• Energy Research
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Abstract Biogas from waste and residues is a renewable transportation fuel, which can contribute directly to the fulfillment of several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In this paper, we address the question of how biogas value chains, and the respective actor networks, emerge at the local level. The purpose of the paper is to empirically assess the development of local biogas transport systems in three Swedish regions, and how policy – including so-called network management – can support this development. The analysis draws on an analytical framework describing how emerging actor networks can be strengthened, and multiple data collection methods (personal interviews, workshop, and secondary sources). The results indicate that four factors explain the success of developing effective local biogas systems: (i) a clear political vision and an adequate basis for decision-making; (ii) a reliance on green public procurement giving priority to biogas vehicles (including follow-up); (iii) integrated actor networks, facilitating knowledge development and sharing of information; and (iv) strategies to deal with an uneven system growth.

Limits on greenhouse gas emissions would raise the prices of the goods and services that require such emissions for their production, including electricity. Looking at a variety of emission limit cases and scenarios for selling or allocating allowances to load-serving entities, the authors estimate how the burden of greenhouse gas limits are likely to be distributed among electricity consumers in different states.

We review recent studies on intergovernmental grants for energy efficiency in the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)’s clean energy package, which has been the biggest federal investment in the energy sector over the past few decades. Our review provides a holistic picture of the implementation process of ARRA’s energy intergovernmental grants and their impacts on energy efficiency. State and local governments experienced challenges on implementing their grant programs efficiently. The implementation delay was affected by recipient administrative capacity, political support, use of contractors, and red tape in grant compliance. Existing evaluation studies are mostly conducted for two programs that subsidize the weatherization of low-income homes and the purchase of Energy Star appliances. The impacts of these programs on energy efficiency adoption and energy savings vary across jurisdictions. However, low participation and marginal energy savings are reported as common issues, which might be related to program designs and implementation. There has been a lack of integration between implementation studies and grant program evaluation. To better inform energy efficiency intergovernmental grant design, further research is needed to understand the link between program design, implementation, and program effectiveness. In addition, rigorous evaluation regarding other outcome metrics, such as energy efficiency, technology innovation, and green jobs, are desirable.

Abstract One of the repercussions of the increasing price of oil in the 1970s was an increase in the size of balance of payments disequilibria throughout the world, and a rise in the need for recycling. The mechanisms through which this has been achieved are deficient in a number of ways. The introduction of a new recycling instrument — a long-term bond with the rate of interest index linked to the rate of inflation denominated in SDRs and issued by groups of developing country borrowers — would have advantages for both borrowers and leaders, would give greater stability to the international financial system, and would enhance economic development.

Abstract Public participation has been a critical factor to seriously affect the effectiveness of environmental impact assessment (EIA) in China, especially since the 21st century. However, as an important intermediary, environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) in China did not actively play the expected role in facilitating and promoting public participation in EIA, due to various political reasons. The key purpose of this research is to carefully analyze these political reasons in China, through political opportunity structure (POS) which is an analytical framework usually applied to scrutinize the initiation and development of social movements. There were three variables within the framework of POS constructed in this research, including the openness of political regimes, the changes of repression and the splits within the elite, respectively. In order to further illustrate the impacts of external variations on ENGOs to participate in EIA, diverse measurement indexes for each variable were also assembled to reflect the evolution of social, economic and political status. As demonstrated in this research, more and more ENGOs are paying greater attentions to the gradually opened and friendly institutional channels of participation, resulted from the openness of political regimes. However, there is also a trend to indicate that ENGOs’ strategy for social political movement has been turned into conservative. It is of significant importance for ENGOs to understand that through active and concrete participation in EIA and decision making, the capacity of ENGOs would be highly elevated, the social status of ENGOs would be affirmatively recognized and the public image of ENGOs as the founder and pioneer of green society would be firmly established.

In Tunisia, the rural people have the smallest amounts of energy available. Their energy is used mainly for basic needs, and it often comes from noncommercial fuels, especially wood. Therefore, the rural areas are facing severe and interrelated problems of energy and environment. The environmental impacts of intensified production processes aggravate the degradation of ecologic systems. The analysis of the energy situation in rural areas of Tunisia has shown that a growing energy consumption can be expected over the entire spectrum of economic and social activities. To cope with this crisis, technologies for energy requirements should not only meet energy needs; they must also be geared to particular economic, social and environmental conditions. Technically efficient, decentralized systems for the utilization of new and renewable energy can help in this by meeting the demand for higher quality energy. This article attempts to propose precepts upon which a strategy can be formulated for a rational use of renewable energy in the rural areas.

Abstract In this paper, we attempt to identify individual-level determinants that shape renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE/EE) policy adoption decisions, utilizing the grid-group cultural theory (CT) mixed with rational choice perspectives. Through an analysis of data collected from a statewide survey of 420 local policy elites in more than 50 Arkansas cities in 2014, we found that cultural values – particularly those of egalitarianism and individualism – significantly influence RE/EE policy preferences, with egalitarians demonstrating higher support for RE/EE policies and individualists demonstrating lower levels of support. We further found that feasibility considerations – particularly economic and land use feasibility perceptions – significantly influence RE/EE policy preferences, with higher levels of perceived feasibility being associated with higher levels of support for RE/EE policies. However, feasibility perceptions were not strong enough to overcome the effects of cultural values, particularly for egalitarians and individualists. In sum, such feasibility considerations are present in policy elites’ related policy preference formation, but are constrained by their cultural value predispositions. We conclude by discussing various ramifications of our research findings.

This study focuses upon the offshore sectors of the two important oil countries Norway and the United Kingdom (UK), and particularly whether and how policy instruments have provided incentives for the development, adoption and diffusion of environmentally benign technologies and hence reduction in emissions of the air pollutants NOx and VOCs. The assessment is that Norway is a bit more ‘advanced’ than the UK in terms of technological change in this issue area. In order to understand this difference, it is important to keep in mind that fundamental problem characteristics differ considerably between the two countries. For instance, in Norway, offshore emissions play an important role in the total emission picture. This is particularly the case for VOCs, where offshore emissions account for 60% of the total emissions. This is very different in the UK, where offshore NOx and VOC emissions only account for around 4–5%. The upshot of this is that the sheer governmental need to develop and apply effective technology in order to attain domestic and international emissions reduction goals is clearly much greater in Norway than in the UK.

Pressure to restart nuclear power has mounted as Italy has become the world's largest electricity importer. The Italian environmental movement campaigned against nuclear power during the 1980s, culminating in a 1987 moratorium on nuclear power production. The green movement was partly institutionalised by the Italian state during the 1990s, which contributed to the upholding of the moratorium. Internationally, some environmentalists have recently embraced nuclear power as an environmentally-friendly response to climate change. New nuclear power plants are planned in the USA, UK and ‘considered’ elsewhere. In Italy, however, the 1980s movement has a durable legacy which maintains opposition to nuclear power without evidence of it being reconsidered due to climate change. But in the general election of April 2008, environmentalists' political influence was reduced and a government promising to reopen nuclear plants was elected. Also, imported nuclear power from foreign joint ventures is now increasing and may provide an alternative to re-starting domestic nuclear generation.