Energy Policy最新文献

In democratic countries, the success of energy policies hinges on citizens' support and their acceptance of policy outcomes. In this study, we develop a digital feedback intervention to prompt citizens with information that visualizes the geographical distribution of wind turbines and to evaluate the effects on socio-political acceptance. In an online experiment, we exposed 430 German citizens to a personalized digital feedback intervention and elicited their acceptance of renewable wind energy. The results are threefold: First, citizens' acceptance of renewable wind energy that results from digital feedback is lower than initially claimed. Second, citizens who meaningfully engage with the digital feedback intervention are more likely to revise their acceptance of wind energy. Third, and surprisingly, citizens’ ecological attitude and place attachment to their current residence had no significant effect on the extent to which they revised their acceptance of renewable wind energy. Our results demonstrate that digital feedback interventions can act as a “sensor” for socio-political acceptance. This contributes to informing citizens about energy policy outcomes and provides valuable insights for policymakers promoting a participatory democracy paradigm.

This study employs a deterministic approach, distinguishing itself from other renewable energy evaluations, to assess the potential of electrical energy derived from biomass sources in the southern region of Iran. The primary objectives include pinpointing optimal locations for maximal biomass production and subsequent energy generation within distinct climates and topographies, using fuzzy- Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Additionally, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identify key factors influencing biomass and energy production. The study quantifies electrical and thermal energy derived from biomass sources across various climates. The findings indicate that regions with lower altitudes and humid climates (1530 km²) demonstrate superior biomass performance, leading to increased electrical and thermal energy production. The feature selection process highlights the significant impact of climate and soil characteristics on biomass production and energy output. Analysis of biomass energy production reveals maximum electrical energy production ranging from 674.88 kWh/ha to 711.36 kWh/ha. The results of the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) method confirm its high accuracy in estimating electrical energy, with a significant correlation coefficient of 0.98. We conclude that by identifying locations with the best biomass sources based on climate, it is possible to increase the derived electrical energy. These insights are critical for informing energy policies aimed at optimizing biomass energy production and its integration into sustainable power grids.

A rapid decarbonisation of the United States economy is expected to disproportionately impact regions historically embedded in domestic fossil fuel production. For decades, social scientists have documented the economic and human toll of deindustrialisation, foreshadowing the transitional risks that these regions may face amidst decarbonisation. However, econometric studies evaluating the magnitude, duration, and spatial distribution of unemployment impacts in declining mining regions remain scarce, despite their pertinence to policymaking. Therefore, using econometric estimation methods that control for unobserved heterogeneity via two-way fixed effects, spatial effects, heterogeneous time trends, and grouped fixed effects for a panel of 3,072 US counties covering 2002–2019, we demonstrate that coal mine closures induce a contemporaneous rise in county unemployment rate with spatial ripple effects. Furthermore, evidence of local-level resilience to such shocks over a two-year time horizon is weak. To further account for county-level heterogeneity, we construct a typology of coal counties based on qualities theorised to be resilient to industrial decline. Our findings suggest the significant potential of investing in alternative sectors in localities with promising levels of economic diversity, retraining job seekers, providing relocation support in rural areas, and subsidising childcare in places with low female labour force participation.

We study the pricing of greenhouse gas emissions of vertically integrated producers of electricity around the Paris Accord (PA). We study whether emissions are priced by financial markets, providing a market-based incentive for firms to reduce their carbon footprints and if the heightened attention on climate change post-Paris Accord (PA) impacts the size of the “carbon risk premium.” We focus on electricity generators, because they are responsible for the largest share of emissions and emissions reductions in the U.S. and are highly exposed to regulatory, physical, and stranded asset risks. We find the cost of carbon risk is reflected in the returns of vertically integrated electric utilities. The post-PA period provides the strongest evidence that carbon risk is priced. We find that equity markets provide incentives for power producers to reduce emissions, as reductions in emissions are associated with reductions in required returns on equity (increases in equity market values). The challenge for regulators is how to respond in rate cases. Lowering a utility's regulated return to reflect lower market estimates of the return on equity would dilute the market-based incentive for emissions reductions. Adding a longer-term return incentive for continued investment in emissions reductions would reinforce the market incentive.

We evaluate the distributional effects of the French energy efficiency obligations, focusing on a reform implemented from 2016 to 2018. This reform introduced two social equity measures: a sub-obligation requiring energy suppliers to achieve energy savings in residences occupied by fuel-poor households, and a bonus system granting additional certificates to suppliers supporting investments in such dwellings. Our analysis, based on aggregated data from 2019, reveals that the program initially succeeded in channeling financial benefits towards low-income households. However, the primary driver of this positive outcome – generous bonuses – went to pose a risk of reversing the intended effect. We provide a detailed explanation of this shift and offer policy recommendations for improving social equity provisions. Our findings indicate that there may be no discernible advantage in combining both measures to address social equity concerns, advocating instead for a program based solely on the sub-obligation.

Energy poverty is an important reality facing the whole world, and the rapid development of digital technology has great potential in eradicating poverty. However, the differences in the level of information development have led to the existence of the digital divide within countries. In this context, this paper explores whether and how the digital divide affects energy poverty from a global perspective. Based on cross-country panel data, this study focuses on the effect and asymmetry of the digital divide on energy poverty. The results show that the digital divide hinders the reduction of energy poverty and manifests itself in a Matthew effect that makes the energy poor poorer. Second, the heterogeneity analysis based on income level and rural-urban areas find that the digital divide has a greater negative impact on energy poverty in low-income countries and rural areas. Finally, the mechanism analysis reveals that the digital divide exacerbates energy poverty mainly by increasing income inequality. Therefore, there is a greater need to focus on the efficiency, equity and inclusive development of the digital economy in the process of its globalization. The findings can also provide an empirical basis for policy design to bridge the digital divide and alleviate energy poverty.

Natural disasters and extreme events expose significant challenges to electricity infrastructure. We explore concepts of energy security and energy resilience in the aftermath of Hurricanes Maria & Irma in the U.S. Caribbean in 2017. We look at household consequences of regular and storm related power outages for communities, and investigate the motivations for household adoption of solar energy in the wake of a natural disaster, using surveys and interviews in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Results indicate that the storm-related utility failure was widely acknowledged as catastrophic by Islanders, severely limiting the ability for people to work, purchase and store food, and live healthy and productive lives – with lasting consequences. We also find that residents are just as impacted by chronic utility failure as they were disaster-related outages. In the wake of perceived failure from the local utility to provide energy security or energy resilience, households are making decision to invest in self-provided systems to meet these needs by purchasing generators and solar PV. Yet, provision of solar PV follows systemic and racialized patterns of access. We suggest that the practical ways in which utilities make decisions about resilience are outdated, and call for a new paradigm of energy security.

Introducing electric vehicles is critical to maintaining air quality and reducing carbon emissions. The Indonesian government has issued several regulations to stimulate the diffusion of electric vehicles. This research attempts to forecast the electric vehicle market share, especially electric motorcycles, by involving the policy mix and sustainable life cycle costs. We propose a system dynamics approach that takes into account a policy mix including 0% down payment without credit interest subsidies, tax abolition, expansion of charging station network, and sustainable life cycle costs, i.e., total cost of ownership, social, and environment. The system dynamics model has four modules: the electric motorcycle cost, the conventional motorcycle cost, the economy module, and the consumer market. The simulation results show that the electric motorcycle market share will increase positively in 2021–2030, reaching 5.7% in 2030. Based on the scenario simulation results, providing more charging stations and vehicle tax abolition can significantly boost the market share of electric motorcycles in Indonesia. The study provides valuable insights for policymakers in formulating more appropriate policy instruments to promote electric vehicle diffusion in Indonesia.

While research on just transitions is expanding fast, there is a need for more studies focusing on the politics of just transitions. As the realization of a just transition depends in practice on common visions and possibilities for building coalitions between stakeholders, it is important to focus on how a just transition is envisioned by diverse actors. This paper examines how just energy transitions are envisioned by public authorities, business sectors and civil society in Poland and specifically the Silesian region, how their visions conflict and align with each other, and with what consequences for those transitions. The analysis draws on semi-structured interviews and publicly available materials. Three visions are identified: a just transition as social justice for labor in the coal-mining industry and related business, as a just transformation of the region, and as an opportunity for a systemic change. The paper argues that similarities and differences between visions create both opportunities and challenges for a just transition.

Financial resource constraints prevent developing nations from investing in the infrastructure needed for the green transition. For this reason, it is well known that numerous financial aid programs are offered globally, mainly to wealthy developing nations whose economies are predicated on high energy consumption. It hasn't been looked into if these resources are allocated to worthwhile projects. This study examines how foreign financial assistance in this area affects India's infrastructure emissions. The effects of natural resources, economic growth, information and communication technology, energy efficiency (oil and gas), and natural resources on the environment are being investigated as well. The novel multivariate quantile on-quantile regression technique is used in this context to examine a time-series data set spanning 2000–2021. According to the findings, there is a correlation between reduced carbon emissions and increased foreign financial aid. Likewise, advancements in energy efficiency and information and communication technologies also benefit the ecosystem. However, India's emissions are rising due to its abundant natural resources and economic expansion. Policy recommendations were made regarding the need for India to use international financial aid primarily to strengthen environmentally friendly infrastructure rather than solving problems such as current account deficit or budget deficit.