Energy Policy

A review on global solar energy policy

by Khalid Hussain Solangi

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 15, Issue 4, May 2011, Pages 2149-2163
K.H. Solangi, M.R. Islam, R. Saidur, N.A. Rahim, H. Fayaz

To overcome the negative impacts on the environment and other problems associated with fossil fuels have forced many... more To overcome the negative impacts on the environment and other problems associated with fossil fuels have forced many countries to inquire into and change to environmental friendly alternatives that are renewable to sustain the increasing energy demand. Solar energy is one of the best renewable energy sources with least negative impacts on the environment. Different countries have formulated solar energy policies to reducing dependence on fossil fuel and increasing domestic energy production by solar energy. This paper discusses a review about the different solar energy policies implemented on the different countries of the world. According to the 2010 BP Statistical Energy Survey, the world cumulative installed solar energy capacity was 22928.9 MW in 2009, a change of 46.9% compared to 2008. Also this paper discussed the existing successful solar energy policies of few selected countries. Based on literatures, it has been found that FIT, RPS and incentives are the most beneficial energy policies implemented by many countries around the world. These policies provide significant motivation and interest for the development and use of renewable energy technologies. Also the status of solar energy policy for Malaysia is investigated and compared with that of the successful countries in the world.

The South Stream versus Nabucco pipeline race: geopolitical and economic (ir) rationales and political stakes in mega‐projects

by Indra Overland

„Caspian Energy Politics - Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan

by Indra Overland

Caspian Energy Politics: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan

by Indra Overland

A limited toolbox: Explaining the constraints on Russia's foreign energy policy

by Indra Overland

"Security of Energy Supply: When Could National Policy Take Precedence Over European Law?", Energy Law Journal, vol. 31, 2010

by Endrius Cocciolo

Co-authored with Carlos Padrós

The European Energy Market is currently under construction. In this complex process Member States have traditionally... more The European Energy Market is currently under construction. In this complex process Member States have traditionally retained the power to secure each State’s energy supply as a matter of national security. However, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has recently issued several judgments in which national policies are declared to be in breach of core European Union (EU) principles: free movement of capital and freedom of establishment. The article explores the risks of adopting this approach (negative integration) without a clear European regulatory framework (positive integration). Dismantling national regulatory controls without providing a true European alternative can result in a critical precedence of free market over national administrative law.

Energy Futures Abstract

by Stewart Herman

Briefing: challenging lock-in through urban energy systems

by Chris Goodier

ALMANYA VE FRANSA’NIN NÜKLEER KARARININ ARDINDAN

by mehmet cem ates

Fukuşima Nükleer Santralinde yaşanan kaza hiç şüphesiz nükleer santraller için yeni bir dönem başlattı. Bu denli büyük bir kazanın Japonya gibi güvenilirlik ve şeffaflık olgularıyla dünyada ün yapmış bir ülkede gerçekleşmesi kazanın görkemini arttırdı. Bu olayla birlikte nükleer enerjinin gerekliliği ve sürdürebilirliği yeniden hararetle tartışılır oldu. Özellikle Avrupa’nın iki büyük ülkesi olan Fransa ve Almanya’da hem sembolik değer taşıyan hem de emsal olabilecek nitelikte önemli kararlar alındı. Almanya’nın 2022 yılına kadar nükleer santralleri kapatma kararını duyurmasının ardından dünyanın en büyük ikinci nükleer enerji üreticisi olan Fransa’nın dördüncü nesil nükleer reaktörlerin (EPR) inşasının 2 yıllığına ertelemesi bu kararların en etkili ve ses getirenlerinden. Peki tüm bunlar nükleer enerjinin artık yavaş yavaş rafa kalktığı anlamına mı geliyor?

What is Influencing Renewable Energy Infrastructure Deployment? A Multi-State Study of U.S. Wind Generation Deployment Efforts

by Larry Helwig

Recent research has determined what influences the adoption of state renewable energy policy instruments. At present,... more Recent research has determined what influences the adoption of state renewable energy policy instruments. At present, nearly all of the U.S. states have deployed or have begun to deploy infrastructure that derives energy from renewable resources. This multiple U.S. State study represents an effort to determine the factors that are influencing wind renewable energy infrastructure deployment efforts in thirty-eight U.S. states that have widely varying wind power potential capacities, different capacities of wind generation infrastructure deployed and varying Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) policy goals. This study utilizes the internal determinants and regional diffusion theoretical models of government policy innovation to determine the ability of each model to explain variation in state renewable infrastructure deployment efforts. The fraction of each state’s total deployed wind energy capacity as a function of its total wind potential capacity was used as the dependent variable and state economic factors, geographic and electric system factors and political and ideological factors were used as independent variables representing internal determinants. The effect of regional diffusion was determined by examining the potential wind capacities and actual deployment levels of wind infrastructure in each state’s neighbor states. Preliminary results indicate that the internal determinants model was a better predictor of current state renewable energy deployment efforts than the regional diffusion model. In particular, the density of high-voltage transmission lines (circuit miles/square mile) was a very strong predictor of state deployment success. If this is the case, it may be necessary for states who wish increase their levels of renewable wind energy capacity to place a greater focus on the amount of available transmission infrastructure and factor this into the design of their RPS policy instruments.

Naphtha (Petroleum) Production and its Trade around the Caspian Sea According to 9th- 17th Century Sources

by Mustafa Gökçe

Naphtha (Petroleum) Production and its Trade around the Caspian Sea According to 9th- 17th Century Sources

Petroleum products, which are one of the irrevocable energy resources of modern times, are actually among
the... more Petroleum products, which are one of the irrevocable energy resources of modern times, are actually among
the resources that humanity has been benefiting for thousands of years. The data related to use of hydrocarbon
resources especially in the Middle East, in Mesopotamia, belong to the ages even before the Neolithic age. Just like
Mesopotamia, the existence of petroleum around the Caspian Sea is known as from the centuries Before Christ.

Diverting Indirect Subsidies from the Nuclear Industry to the Photovoltaic Industry: Energy and Economic Returns

by Joshua Pearce

I. Zelenika-Zovko and J. M. Pearce,  “Diverting Indirect Subsidies from the Nuclear Industry to the Photovoltaic Industry: Energy and Economic Returns”, Energy Policy 39, pp. 2626–2632 (2011).

Nuclear power and solar photovoltaic energy conversion often compete for policy support that governs economic... more Nuclear power and solar photovoltaic energy conversion often compete for policy support that governs economic viability. This paper compares current subsidization of the nuclear industry with providing equivalent support to manufacturing photovoltaic modules. Current U.S. indirect nuclear insurance subsidies are reviewed and the power, energy and financial outcomes of this indirect subsidy are compared to equivalent amounts for indirect subsidies (loan guarantees) for photovoltaic manufacturing using a model that holds economic values constant for clarity. The preliminary analysis indicates that if only this one relatively ignored indirect subsidy for nuclear power was diverted to photovoltaic manufacturing, it would result in more installed power and more energy produced by mid-century. By 2110 cumulative electricity output of solar would provide an additional 48,600 TWh over nuclear worth $5.3 trillion. The results clearly show that not only does the indirect insurance liability subsidy play a significant factor for nuclear industry, but also how the transfer of such an indirect subsidy from the nuclear to photovoltaic industry would result in more energy over the life cycle of the technologies.

Türkiye’nin Sosyo-Ekonomik Göstergeleri ile Enerji Göstergeleri Arasındaki İlişkinin Çok Değişkenli Veri Analizi ile İrdelenmesi

by Uluslararası İlişkiler

M. Tarık Çakır, Adnan Sözen, H. Serdar Yücesu, " Türkiye’nin Sosyo-Ekonomik Göstergeleri ile Enerji Göstergeleri Arasındaki İlişkinin Çok Değişkenli Veri Analizi ile İrdelenmesi ", Uluslararası İlişkiler, Cilt 5, Sayı 20 (Kış), 2009

Avrupa Birliği’ne aday bir ülke olarak Türkiye, temel enerji kaynaklarının üretimi ve tüketimi hakkında önemli... more Avrupa Birliği’ne aday bir ülke olarak Türkiye, temel enerji kaynaklarının üretimi ve tüketimi hakkında önemli bölgesel planlarını (yurt içi ve uluslararası planlar) yapmak zorundadır. Ülkemizin değişik coğrafi bölgelerinde yer alan illerin, dengeli bir biçimde gelişmesinin sağlanabilmesi, ülke genelinde etkili bir kalkınma politikasının yürütülmesi ile mümkün olabilecektir. Ülke düzeyinde sağlıklı bir enerji politikası oluşturulabilmesi için, iller ve bölgelerin ölçülebilir ve birbiriyle karşılaştırılabilir enerji üretim ve tüketim durumlarının analiz edilmesi kalkınma planları için gereklidir. Enerji sektöründe, alt sistemlerin birbirini tamamlayıcı bir yapı içerisinde gelişmesi için plansız, birbirinden bağımsız, kısa vadeli çözümler yerine mevcut kapasitenin tespiti, yatırımların yönlendirilmesi ve ülke genelinde dengeli dağılımın sağlanması gerekir. Bu çalışmanın temel hedefi, çok değişkenli istatistik veri analiz yöntemleri kullanarak Türkiye’nin enerji göstergelerinin bölgesel durumunu tespit etmektir. Çalışma, bu hedef doğrultusunda, Türkiye’nin mevcut idari yapısına göre, 81 ile ait gelişmişliği yansıtan seçilmiş sosyo-ekonomik göstergeler ile temel enerji göstergeleri kullanarak, illerin enerji yapılarının birbirleriyle ilişkilerini kamu ve özel sektöre yönelik olarak ortaya koymaktadır.

International politics of energy between Russia and Turkey

by Yunus Duman

Increasing PV Velocity by Reinvesting the Nuclear Energy Insurance Subsidy into Large Scale Solar Photovoltaic Production

by Joshua Pearce

J.M. Pearce, “Increasing PV Velocity by Reinvesting the Nuclear Energy Insurance Subsidy into Large Scale Solar Photovoltaic Production”, Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC), 2009 34th IEEE, pp.1338-1343, 7-12 June 2009.

As the debate over the future of energy grows, often nuclear energy production is pitted against solar photovoltaic... more As the debate over the future of energy grows, often nuclear energy production is pitted against solar photovoltaic energy conversion. There is a widespread belief that solar cannot compete with nuclear energy economically without government subsidies. The continued and widespread belief in the economic viability of nuclear energy, however, is predicated in part on government-mandated limitation on the liability of the nuclear industry. To demonstrate the magnitude of this nuclear energy insurance subsidy, this paper considers a shift in policy to reinvest only the premiums of the nuclear energy insurance subsidy into large scale solar photovoltaic production. The current insurance subsidy for a single nuclear power plant in the U.S. is reviewed along with the investment requirements for a one GigaWatt thin film amorphous silicon solar photovoltaic manufacturing plant. The available power and energy are then compared for an ensemble of nuclear power plants and solar photovoltaic arrays produced by the manufacturing plants over a nuclear plant life cycle. The startling results show that only the premiums for nuclear energy insurance would result in both more installed power and energy produced by mid-century if these funds were invested in large scale photovoltaic manufacturing. This study clearly shows that policies to transfer the nuclear energy insurance subsidy to large-scale manufacturing would increase the PV velocity to push the PV industry over 1 TW in under fifty years.

Thermodynamic limitations to nuclear energy deployment as a greenhouse gas mitigation technology

by Joshua Pearce

Joshua M. Pearce, "Thermodynamic Limitations to Nuclear Energy Deployment as a Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Technology", International Journal of Nuclear Governance, Economy and Ecology 2(1), pp. 113-130, 2008.

To both replace fossil-fuel-energy use and meet the future energy demands, nuclear energy production would have to... more To both replace fossil-fuel-energy use and meet the future energy demands, nuclear energy production would have to increase by 10.5% per year from 2010 to 2050. This large growth rate creates a cannibalistic effect, where nuclear energy must be used to supply the energy for future nuclear power plants. This study showed that the limit of ore grade to offset greenhouse gas emissions is significantly higher than the purely thermodynamic limit set by energy payback times found in the literature. In addition, any use of nuclear energy directly contributes heat to the Earth, which the Earth must radiate into space by raising its temperature to maintain thermodynamic equilibrium. This is a relatively small effect, but as energy consumption grows it must be considered for a world powered by nuclear energy. The results of this study demand modesty in claims of ‘emission-free nuclear energy’ as a panacea for global climate destabilisation.

Industrial Symbiosis for Very Large Scale Photovoltaic Manufacturing

by Joshua Pearce

Joshua M. Pearce, "Industrial Symbiosis for Very Large Scale Photovoltaic Manufacturing", Renewable Energy 33, pp. 1101-1108, 2008.

In order to stabilize the global climate the world’s governments must make significant commitments to drastically... more In order to stabilize the global climate the world’s governments must make significant commitments to drastically reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. One of the most promising methods of curbing GHG emissions is a world transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy. Solar photovoltaic (PV) cells offer a technically sustainable solution to the projected enormous future energy demands. This article explores utilizing industrial symbiosis to obtain economies of scale and increased manufacturing efficiencies for solar photovoltaic cells in order for solar electricity to compete economically with fossil fuel-fired electricity. The state of PV manufacturing, the market and the effects of scale on both are reviewed. Government policies necessary to construct a multi-gigaWatt PV factory and complimentary policies to protect existing solar companies are outlined and the technical requirements for a symbiotic industrial system are explored to increase the manufacturing efficiency while improving the environmental impact of PV. The results of the analysis show that an 8-factory industrial symbiotic system can be viewed as a medium-term investment by any government, which will not only obtain direct financial return, but also an improved global environment. The technical concepts and policy limitations to this approach were analyzed and it was found that symbiotic growth will help to mitigate many of the limitations of PV and is likely to catalyze mass manufacturing of PV by transparently demonstrating that large scale PV manufacturing is technically feasible and reaches an enormous untapped market for PV with low costs.

Producer Responsibility and Recycling Solar Photovoltaic Modules

by Joshua Pearce

N. C. McDonald and J. M. Pearce, “Producer Responsibility and Recycling Solar Photovoltaic Modules”, Energy Policy 38, pp. 7041–7047(2010).

Rapid expansion of the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry is quickly causing solar to play a growing importance in the... more Rapid expansion of the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry is quickly causing solar to play a growing importance in the energy mix of the world. Over the full life cycle, although to a smaller degree than traditional energy sources, PV also creates solid waste. This paper examines the potential need for PV recycling policies by analyzing existing recycling protocols for the five major types of commercialized PV materials. The amount of recoverable semiconductor material and glass in a 1 m2 area solar module for the five types of cells is quantified both physically and the profit potential of recycling is determined. The cost of landfill disposal of the whole solar module, including the glass and semiconductor was also determined for each type of solar module. It was found that the economic motivation to recycle most PV modules is unfavorable without appropriate policies. Results are discussed on the need to regulate for appropriate energy and environmental policy in the PV manufacturing industry particularly for PV containing hazardous materials. The results demonstrate the need to encourage producer responsibility not only in the PV manufacturing sector, but also the entire energy industry.

Energy conservation from systematic tire pressure regulation

by Joshua Pearce

Joshua M. Pearce and Jason T. Hanlon, "Energy Conservation From Systematic Tire Pressure Regulation", Energy Policy, 35(4), pp. 2673-2677, 2007

The majority of U.S. drivers do not consistently monitor the tire pressures in their vehicles. The 2000 TREAD Act,... more The majority of U.S. drivers do not consistently monitor the tire pressures in their vehicles. The 2000 TREAD Act, which requires automakers to gradually provide tire pressure monitoring systems for vehicles sold in the U.S. will correct this problem for new vehicles. This law does not impact the problem in previously deployed vehicles, which have a turnover time of 20 years. A solution is provided here to address under-inflated tires on the current 220 million vehicles and the concomitant wasted energy due to increased rolling resistance in the U.S. automobile fleet. This communication reports on a preliminary study of tire pressures in randomly chosen vehicles, which were undergoing oil changes at a combined retail/auto-care facility. The study indicates that substantial benefits would accrue if car care facilities systematically offered complimentary tire pressure checks with oil changes including: increased safety by decreasing all crashes and saving more than 100 lives, reduced petroleum consumption by over a billion gallons/year, which would provide over $4 billion in economic savings for U.S. consumers that could in part be recouped in retail/auto-care facilities, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 13.5 million tons and automobile pollution and enhance national security.

Photovoltaics — a path to sustainable futures

by Joshua Pearce

Joshua Pearce, "Photovoltaics - A Path to Sustainable Futures", Futures 34(7), 663-674, 2002.

As both population and energy use per capita increase, modern society is approaching physical limits to its continued... more As both population and energy use per capita increase, modern society is approaching physical limits to its continued fossil fuel consumption. The immediate limits are set by the planet’s ability to adapt to a changing atmospheric chemical composition, not the availability of resources. In order for a future society to be sustainable while operating at or above our current standard of living a shift away from carbon based energy sources must occur. An overview of the current state of active solar (photovoltaic) energy technology is provided here to outline a partial solution for the environmental problems caused by accelerating global energy expenditure. The technical, social, and economic benefits and limitations of photovoltaic technologies to provide electricity in both off-grid and on-grid applications is critically analyzed in the context of this shift in energy sources. It is shown that photovoltaic electrical production is a technologically feasible, economically viable, environmentally benign, sustainable, and socially equitable solution to society’s future energy requirements