Policy on primary energy supply using a sample of 15 West African countries from 2000 to 2018 with the difference-in-difference and the propensity score matching methods. Results show that the treatment effect of ECOWAS Renewable Energy Policy has a significant and positive impact on primary energy supply in treated groups, resulting in a large percentage of the West African population having access to electricity. The results also demonstrate that the positive effect decreases in subsequent years after the policy implementation, implying further reforms and support would be necessary to achieve the collective long-term Sustainable Energy for All goals. • Using non-parametric methods, EREP positive effect has been revealed on primary energy supply. • The positive impact has allowed a large percentage of the population to have access to electricity. • The positive impact effect decreases in subsequent years after the policy implementation. • Government support and long-term commitment are necessary to achieve Sustainable Energy for All throughout the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The paper explores how regional actors engage with energy systems, flows and infrastructures in order to meet particular goals and offers a fine-tuned analysis of how differences arise, highlighting the policy-relevant insights that emerge. Methods: Using a novel framework, the research performs a comparative case study analysis of three regions in Italy and two of the devolved territories of the UK, Wales and Scotland, drawing on interviews and documentary analysis. Results: The paper shows that acknowledging the socio-materialities of renewable energy allows a fine-tuned analysis of how institutions, governance and infrastructure can enable/constrain energy transitions and policy effectiveness at local and regional levels. The heuristic adopted highlights (i) the institutions that matter for renewable energy and their varied effects on regional renewable energy deployment; (ii) the range of agencies involved in strategically establishing, contesting and reproducing institutions, expectations, visions and infrastructure as renewable energy deployment unfolds at the regional level and (iii) the nature and extent of infrastructure requirements for and constraints on renewable energy delivery and how they affect the regional capacity to shape infrastructure networks and facilitate renewable energy deployment. The paper shows how the regions investigated developed their institutional and governance capacity and made use of targets, energy visions and spatial planning to promote renewable energy deployment. It shows that several mediating factors emerge from examining the interactions between regional physical resource endowments and energy infrastructure renewal and expansion. The analysis leads to policy-relevant insights into what makes for renewable energy deployment. Conclusion: The paper contributes to research that demonstrates the role of institutional variations and governance as foundations for geographical differences in the adoption of renewable energy, and carries significant implications for policy thinking and implementation. It shows why and how policy-makers need to be more effective in balancing the range of goals/interests for renewable energy deployment with the peculiarities and specificities of the regional contexts and their infrastructures. The insights presented help to explain how energy choices and outcomes are shaped in particular places, how differences arise and operate in practice, and how they need to be taken into account in policy design, policy-making and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the renewable energy sector, in general, is increasingly gaining ground with regard to energy mix, the electricity generation capacity from renewable energy sources varies from country to country. This study aims to examine the driving factors and the obstacles that explain the variation in the renewable energy generation capacities. A panel data analysis of the World's leading economies (18 countries out of G-20 countries) from 2009 to 2013 assesses the association between installed renewable energy generation capacity and its drivers. The findings of this study suggest that financial investment from public and private sector is crucial to enhancing renewable energy generation capacity in leading economies. In addition to regulation and economic incentive policies, policies that ensure financial investment such as investment risk reduction measures can facilitate renewable energy capacity growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article proposes one of the first quantitative operationalizations of the Multiple Streams Framework's (MSF) concept of policy community integration, which determines the gestation process of policy ideas in the policy stream. It argues that operationalization by the Gini coefficient of nodal degree and by Freeman's segregation score enables us to indicate better the type of a policy community (less integrated, or more integrated), and thus, to assume the trajectory of the gestation process. The findings suggest that Policy Network Analysis offers a more progressive operationalization of the integration concept and helps to compare policy communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]