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Abstract We present the results of a large-scale analysis on how on-shore and off-shore wind turbines affect the property prices of nearby single family residential and vacation homes in Denmark. We find that on-shore wind turbines negatively affect the price of surrounding properties to a distance of three kilometers. The negative impact increases with the number of wind turbines at a declining marginal rate but declines with distance. In the case of off-shore wind turbine farms, we do not find a significant effect of having an off-shore wind farm in view from a property itself or from the nearest beach, likely because the closest off-shore turbine is 9 km from the closest traded home. We illustrate the policy relevance of our findings by providing maps showing how the marginal impact of a wind turbine varies across the landscape according to the spatial distribution of home density and homes values in the proximity of a wind turbine site. The results suggest that ceteris paribus, wind turbine farms should be built quite far away from residential areas with turbines gathered in larger wind farms rather than installed as single turbines.

Abstract A recent article in this journal claimed to assess the socio-technical potential for onshore wind energy in Europe. We find the article to be severely flawed and raise concerns in five general areas. Firstly, the term socio-technical is not precisely defined, and is used by the authors to refer to a potential that others term as merely technical. Secondly, the study fails to account for over a decade of research in wind energy resource assessments. Thirdly, there are multiple issues with the use of input data and, because the study is opaque about many details, the effect of these errors cannot be reproduced. Fourthly, the method assumes a very high wind turbine capacity density of 10.73 MW/km2 across 40% of the land area in Europe with a generic 30% capacity factor. Fifthly, the authors find an implausibly high onshore wind potential, with 120% more capacity and 70% more generation than the highest results given elsewhere in the literature. Overall, we conclude that new research at higher spatial resolutions can make a valuable contribution to wind resource potential assessments. However, due to the missing literature review, the lack of transparency and the overly simplistic methodology, Enevoldsen et al. (2019) potentially mislead fellow scientists, policy makers and the general public.

Hydrogen can be key in the energy system transition. We investigate the role of offshore hydrogen generation in a future integrated energy system, and its interaction with other system elements. By performing energy system optimisation in a model application of the Northern-central European energy system and the North Sea offshore grid towards 2050, we find that offshore hydrogen generation may likely only play a limited role, and that offshore wind energy has higher value when sent to shore in the form of electricity. Forcing all hydrogen generation offshore would lead to increased energy system costs (9-28 b\EUR2016/year by 2045). Under the assumed scenario conditions, hydrogen generation - both onshore and offshore - follows solar PV generation patterns. Combined with hydrogen storage, this is the most cost-effective solution to satisfy future hydrogen demand. Overall, we find that the role of future offshore hydrogen generation should not simply be derived from minimizing costs for the offshore sub-system, but by also considering the value that such generation would create for the whole integrated energy system. Based on our results, a stronger political effort to promote the integration of offshore wind in onshore energy markets via electrical connection is called for.

The dramatically increasing population of Asia necessitates equally as dramatic increase in energy supply to meet demand. Rapidly increasing energy demand is a major concern for Asian countries because the increase in demand is being met through the increased use of fossil fuel supply, largely domestic coal and imported fuel. Renewable energy supply presents a lower emission pathway that could be a viable option for steering off the higher emissions path. However, several market, economic, institutional, technical, and socio-cultural barriers hinder countries in moving from high to low emission pathway. Following a discussion on the rising demand for energy in Asia and the prospects of partly satisfying it with renewable energy, we outline the reasons for government support to tackle the barriers for widespread diffusion of grid-based renewable energy. Additionally, we also discuss workable models for strategic government intervention to support diffusion of grid-based renewable energy in Asia.

Through a parametric time-series analysis of 8 years of hourly data, we quantify the storage size and balancing energy needs for highly and fully renewable European power systems for different levels and mixes of wind and solar energy. By applying a dispatch strategy that minimizes the balancing energy needs for a given storage size, the interplay between storage and balancing is quantified, providing a hard upper limit on their synergy. An efficient but relatively small storage reduces balancing energy needs significantly due to its influence on intra-day mismatches. Furthermore, we show that combined with a low-efficiency hydrogen storage and a level of balancing equal to what is today provided by storage lakes, it is sufficient to meet the European electricity demand in a fully renewable power system where the average power generation from combined wind and solar exceeds the demand by only a few percent.

Abstract The Kyoto Protocol has set relatively easy targets for emission limitations for Annex I parties. These are not sufficient to save the earth from climate change or to “prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference” of the climate. It is the contention of the authors that eventually all parties to the Protocol will have to undertake commitments. Equal per capita emissions, with simple and transparent adjustments for the short- and medium-term, could be the most equitable basis for allocating emissions rights. It is reasonable to accept an individual — as the unit of account since we are discussing anthropogenic emissions, i.e. those which are generated by humans. Besides being equitable, for any criterion to be successful it should be effective and implementable. In order to be effective, global emissions have to be restricted to a pre-determined level. This is possible with the widest participation, which would include both Annex I and Non-annex I countries. The approach should be practical, flexible and one which is easy to implement.This paper proposes a very simple exposition of the “common but differentiated” responsibility concept (Article 4.1 of the FCCC). It aims to strike a balance between the concerns relating to the choice of the numeraire, viz., population and GDP in determining emission targets. In other words both equity and efficiency considerations are addressed in the approach suggested herein. The authors would like to acknowledge Dr Leo Schrattenholzer for providing invaluable comments and Dr Tom Wigley for providing critical information.

Abstract Wind projects are frequently developed in forested areas, and especially in Northern Europe, due to less restrictions and social opposition, favorable renewable energy policies and, of course, the heavily forested areas in this region of the world. Wind project development in forested areas has an unpreventable impact on nature, namely deforestation. The felling of trees is carried out to free space for the wind turbine installation and potentially also to increase the performance of the wind turbine and lower the levelized cost of energy. This study examines the impact of such a felling strategy, including the environmental and social consequences of deforestation. Based on a case study carried out in Sweden, this research study develops the first socio-technical framework for examining the consequences of deforestation. The deliverables of this research include recommendations for wind industry and forest industry stakeholders on how to apply deforestation in future development of wind projects in forested areas in Northern Europe. In addition, the framework is expected to encourage academia to further develop and analyze the socio-technical parameters associated with wind project development in forested areas.

Notable studies have suggested the potentiality of the WWII wartime mobilization as a model for climate change adaptation and/or mitigation. The argument being that we need a similar rapid and total shift in our industrial social and economic environment to prevent or at least address the pending impacts of climate change. This argument and these studies have inspired us to think with them on what it means to use the WWII war analogy as a security claim in energy and climate change debates. Here, we would like to use this opportunity to draw attention to some of the implicit dangers of a call to war in such discussions. Among others we observe, first, the absence of any attention to the actual mobilization policies, in terms of garnishing public support. Second, based on the insights from Critical Security Studies, we question the historical incongruence of the case study especially by comparing the perceived enemy in both cases. Lastly, building on that same security literature, we point to some undesirable and perhaps unintended consequences of the use of war analogies in climate change debates.