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Under the rising pressure for low carbon energy transitions in Northeast Asia (NEA), interconnecting local power grids for interstate power trade allows to share reserve capacity and to redistribute intermittent renewable energy across time zones, contributing to regional sustainability. Using a linear programming model that minimizes total energy system costs to meet hourly power demand, we build a hypothetical electricity transmission model for three urban demand centers interconnecting China, South Korea, and Japan to test economic and environmental competitiveness of the trilateral power trade with carbon pricing. In the economic perspective our results indicate that interstate electricity trade enables cost savings at all levels of CO2 prices tested (0–180USD/ton of CO2 emitted) through more efficient fuel consumptions on an hourly basis at the NEA regional level. However, ambitious carbon pricing (above 90 USD/ton CO2 emitted) is still essential for trade to ensure equitable trade impacts for all participating nodes. While trade utilizes gaps in resource availabilities and technology costs across nodes in cost minimization, results show inadequate carbon pricing leads to extra thermal combustions at the local level although regional total emissions reduce. • This paper proposes a phased approach to Asia Supergrid by interconnecting the three demand centers of Northeast Asia, China North, South Korea, and Japan West, without remote renewable sources as a regional energy cooperation model to accelerate carbon phaseout. • The trilateral power trade is effective in reducing the total cost of energy system at all levels of CO2 prices tested (0–180USD/ton of CO2 emitted) compared to autarkic generation, but ambitious carbon pricing (above 90) is essential for ensuring low carbon transitions at all participating nodes. • Trade enables cost savings by increasing renewable power output in export nodesfor transmission and avoiding fuel/emission cost at import nodes. New investment cost for line construction and renewable expansion is offset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accession of Poland to the European Union led to a number of significant changes in the Polish energy sector through introduction of market mechanisms, creating competitiveness and enforcing improvement of an economic efficiency of the whole industry, including energy production from renewable energy sources. As a support system for renewable electric energy sources Poland implemented a system of Tradable Green Certificates. The mechanisms functioned properly for many years and were the source of a reasonable income for investors. In 2012 there was the first serious crisis in the renewable energy industry: certificate prices began to fall sharply and revenues of producers decreased drastically, calling into question profitability of many projects. Presented paper is an attempt to analyze this situation. The analysis covers the most important factors that led to this situation, taking into account the current legal situation and the current structure of the renewable energy sector in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies some quantitative aspects of the energy transition in Germany, the Energiewende , which envisages the complete abandonment of nuclear power and a strong reliance on photovoltaic and wind energy for electricity provision. The major aim is to shed light on, and measure with indirect tools, the possible social effects on competition and substitution dynamics characterizing such transition. In doing so, an analysis on the innovation diffusion framework is proposed through the application of two diffusion models for a duopolistic competition, unrestricted and standard UCRCD, to the annual time series of consumption of nuclear and renewables (wind and solar energy) in Germany, in order to test empirically the presence of such substitution effect. The obtained results confirm this conjecture and show that renewables have exerted a significant and measurable effect in determining the observed decline of nuclear power consumption. In particular we find that the diffusion of renewables – wind and solar – is characterized by a high within word-of-mouth, testifying the widespread belief of Germans towards the energy transition, while the parallel diffusion of nuclear power is characterized by a highly negative cross word-of-mouth, due to the competing role exerted by renewables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wave energy is arguably one of the most promising renewables. Less developed at present than other renewables, the existing models to estimate the costs of a wave energy project are often oversimplified, and the resulting scatter in the economic assessments weighs on the confidence of potential investors and constitutes therefore an impediment to the development of wave energy. Indeed, understanding the costs of wave energy is one of the main fields of research in marine renewable energy. In this context, the main objective of this paper is to review all the factors that must be considered in an economic analysis of wave energy, including a number of elements that are usually overlooked. In the process we characterise the direct and indirect costs of a wave farm – preliminary costs, construction, operation and maintenance and decommissioning cost – as well as its prospective incomes. For each of them a reference value is presented, together with a generic formula for its calculation. Moreover, the levelised cost, i.e., the production cost of an energy unit (1 kW h), is compared between various energy sources, and on these grounds conclusions on the profitability and competitiveness of wave energy are drawn. In sum, this work reviews the state of the art and sets the basis for a thorough economic analysis of wave energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The past decade has seen the renewable energy sector really take off, driven by now well-structured industries starting to mobilize now-mature technologies. This developmental shift towards renewable energy has been framed by different policy measures that nevertheless share the same core rationale – climate change. Among the pro-renewables policies adopted by France, the deployment of competitive clusters has proved an effective tool for leveraging the growth of renewables. Business clusters are geographically-concentrated economic structures assuring the often tenuous link between efficient national industrial policy efforts and regional planning and branding issues. From this perspective, the logic of synergy by connecting global to local issues remains to be created around a new paradigm: regional attractiveness/place branding. In today's fast-globalizing world, the much-hyped concept of place branding has become critical for regions in fierce global competition to capture and secure geographically-mobile investment. In this context, promoting and attracting inward investment is a multidimensional challenge where business clusters have a pivotal role to play. Corsica, a small island economy, represents a case-in-point target of analysis through its long-standing PADDUC project (French decentralization policy on Corsica under the law dated 22 January 2002) and the CAPENERGIES business cluster – a key link in the technological research strand, entrusted with the overriding role of leading the island's transition toward decentralized energy independency. After highlighting the innovative technological approach of promoting socio-economic fabric as one of the key foundations to structured economic development and regional branding, this paper goes on to outline the joint-effect impacts of development of the CAPENERGIES competitive cluster in tandem with the process to find technology-centred solutions to drive development of the “renewable energy” industry in an island economy like Corsica. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Renewable energy and energy efficiency (REEE) policies have far-reaching implications for energy security, climate change, economic competitiveness, pollution, and human livelihood. For these reasons, REEE has become a national priority for the Chinese government, particularly since 2005. This paper aims to critically review China's REEE policies in six sectors: electricity, industry, transportation, buildings, and local government. In addition to examining the progress China has made in the development and implementation of REEE policies, this review also identifies limitations and room for improvement. Finally, five policy recommendations are presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Although the Portuguese electricity market was fully liberalized in 2006 and Iberian Electricity Market operators were set up some years ago, almost all electricity generated in Portugal benefits from a State guaranteed price, independent of market behavior. This applies not only to producers using renewable energy sources and cogeneration under feed-in tariffs, but also to all conventional power plants that undersigned a Power Purchase Agreement in the 1990s. This paper assesses current and future amounts of electricity traded without State guaranteed price and identifies the main challenges facing the transition towards a competitive Portuguese electricity generation market in the next two decades. The electricity market of the future, freed from the present legacy generation contracts, will have to promote economic efficiency within a complex multi-variable climate/energy policy framework. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The development of power production and its consumption have become a major concern for humanity. This qualitative research identifies contemporary tendencies, specifically biomass among other energy sources. Specialists' opinions were juxtaposed against statistical data and hypotheses. This paper's prospective nature involves qualitative arguments to foresee long-term tendencies. It compares alternative energy sources, ecological policies and geopolitical facts. Two key patterns were found: the fossil-fuel use prevalence and the strengthening of alternative power sources, leading towards achieving sustainable development goals. • Despite global warming concern, interest on renewables lies on oil & gas reserves. • Bioenergy does not play competing return yet states fund crops for biofuels & tech. • Developing green fuels compels efforts to cut costs and economic competitiveness. • Green activists will stimulate the development of new renewable energy sources. • Groups' interests are contrasted: government energy security versus global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]