Policy Guidance for Investment in Clean Energy Infrastructure Expanding Access to Clean Energy for Green Growth and Development


Book Description

This publication provides governments with guidance on the policy options that are available to make the most of private investment opportunities in clean energy infrastructure, drawing on the expertise of climate and investment communities among others.




Imperfect Markets and Imperfect Regulation


Book Description

The first textbook to present a comprehensive and detailed economic analysis of electricity markets, analyzing the tensions between microeconomics and political economy. The power industry is essential in our fight against climate change. This book is the first to examine in detail the microeconomics underlying power markets, stemming from peak-load pricing, by which prices are low when the installed generation capacity exceeds demand but can rise a hundred times higher when demand is equal to installed capacity. The outcome of peak-load pricing is often difficult to accept politically, and the book explores the tensions between microeconomics and political economy. Understanding peak-load pricing and its implications is essential for designing robust policies and making sound investment decisions. Thomas-Olivier Léautier presents the model in its simplest form, and introduces additional features as different issues are presented. The book covers all segments of electricity markets: electricity generation, under perfect and imperfect competition; retail competition and demand response; transmission pricing, transmission congestion management, and transmission constraints; and the current policy issues arising from the entry of renewables into the market and capacity mechanisms. Combining anecdotes and analysis of real situations with rigorous analytical modeling, each chapter analyzes one specific issue, first presenting findings in nontechnical terms accessible to policy practitioners and graduate students in management or public policy and then presenting a more mathematical analytical exposition for students and researchers specializing in the economics of electricity markets and for those who want to understand and apply the underlying models.




Empowering the Great Energy Transition


Book Description

At a time when climate-change deniers hold the reins of power in the United States and international greenhouse gas negotiations continue at a slow crawl, what options are available to cities, companies, and consumers around the world who seek a cleaner future? Scott Victor Valentine, Marilyn A. Brown, and Benjamin K. Sovacool explore developments and strategies that will help fast-track the transition to renewable energy. They provide an expert analysis of the achievable steps that citizens, organizational leaders, and policy makers can take to put their commitments to sustainability into practice. Empowering the Great Energy Transition examines trends that suggest a transition away from carbon-intensive energy sources is inevitable—there are too many forces for change at work to stop a shift to clean energy. Yet under the status quo, change will be too slow to avert the worst consequences of climate change. Humanity is on a path to incur avoidable social, environmental, and economic costs. Valentine, Brown, and Sovacool argue that new policies and business models are needed to surmount the hurdles separating the current consumption model from a sustainable energy future. Empowering the Great Energy Transition shows that with well-placed efforts, we can set humanity on a course that supports entrepreneurs and communities in mitigating the environmental harm caused by technologies whose time has come and gone.




Markets for Carbon and Power Pricing in Europe


Book Description

Whether it concerns environmental economics or law and economics, two areas of science in which I feel well at home, publisher Edward Elgar is a front-runner time and again with relevant and solid publications. This time is no exception, with this book edited by Francesco Gullì. Edwin Woerdman, Tijdschrift voor Energierecht Why do power prices seem to be correlated with the carbon price in some markets and not in others? This crucial question is at the centre of Francesco Gullì s enlightening book, through which the contributing authors investigate a number of related issues. In particular, they explore why power firms are not consistent in passing-through into power prices the opportunity cost of carbon. They also examine the relationship between the pass-through mechanism and the structure of the power market. This informative study brings together and interprets original contributions by leading experts from every EU country. Beginning with an overview of the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) along with an in-depth analysis of the early results and the theoretical issues involved, the book then goes on to explore the main European power markets via a number of empirical case studies. Overall, this volume offers a genuinely comprehensive analysis on the relationship between carbon and power markets and, as such, will prove a valuable contribution to the debate on the EU ETS and to the literature on the interaction between environmental policy and the structure of environmentally regulated markets. Markets for Carbon and Power Pricing in Europe will be of great interest to researchers and academics within general economics, environmental and energy economics. It will also be warmly welcomed by policymakers, regulators and power sector operators.




Handbook of Energy Law in the Low-Carbon Transition


Book Description

The low-carbon transition is ongoing everywhere. This Handbook, written by a group of senior and junior scholars from six continents and nineteen countries, explores the legal pathways of decarbonisation in the energy sector. What emerges is a composite picture. There are many roadblocks, but also a lot of legal innovation. The volume distils the legal knowledge which should help move forward the transition. Questions addressed include the differences between the decarbonization strategies of developed and developing countries, the pace of the transition, the management of multi-level governance systems, the pros and cons of different policy instruments, the planning of low-carbon infrastructures, the roles and meanings of energy justice. The Handbook can be drawn upon by legal scholars to compare decarbonisation pathways in several jurisdictions. Non-legal scholars can find information to be included in transition theories and decarbonization scenarios. Policymakers can discover contextual factors that should be taken into account when deciding how to support the transition.







Analysis of Energy Systems


Book Description

The analysis of energy systems is of paramount importance in modern societies, since it is fundamental to guarantee a sustainable economic development. It combines technical and economic research with a specific focus on quantitative modelling, in order to optimize the modalities of energy demand and supply globally. The book covers major advanced topics related to the analysis of energy by considering different aspects, namely management, planning and policies. The most recent trends, such as smart grids, transition from fossil fuels to renewables based energy systems and distributed generation, are also discussed in this book. Intended to be a collection of various contributions from experts all around the world, it includes latest research results, innovations and methodologies about the analysis of energy systems. The book also focuses to contribute to the current debate related to the evolution of energy systems, by discussing in an open way the pro’s and con’s without any pre-constitute point of view. Title is aimed to be a reference for the academic community, students and professionals with a wider interdisciplinary background. Key Features: Presents integration of renewable sources with conventional energy systems. Topic is addressed from a multidisciplinary point of view, i.e. economy, technical, modelling, planning. Investigates management and planning aspects of future energy supplies. Multidimensional nature of energy systems is highlighted and discussed. Contributes towards implementing policy measures to reduce primary energy consumptions and carbon footprint.




Aligning Policies for a Low-carbon Economy


Book Description

This report produced in co-operation with the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Transport Forum (ITF) and the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) identifies the misalignments between climate change objectives and policy and regulatory frameworks across a range of policy domains.




Liberalizing European Energy Markets


Book Description

Based on a state-of-the-art detailed numerical simulation model, this volume presents an economic analysis of the main effects of liberalizing the electricity and natural gas markets across Western Europe.