Pub Date : 2026-01-28DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115107
Thomas Roßkopf-Nachbaur , Günter Lang , Martin Ploß , Markus Lang , Andreas Peter , Tobias Hatt , Diana Ürge-Vorsatz , Souran Chatterjee , Luisa F. Cabeza
In 2019, buildings greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounted for 21 % of global emissions, therefore regions such as Europe have strong policies to decrease such emissions. The literature shows different examples simulating energy refurbishment of buildings or districts where an important GHG reduction can be achieved, but there is a clear gap on real measurements of exemplary buildings. This paper shows an assessment of more than 100 energy-efficient buildings in Austria, showing that this GHG emissions reduction is really possible. The paper evaluates residential and non-residential buildings, where the energy consumption was 50 % below the consumption of typical multi-apartment buildings. Moreover, the emissions in such buildings were well below the Paris agreement targets.
{"title":"Long-term evaluation of the energy consumption of 100 energy-efficient buildings in Austria","authors":"Thomas Roßkopf-Nachbaur , Günter Lang , Martin Ploß , Markus Lang , Andreas Peter , Tobias Hatt , Diana Ürge-Vorsatz , Souran Chatterjee , Luisa F. Cabeza","doi":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115107","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115107","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In 2019, buildings greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounted for 21 % of global emissions, therefore regions such as Europe have strong policies to decrease such emissions. The literature shows different examples simulating energy refurbishment of buildings or districts where an important GHG reduction can be achieved, but there is a clear gap on real measurements of exemplary buildings. This paper shows an assessment of more than 100 energy-efficient buildings in Austria, showing that this GHG emissions reduction is really possible. The paper evaluates residential and non-residential buildings, where the energy consumption was 50 % below the consumption of typical multi-apartment buildings. Moreover, the emissions in such buildings were well below the Paris agreement targets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11672,"journal":{"name":"Energy Policy","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 115107"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146090600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-26DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115085
Windbeneti Arnaud Zahonogo , Relwendé Sawadogo
Energy poverty remains a critical development challenge in low- and middle-income countries, central to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7). This study investigates the causal impact of deforestation on energy poverty, focusing on two key dimensions: access to electricity and access to clean cooking fuels. Using a panel of 95 developing countries from 2000 to 2023, we employ robust econometric techniques, including ordinary least squares (OLS), two-stage least squares (2SLS), and smoothed instrumental variable quantile regression (SIVQR), to account for endogeneity and distributional heterogeneity. The results consistently show that deforestation significantly worsens energy poverty, particularly in more deprived contexts, by reducing access to clean fuels and electricity. These findings remain robust across alternative deforestation measures and model specifications. Furthermore, income growth, human capital, and carbon efficiency mitigate energy poverty, while population pressure, natural resource dependence, and institutional weaknesses exacerbate it. The findings call for integrated policies that link forest conservation with equitable energy access to support inclusive and sustainable energy transitions.
{"title":"Fuelling energy poverty? Evidence on the role of deforestation in developing countries","authors":"Windbeneti Arnaud Zahonogo , Relwendé Sawadogo","doi":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115085","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115085","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Energy poverty remains a critical development challenge in low- and middle-income countries, central to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7). This study investigates the causal impact of deforestation on energy poverty, focusing on two key dimensions: access to electricity and access to clean cooking fuels. Using a panel of 95 developing countries from 2000 to 2023, we employ robust econometric techniques, including ordinary least squares (OLS), two-stage least squares (2SLS), and smoothed instrumental variable quantile regression (SIVQR), to account for endogeneity and distributional heterogeneity. The results consistently show that deforestation significantly worsens energy poverty, particularly in more deprived contexts, by reducing access to clean fuels and electricity. These findings remain robust across alternative deforestation measures and model specifications. Furthermore, income growth, human capital, and carbon efficiency mitigate energy poverty, while population pressure, natural resource dependence, and institutional weaknesses exacerbate it. The findings call for integrated policies that link forest conservation with equitable energy access to support inclusive and sustainable energy transitions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11672,"journal":{"name":"Energy Policy","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 115085"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146090601","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-24DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115071
Jayash Paudel
Power outages can cause electric utilities to lose revenues and incur larger operational costs from system repair and restoration. Yet reliable estimates on the economic impact of power interruptions on electric utilities are not available. This article exploits spatial and temporal variation in different levels of transmission-led service interruption among 71 electric utilities from 42 countries in Africa to estimate changes in operational costs from rising power outages. Results based on cross-utility panel data over an eleven-year-long period from 2012 to 2022 illustrate that an average total duration of outages from transmission exceeding 900 hours a year (relative to the baseline levels of less than 100 hours a year) results in a 0.85% increase in operational costs ($ per kWh). These costs increase in magnitude in response to power interruptions corresponding to higher bins. Electrical utilities also report declines in both total revenues and shares of cash revenues, indicating signs of operational burden from severe power outages. Estimates further indicate that utilities with lower shares of hydroelectricity generation experience substantial increases in operational costs, implying that hydropower can effectively mitigate transmission power outages. Regression analysis also shows that higher shares of generation from non-hydro renewable energy sources that experience grid stabilization challenges do not lower outage-induced operational costs. Together, these results illustrate that large investments in hydroelectricity generation have the potential to address energy poverty in Africa.
{"title":"Rising operational costs from power outages: Implications for hydropower","authors":"Jayash Paudel","doi":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115071","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115071","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Power outages can cause electric utilities to lose revenues and incur larger operational costs from system repair and restoration. Yet reliable estimates on the economic impact of power interruptions on electric utilities are not available. This article exploits spatial and temporal variation in different levels of transmission-led service interruption among 71 electric utilities from 42 countries in Africa to estimate changes in operational costs from rising power outages. Results based on cross-utility panel data over an eleven-year-long period from 2012 to 2022 illustrate that an average total duration of outages from transmission exceeding 900 hours a year (relative to the baseline levels of less than 100 hours a year) results in a 0.85% increase in operational costs ($ per kWh). These costs increase in magnitude in response to power interruptions corresponding to higher bins. Electrical utilities also report declines in both total revenues and shares of cash revenues, indicating signs of operational burden from severe power outages. Estimates further indicate that utilities with lower shares of hydroelectricity generation experience substantial increases in operational costs, implying that hydropower can effectively mitigate transmission power outages. Regression analysis also shows that higher shares of generation from non-hydro renewable energy sources that experience grid stabilization challenges do not lower outage-induced operational costs. Together, these results illustrate that large investments in hydroelectricity generation have the potential to address energy poverty in Africa.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11672,"journal":{"name":"Energy Policy","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 115071"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146090598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-24DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115105
Tuvshintugs Batdelger , Manlaibaatar Zagdbazar
The Mongolian energy sector faces mounting difficulties, with infrastructure dating back to the Soviet era and increasing energy demand surpassing installed capacity. The Government of Mongolia has begun implementing energy sector reforms, including significant increases in electricity tariffs. However, there is a lack of studies assessing the impact of these changes on inflation and household living costs. This study fills this void by estimating the heterogeneous impact of energy subsidy removal on inflation and household living costs using a behavioral microsimulation model based on the Household Socio-Economic Survey and the Input-Output Table data. Our findings reveal that current electricity subsidies disproportionately benefit richer households. The complete removal of these subsidies will impose an additional 3.4 % burden on the poorest decile, compared to 1.8 % on the richest decile, while the average increase in household expenditures will be 2.7 %. Eliminating these subsidies could increase poverty rates and economic inequality. Interestingly, the government's policy of moderately increasing household electricity prices, shifting some of the burden to the industrial sector, and maintaining subsidies for heating and briquettes still imposes a comparable burden on household expenses. Although this policy framework reduces the financial burden on low-income populations, it unfairly impacts the livelihoods of rural populations, particularly herders, who do not benefit from energy subsidies, by fueling overall inflation. To mitigate these adverse effects, we recommend targeted support measures for vulnerable populations.
{"title":"The heterogeneous impact of energy subsidy reform: The ill-targeted nature of energy subsidies in Mongolia","authors":"Tuvshintugs Batdelger , Manlaibaatar Zagdbazar","doi":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115105","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115105","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Mongolian energy sector faces mounting difficulties, with infrastructure dating back to the Soviet era and increasing energy demand surpassing installed capacity. The Government of Mongolia has begun implementing energy sector reforms, including significant increases in electricity tariffs. However, there is a lack of studies assessing the impact of these changes on inflation and household living costs. This study fills this void by estimating the heterogeneous impact of energy subsidy removal on inflation and household living costs using a behavioral microsimulation model based on the Household Socio-Economic Survey and the Input-Output Table data. Our findings reveal that current electricity subsidies disproportionately benefit richer households. The complete removal of these subsidies will impose an additional 3.4 % burden on the poorest decile, compared to 1.8 % on the richest decile, while the average increase in household expenditures will be 2.7 %. Eliminating these subsidies could increase poverty rates and economic inequality. Interestingly, the government's policy of moderately increasing household electricity prices, shifting some of the burden to the industrial sector, and maintaining subsidies for heating and briquettes still imposes a comparable burden on household expenses. Although this policy framework reduces the financial burden on low-income populations, it unfairly impacts the livelihoods of rural populations, particularly herders, who do not benefit from energy subsidies, by fueling overall inflation. To mitigate these adverse effects, we recommend targeted support measures for vulnerable populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11672,"journal":{"name":"Energy Policy","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 115105"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146090737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-23DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115099
Peng Wu , Sha Xiao , Wen Wang , Hong Wang , Shansen Wei
Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) is widely recognized as a critical technology for achieving carbon neutrality. However, large-scale deployment still faces two key challenges: the spatial mismatch between CO2 sources and storage sites and the absence of sustainable business models that can incentivize broad enterprises' participation. To address these challenges, this paper proposed a bi-level planning framework for CCUS cluster optimization, introducing a business model where a large oil and gas company provides integrated technical service to individual emitters. A case study demonstrates that carbon trading policies can effectively promote CCUS involvement and improve system viability. The major results indicate that higher carbon costs increase the proportion of service fees, rising from 17.91 % to 31.34 %. This modification enhances their resilience to variations in oil prices. Participation shows a threshold-based, non-linear response, with higher prices improving investment robustness and favoring dedicated pipelines over infrastructure reuse. Our findings suggest that, along with carbon pricing, early-stage cost reductions are critical for scalable CCUS deployment.
{"title":"Promoting broad participation in CCUS system via a technical service business model and bi-level optimization with carbon trading incentives","authors":"Peng Wu , Sha Xiao , Wen Wang , Hong Wang , Shansen Wei","doi":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115099","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115099","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) is widely recognized as a critical technology for achieving carbon neutrality. However, large-scale deployment still faces two key challenges: the spatial mismatch between CO<sub>2</sub> sources and storage sites and the absence of sustainable business models that can incentivize broad enterprises' participation. To address these challenges, this paper proposed a bi-level planning framework for CCUS cluster optimization, introducing a business model where a large oil and gas company provides integrated technical service to individual emitters. A case study demonstrates that carbon trading policies can effectively promote CCUS involvement and improve system viability. The major results indicate that higher carbon costs increase the proportion of service fees, rising from 17.91 % to 31.34 %. This modification enhances their resilience to variations in oil prices. Participation shows a threshold-based, non-linear response, with higher prices improving investment robustness and favoring dedicated pipelines over infrastructure reuse. Our findings suggest that, along with carbon pricing, early-stage cost reductions are critical for scalable CCUS deployment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11672,"journal":{"name":"Energy Policy","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 115099"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-23DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115089
Kees van der Wel, Sanne Akerboom
While the ‘promised land’ of clean, affordable, and abundant energy is in reach for some, it is but a distant dream for others. Socioeconomically disadvantaged groups often do not have the means and opportunities to enter this ‘land of milk and honey’. In response to growing awareness of this issue, the call for a more just, inclusive, and fair energy transition has found its way to policy agendas. To implement this energy justice agenda, policy-makers must decide on a governance strategy – i.e., a plan of action outlining who should do what, and how. The field of public administration offers three such strategies: rowing, steering, and serving. However, no study has yet examined the strengths and weaknesses of these different strategies in achieving energy justice, leaving policymakers without guidance on how to choose between them. To address this gap, we evaluated two initiatives for each strategy using an assessment framework with five criteria based on energy justice literature. Our analysis revealed three key patterns: (i) each strategy has its own strengths and weaknesses for realizing a just transition, (ii) there are synergies and trade-offs between the criteria, and (iii) each strategy has broad but seemingly superficial support. These findings suggest that no single strategy is perfect, and none will become perfect due to the inherent trade-offs between criteria. However, hybrid strategies that use the strengths of one strategy to offset another strategy's weaknesses could offer an effective approach to pursuing energy justice.
{"title":"Do all roads lead to Rome? Assessing the effectiveness of governance strategies for energy justice","authors":"Kees van der Wel, Sanne Akerboom","doi":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115089","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115089","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While the ‘promised land’ of clean, affordable, and abundant energy is in reach for some, it is but a distant dream for others. Socioeconomically disadvantaged groups often do not have the means and opportunities to enter this ‘land of milk and honey’. In response to growing awareness of this issue, the call for a more just, inclusive, and fair energy transition has found its way to policy agendas. To implement this energy justice agenda, policy-makers must decide on a governance strategy – i.e., a plan of action outlining <em>who</em> should do <em>what,</em> and <em>how</em>. The field of public administration offers three such strategies: rowing, steering, and serving. However, no study has yet examined the strengths and weaknesses of these different strategies in achieving energy justice, leaving policymakers without guidance on how to choose between them. To address this gap, we evaluated two initiatives for each strategy using an assessment framework with five criteria based on energy justice literature. Our analysis revealed three key patterns: (i) each strategy has its own strengths and weaknesses for realizing a just transition, (ii) there are synergies and trade-offs between the criteria, and (iii) each strategy has broad but seemingly superficial support. These findings suggest that no single strategy is perfect, and none will become perfect due to the inherent trade-offs between criteria. However, hybrid strategies that use the strengths of one strategy to offset another strategy's weaknesses could offer an effective approach to pursuing energy justice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11672,"journal":{"name":"Energy Policy","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 115089"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036652","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-23DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115098
Thomas Gifford, Edward Barbier
This paper examines how the expansion of public charging infrastructure influences electric vehicle (EV) adoption across income levels. Using county-level panel data from Washington State (2019–2023), we estimate the marginal effect of new chargers on EV uptake and test for heterogeneity by income and charger type. We find that charger deployment increases EV adoption, but the effect is concentrated in high-income counties. Fast chargers generate larger and more widely distributed adoption gains than slower charging options, and income consistently conditions these effects. These patterns appear only in the battery electric vehicle (BEV) market; comparable models for plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) show no significant relationships. Robustness checks also indicate that charger deployment drives BEV growth rather than responding to it. These results highlight both the central role of infrastructure in enabling decarbonized transport and the risk that exclusive reliance on chargers may widen inequities, underscoring the need for complementary policies that expand access to zero-emission mobility. Charging investments alone may not yield equitable adoption outcomes and underscore the importance of complementary policies that address barriers to entry beyond charging availability.
{"title":"The role of charging infrastructure and income on electric vehicle adoption","authors":"Thomas Gifford, Edward Barbier","doi":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115098","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115098","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper examines how the expansion of public charging infrastructure influences electric vehicle (EV) adoption across income levels. Using county-level panel data from Washington State (2019–2023), we estimate the marginal effect of new chargers on EV uptake and test for heterogeneity by income and charger type. We find that charger deployment increases EV adoption, but the effect is concentrated in high-income counties. Fast chargers generate larger and more widely distributed adoption gains than slower charging options, and income consistently conditions these effects. These patterns appear only in the battery electric vehicle (BEV) market; comparable models for plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) show no significant relationships. Robustness checks also indicate that charger deployment drives BEV growth rather than responding to it. These results highlight both the central role of infrastructure in enabling decarbonized transport and the risk that exclusive reliance on chargers may widen inequities, underscoring the need for complementary policies that expand access to zero-emission mobility. Charging investments alone may not yield equitable adoption outcomes and underscore the importance of complementary policies that address barriers to entry beyond charging availability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11672,"journal":{"name":"Energy Policy","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 115098"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036655","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115094
Xiaodan Guo , Bowen Xiao , Ce Jia , Jintao Gu , Shao-Chao Ma
Initiated in 2017, China's Clean Heating Campaign (CHC) has substantially promoted the transition of heating energy use toward cleaner alternatives through extensive government subsidies. However, under growing fiscal pressure, 53 CHC pilot cities have exited the national subsidy program, confronting the critical challenge of achieving a stable transition from the “strong subsidy era” to the “post-subsidy era.” This study employs a dynamic partial equilibrium model incorporating endogenous technological innovation to evaluate subsidy phase-out strategies and alternative policies to subsidies. Results indicate that the current stepwise phase-out approach will trigger resurgences in scattered-coal use. To address this, we propose a self-feedback mechanism that adjusts subsidy levels directly with the gap between clean heating's cost competitiveness and coal heating. This adaptive mechanism enhances environmental performance while mitigating fiscal pressure and energy poverty. Furthermore, peak-valley electricity pricing emerges as a cost-effective alternative to direct subsidies by encouraging economically efficient demand-side responses. The findings offer actionable insights for designing environmentally and fiscally sustainable clean heating policies in the post-subsidy context.
{"title":"How should China exit clean heating subsidies? Policy design for the post-subsidy transition","authors":"Xiaodan Guo , Bowen Xiao , Ce Jia , Jintao Gu , Shao-Chao Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115094","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115094","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Initiated in 2017, China's <em>Clean Heating Campaign</em> (CHC) has substantially promoted the transition of heating energy use toward cleaner alternatives through extensive government subsidies. However, under growing fiscal pressure, 53 CHC pilot cities have exited the national subsidy program, confronting the critical challenge of achieving a stable transition from the “strong subsidy era” to the “post-subsidy era.” This study employs a dynamic partial equilibrium model incorporating endogenous technological innovation to evaluate subsidy phase-out strategies and alternative policies to subsidies. Results indicate that the current stepwise phase-out approach will trigger resurgences in scattered-coal use. To address this, we propose a self-feedback mechanism that adjusts subsidy levels directly with the gap between clean heating's cost competitiveness and coal heating. This adaptive mechanism enhances environmental performance while mitigating fiscal pressure and energy poverty. Furthermore, peak-valley electricity pricing emerges as a cost-effective alternative to direct subsidies by encouraging economically efficient demand-side responses. The findings offer actionable insights for designing environmentally and fiscally sustainable clean heating policies in the post-subsidy context.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11672,"journal":{"name":"Energy Policy","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 115094"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115103
Caroline Bottu , Eric F. Lambin
As many countries worldwide accelerate renewable energy deployment to meet climate targets, understanding the factors shaping acceptance of solar PV projects is essential for effective spatial planning. This study examined 236 utility-scale solar projects (>1 MWp) across various development stages in the French Alps, aiming to identify what influences market, socio-political, and community acceptance. This study adopts a mixed-method approach, combining spatial autocorrelation analysis, logistic regression, random forest modelling, and qualitative assessment of environmental impact reports, we explored the spatial patterns of project submission and approval. Market acceptance is primarily associated with economic factors: solar irradiance, slope, grid proximity, and land costs. Developers tend to avoid agricultural areas given regulatory constraints under the Mountain law, and rather favour forested or artificial surfaces. In contrast, socio-political acceptance is determined almost exclusively by environmental protection, with biophysical integrity being the only significant predictor of project approval, whereas socio-demographic characteristics of local populations show no measurable influence. Both submitted and approved projects display significant spatial clustering, with 51 % of recent projects (since 2020) concentrated in suitable areas representing just 9 % of the territory. This reflects a learning process among developers, who increasingly target areas with higher approval rates. While this suggests opportunities for targeted spatial planning via designated acceleration areas, it also raises concerns about energy justice and uneven community burdens. The spatial mismatch between market and socio-political acceptance criteria, and the dominance of environmental over social considerations, highlight the need for more transparent and inclusive permitting processes.
{"title":"Mismatch between where solar projects are proposed and approved: the case of PV acceptance in the French Alps","authors":"Caroline Bottu , Eric F. Lambin","doi":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115103","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115103","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As many countries worldwide accelerate renewable energy deployment to meet climate targets, understanding the factors shaping acceptance of solar PV projects is essential for effective spatial planning. This study examined 236 utility-scale solar projects (>1 MWp) across various development stages in the French Alps, aiming to identify what influences market, socio-political, and community acceptance. This study adopts a mixed-method approach, combining spatial autocorrelation analysis, logistic regression, random forest modelling, and qualitative assessment of environmental impact reports, we explored the spatial patterns of project submission and approval. Market acceptance is primarily associated with economic factors: solar irradiance, slope, grid proximity, and land costs. Developers tend to avoid agricultural areas given regulatory constraints under the Mountain law, and rather favour forested or artificial surfaces. In contrast, socio-political acceptance is determined almost exclusively by environmental protection, with biophysical integrity being the only significant predictor of project approval, whereas socio-demographic characteristics of local populations show no measurable influence. Both submitted and approved projects display significant spatial clustering, with 51 % of recent projects (since 2020) concentrated in suitable areas representing just 9 % of the territory. This reflects a learning process among developers, who increasingly target areas with higher approval rates. While this suggests opportunities for targeted spatial planning via designated acceleration areas, it also raises concerns about energy justice and uneven community burdens. The spatial mismatch between market and socio-political acceptance criteria, and the dominance of environmental over social considerations, highlight the need for more transparent and inclusive permitting processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11672,"journal":{"name":"Energy Policy","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 115103"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115100
Kanchan Kumar Sen , Shamal Chandra Karmaker , Bidyut Baran Saha
Energy security has emerged as a central policy challenge as climate change intensifies alongside rising energy demand and increasing geopolitical uncertainty. For developed economies, ensuring secure energy systems while advancing environmental sustainability requires not only technological progress but also effective governance and regulatory frameworks. Despite this importance, empirical evidence on how governance quality influences energy security through environmental policy remains limited, and existing studies largely rely on traditional econometric approaches that struggle to capture non-linear dynamics. To address these gaps, this study examines the role of good governance in enhancing sustainable energy security in OECD countries, with a particular focus on the mediating role of environmental policy stringency. By applying both machine learning and econometric approaches, the study explored a positive and significant impact of good governance on energy security, highlighting that stronger governance enhances the resilience, efficiency, and sustainability of national energy systems. The study also found that environmental policy stringency acts as a key indirect channel through which governance quality enhances energy security. This highlights the importance of strong institutions and well-enforced environmental regulations for improving energy security in developed economies. From a policy perspective, these findings emphasize the value of integrating governance reforms with strong environmental policies. These insights offer practical guidance for policymakers aiming to strengthen energy resilience while promoting decarbonization and sustainable development goals.
{"title":"Good governance and energy security in OECD countries: The mediating role of environmental policy stringency","authors":"Kanchan Kumar Sen , Shamal Chandra Karmaker , Bidyut Baran Saha","doi":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115100","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115100","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Energy security has emerged as a central policy challenge as climate change intensifies alongside rising energy demand and increasing geopolitical uncertainty. For developed economies, ensuring secure energy systems while advancing environmental sustainability requires not only technological progress but also effective governance and regulatory frameworks. Despite this importance, empirical evidence on how governance quality influences energy security through environmental policy remains limited, and existing studies largely rely on traditional econometric approaches that struggle to capture non-linear dynamics. To address these gaps, this study examines the role of good governance in enhancing sustainable energy security in OECD countries, with a particular focus on the mediating role of environmental policy stringency. By applying both machine learning and econometric approaches, the study explored a positive and significant impact of good governance on energy security, highlighting that stronger governance enhances the resilience, efficiency, and sustainability of national energy systems. The study also found that environmental policy stringency acts as a key indirect channel through which governance quality enhances energy security. This highlights the importance of strong institutions and well-enforced environmental regulations for improving energy security in developed economies. From a policy perspective, these findings emphasize the value of integrating governance reforms with strong environmental policies. These insights offer practical guidance for policymakers aiming to strengthen energy resilience while promoting decarbonization and sustainable development goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11672,"journal":{"name":"Energy Policy","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 115100"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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