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Con el aumento de la demanda de refrigeración y la penetración de recursos de energía renovable descentralizados en las redes eléctricas, la gestión de la demanda de electricidad (DSM) se ha convertido en una herramienta importante para la planificación de la electricidad y la descarbonización en el Sur Global. En la India, la aplicación comercial del DSM no es nueva, pero la respuesta a la demanda (DR) a escala residencial impulsada por los servicios públicos sigue siendo un área inexplorada. Este documento contribuye en dos frentes: para explicar las percepciones de los hogares y los profesionales de la RD: disyunciones entre estas percepciones y sus implicaciones para la aceptación de la RD residencial. Utilizando un enfoque de coproducción, este documento extrae información de dos grupos de partes interesadas en la India: 25 expertos en políticas y servicios públicos de RD y 24 consumidores domésticos. Nuestros resultados muestran que el salvavidas tecnológico subraya de manera generalizada la comprensión de los profesionales de la RD y la agencia de los hogares, un factor crucial en la adopción de la RD a escala residencial sigue siendo una pieza que falta. El documento concluye que, sin considerar la agencia del cabeza de familia, ofrecer un futuro descarbonizado basado en la respuesta a la demanda será un desafío y los consumidores pueden permanecer encerrados en las prácticas socioculturales existentes que niegan la adopción de la DRA. Avec l'augmentation de la demande de refroidissement et la pénétration des ressources énergétiques renouvelables décentralisées dans les réseaux d'électricité, la gestion de la demande d'électricité (DSM) est devenue un outil majeur de planification et de décarbonisation de l'électricité dans les pays du Sud. En Inde, l'application commerciale du DSM n'est pas nouvelle, mais la réponse à la demande à l'échelle résidentielle (DR) axée sur les services publics reste un domaine inexploré. Cet article contribue sur deux fronts – pour expliquer les perceptions des ménages et des praticiens de la RD : les disjonctions entre ces perceptions et ses implications pour l'acceptation de la DR résidentielle En utilisant une approche de coproduction, cet article tire des enseignements de deux ensembles de parties prenantes en Inde - 25 experts en politique et services publics de la RD et 24 consommateurs domestiques. Nos résultats montrent que le sauveurisme technologique souligne de manière omniprésente la compréhension des praticiens de la RD et de l'agence domestique, un facteur crucial dans l'adoption de la RD à l'échelle résidentielle qui reste une pièce manquante. Le document conclut que, sans tenir compte du pouvoir d'action des ménages, il sera difficile d'offrir un avenir décarboné basé sur la réponse à la demande et que les consommateurs peuvent rester enfermés dans des pratiques socioculturelles existantes qui annulent l'adoption de la DR. With the rise in cooling demand and the permeation of decentralised renewable energy resources in electricity networks, electricity demand-side management (DSM) has become a major tool for electricity planning and decarbonisation in the Global South. In India, the commercial application of DSM is not new, yet utility-driven residential-scale demand response (DR) remains an unexplored area. This paper contributes on two fronts – to explicate householders and practitioner's perceptions of DR: disjunctions between these perceptions and its implications for the acceptance of residential DR. Using a co-production approach, this paper draws insights from two sets of stakeholders in India - 25 DR policy and utility experts and 24 household consumers. Our results show that technological saviourism pervasively underscores practitioners understanding of DR and householder agency, a crucial factor in the adoption of DR at the residential scale remains a missing piece. The paper concludes that without considering householder agency, delivering a decarbonised future based on demand response will be challenging and consumers may remain locked into-existing socio-cultural practices that negate the adoption of DR. مع ارتفاع الطلب على التبريد وتغلغل موارد الطاقة المتجددة اللامركزية في شبكات الكهرباء، أصبحت إدارة جانب الطلب على الكهرباء (DSM) أداة رئيسية لتخطيط الكهرباء وإزالة الكربون في الجنوب العالمي. في الهند، لا يعد التطبيق التجاري للوسائط الرقمية والإلكترونية جديدًا، ومع ذلك تظل الاستجابة للطلب على نطاق سكني مدفوعة بالمرافق منطقة غير مستكشفة. تساهم هذه الورقة على جبهتين – لتوضيح تصورات أصحاب المنازل والممارسين حول الحد من مخاطر الكوارث: الانفصال بين هذه التصورات وآثارها على قبول الدكتور المقيم باستخدام نهج الإنتاج المشترك، تستمد هذه الورقة رؤى من مجموعتين من أصحاب المصلحة في الهند - 25 خبيرًا في سياسة الحد من مخاطر الكوارث والمرافق و 24 مستهلكًا منزليًا. تظهر نتائجنا أن الإنقاذ التكنولوجي يؤكد بشكل واسع على فهم الممارسين لوكالة الطبيب المقيم وصاحب المنزل، وهو عامل حاسم في اعتماد الطبيب المقيم على المستوى السكني لا يزال جزءًا مفقودًا. وتخلص الورقة إلى أنه دون النظر في وكالة الأسر المعيشية، فإن تحقيق مستقبل خالٍ من الكربون بناءً على استجابة الطلب سيكون أمرًا صعبًا وقد يظل المستهلكون محاصرين في الممارسات الاجتماعية والثقافية القائمة التي تلغي تبني الدكتور.

Abstract This article examines Korean consumer responses towards second-generation lignocellulosic bioethanol. Consumer surveys were conducted in the Korean cities of Seoul, Incheon, Bucheon, Gwangju, Seongnam and Suwon with three information treatments for the purpose of this study. The survey collected data on consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for this product, their driving patterns, knowledge about renewable energy, acceptance of relevant government policies, and demographic characteristics. A dichotomous-choice contingent valuation methodology is used to estimate WTP for this product and investigate factors that affect consumer choice. The findings include that the average respondent in the sample is willing to pay a 4.3% premium over second-generation bioethanol compared to conventional fuel. The mean premium is highest (6% premium) for respondents who received information about positive environmental effects of the advanced fuel. Being female and higher income positively affect WTP. Also higher self-reported knowledge about renewable energy sources and higher valuation of environmental friendliness positively affect WTP for advanced bioethanol.

AbstractThis chapter assesses the macroeconomic effects of carbon‐energy taxation introduced under unilateral environmental tax reform (ETR) in the 1990s undertaken in six member states of the European Union: Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK. The effects are estimated using the large‐scale Energy–Environment–Economy (E3) model for Europe, E3ME, which covers the countries involved as well as the complete single market, so that the effects on other economies can be considered, along with any effects on competitiveness. The method is to identify the key characteristics of the green tax reform packages and include these in the modelling of the price and non‐price effects of the ETR on energy use and international trade in E3ME. The effects are then compared with a ‘reference case’ (i.e. a counterfactual case) generated by E3ME over the period 1995–2012, including current and expected developments in the EU economy, e.g. the impact of the EU Emission Trading Scheme, but without the ETR. The revenue recycling meant that the cost of ETR to the economy was significantly reduced and in several cases resulted in an increase in GDP. The method for revenue recycling strongly affects the results, as does the scale of exemptions offered to certain fuel user groups.

Abstract Since the 1970s, countries have protected the environment by means of various legal instruments, including environmental approvals and licensing. An environmental task force created under the Hydropower Agreement was appointed by the IEA to compare and determine the efficiency and effectiveness of such mechanisms, as they apply to each phase of hydropower development (policy level, project planning, project implementation, plant operation and plant upgrading, relicensing and decommissioning). It also examined whether legal mechanisms respected ethical principles as well as the protection of the environment, human rights and the right to economic development. This paper reports on the essential findings outlined by the task force. It discusses common deficiencies in national legal mechanisms relating to hydropower development and also proposes practical solutions and potential improvements. The main conclusion of this study is that environmental approval and licensing processes have become excessively rigid and cumbersome in many countries and that governments need to rethink the approval process and reform the legal and regulatory frameworks. Governments should consider a mechanism such as a strategic environmental assessment implemented at the policy level and processes that systematically integrate information gathered by previous monitoring studies. And since hydropower development raises ethical dilemmas that are difficult to reconcile, some decisions should be made by the legislative branch and not by the executive branch or other decision-making body. Moreover, proponents should adopt a code of conduct based on ethics and principles of international environmental law.

It is widely accepted that electrification of the transport sector is one of several technological trajectories that could redress some of the environmental issues associated with the growth in travel demand including climate change and oil demand at a global scale, and air quality and noise pollution at the urban scale. Electric vehicles have been considered a promising technology at repeated intervals over the last century, but this promise has not been realised. This paper is a contribution to understanding the key tools and strategies that might enable the successful introduction of new technologies and innovations by exploring the key barriers to electric vehicles encountered in two countries (UK and Germany) where the automobile industry has been historically significant. The study evaluates stakeholders' opinions on relevant regulation, infrastructure investment, R&D incentives, and consumer incentives. The key findings of the research are that the introduction and penetration of EVs is confronted by several barriers that inhibit a larger market penetration under current conditions, which in turn casts doubt on the assumptions of strategic niche management and transitions theory.

Abstract In the last decade, the EU has driven forward the development and connection of renewable power sources across Europe. This has changed the way in which distribution networks operate, moving from a passive system, to a more active system where generation and demand are located closer together with system states being more complex and variable. Increased penetration of renewable generation into distribution networks is presenting a number of challenges to Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) including the provision of network access in capacity constrained networks. The introduction of Active Network Management (ANM) is enabling an increase in renewable generation connections through enhanced network access in otherwise ‘full’ networks. This paper presents a way in which DNOs might move towards Business as Usual (BAU) arrangements for ANM schemes. It is necessary to determine the curtailment arrangements, or Principles of Access (PoA), and from this estimate generation access under ANM and the flow of services and money for different scenarios. In this paper, a comprehensive literature review, detailed case study evaluation on early ANM schemes, quantitative curtailment assessment for different PoA and a qualitative analysis of business models for different ANM PoA is presented in turn with conclusions drawn from these three approaches.

Abstract The need to decarbonize the power sector through increased participation of renewable generation has originated an escalating necessity for transmission network investments that can be undertaken by a number of market participants, including planning authorities/system operators, network companies and project developers. The expansion of the power network, however, presents various environmental and social conflicts, in particular, with land uses that are valuable by society such as the presence of communities, national parks, protected forests, tourism zones, archaeological sites, etc. In this context of environmental and social awareness, we assess the benefits of two strategies that coordinate network investments among various participants and compare them against the current counterfactual approach, where no coordination is undertaken and thus renewable generation projects are connected to the main transmission system in an individual, project-by-project basis. Through various case studies based on the main Chilean transmission system, we show that the lack of coordination in network investments may present severe impacts in terms of the socio-environmental externalities of transmission network expansions. Furthermore, we demonstrate that attempting to reduce externalities of new network investments without proper coordination of new developments may significantly limit the success of a land use policy associated with network developments.

Greenhouse gas removal (GGR) methods such as direct air capture, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, biochar and enhanced weathering have recently attracted attention as “geoengineering” options to reverse the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Contrary to this framing, however, we argue that GGR technologies can in fact form a valuable complement to emissions control within on-going mitigation efforts. Through decoupling abatement from emissions sources, they add much-needed flexibility to the mitigation toolbox, increasing feasibility and reducing costs of meeting climate targets. Integrating GGR effectively into policy raises significant challenges relating to uncertain costs, side effects, life-cycle effectiveness and accounting. Delaying policy action until these uncertainties are resolved, however, risks missing early opportunities, suffocating innovation and locking out the long-term potential of GGR. Based on an analysis of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, we develop four policy principles to begin unlocking the potential of GGR: (i) support further research, development and demonstration; (ii) support near-term opportunities through modifying existing policy mechanisms; (iii) commit to full GGR integration in carbon accreditation and broader climate policy frameworks in future; (iv) develop sector-specific steps that lay the groundwork for future opportunities and avoid lock-out.

Exploratory scenarios for the power sector in Nigeria are analysed in this paper using possible pathways within the Nigerian context and then compared against the Government's power expansion plan in the short to medium term. They include two fossil-fuel (FF and CCGT) and two sustainable-development-driven scenarios (SD1 and SD2). The results from the FF scenarios indicate this is the preferred outcome if the aim is to expand electricity access at the lowest capital costs. However, the annual costs and environmental impacts increase significantly as a consequence. The SD1 scenario, characterised by increased penetration of renewables, leads to a reduction of a wide range of environmental impacts while increasing the annual costs slightly. The SD2 scenario, also with an increased share of renewables, is preferred if the aim is to reduce GHG emissions; however, this comes at an increased annual cost. Both the SD1 and SD2 scenarios also show significant increases in the capital investment compared to the Government's plans. These results can be used to help inform future policy in the Nigerian electricity sector by showing explicitly the range of possible trade-offs between environmental impacts and economic costs both in the short and long terms. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.