An offshore wind union? Diversity and convergence in European offshore wind governance

Offshore wind megaprojects in European waters have significant carbon abatement potential and increasing their number is a policy goal for several European maritime nations. But experience has shown that governance of large-scale, commercial offshore wind development is not straightforward. It is found that in five EU Member States, policy innovation intended to enable investment in offshore wind projects is leading to a convergence upon a distinctive European model of offshore wind governance. Notably, the European Union appears to play a relatively small role in this process and further research into how offshore wind policy innovation propagates in the EU is warranted

Wipeout? Entrepreneurship, policy interaction and the EU’s 2030 renewable energy target

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis (Routledge) via the DOI in this record.In 2014, the European Council set energy and climate targets for 2030 that will have far-reaching implications for the decarbonisation of Europe’s economy as well as the nature and success of the energy integration project, the Energy Union. The targets mark a qualitative shift towards a more technology-neutral EU climate and energy policy than represented in targets for 2020, decided in 2007. Existing explanations emphasise the role of non-state actors but do not fully account for the muted advocacy for a multiple targets approach. This article examines the alternative explanatory power of the concepts of problem surfing and spillover, taken from the multiple streams approach, for interpreting the inability of multiple targets advocates to make a real impact on the policy agenda. Findings suggest that the problematisation of the EU’s ‘flagship’ instrument, the EU-ETS, by policy entrepreneurs and subsequent structural internal alignment of the policy community offer a complementary explanation

Policy instrument supply and demand: how the renewable electricity auction took over the world

This is the final version. Available on open access from Cogitatio Press via the DOI in this recordThe selection and design of renewable electricity support instruments is an important part of EU energy policy and central to the governance of the Energy Union. In 2014, the European Commission published updated guidelines for state aid that effectively mandate the EU-wide implementation of auctions for allocating revenue support to commercial scale renewable electricity generation. This article argues that the RES auction’s rapid ascent towards dominance is explained by a coincidence of an activist interpretation of EU state aid law creating demand for knowledge about the instrument and the emergence of a ready source of supply from a burgeoning community of a RES auction specialists and experts. Knowledge gained through EU-wide implementation of auctions further adds to supply of auctions expertise among the community. The implications of positive feedback between instrument demand and the growing supply of knowledge about an instrument reinforces the importance of critical engagement between policymakers and policy experts.This research was supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) [1402887] and the AURES and AURES II projects funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme [646172] and [817619

European Renewable Energy Governance under the Hammer: Interrogating the Rise and Rise of the RES Auction

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from UACES via the link in this recordAs a renewable energy pioneer, the EU is a laboratory for policy instrument evolution and innovation. Following many years of debate about the relative merit of feed-in tariffs and tradable green certificates for promoting renewable electricity expansion in Europe, there is a new instrument in town. The renewable energy support (RES) auction has rapidly become the instrument of choice, de facto mandated by the European Commission under state-aid law. RES auctions are now the main instrument in many European countries. A common explanation for the adoption of RES auctions by EU member states is that the Commission requires their implementation under state-aid law, and member states acquiesced. This paper casts a critical eye over this “coercive Commission” explanation by constructing an account of the transition to auctions in Germany and Spain, each titans of EU renewable energy. By focussing on the necessary conditions for the coercive Commission argument – institutional compatibility and supportive domestic interest constituencies – we provide a qualified account of Commission action in this area and show a more dynamic and strategic approach to RES policy instrument harmonisation. We conclude by suggesting that future research may usefully examine the implications of a pan-European system of centrally coordinated auctions for the long-term future in of RES policy in the EU.European Commissio

Policy change, power and the development of Great Britain's Renewable Heat Incentive

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.The role of socio-political power is central to the development of policy, but systematic analyses of power associated with the development of energy policy are rare. Power is also an important yet somewhat under-researched aspect of socio-technical transitions research. The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) policy aims to increase deployment of low-carbon heat in Great Britain and begin a transformation to a low carbon GB heat system. This article analyses the socio-political power associated with the development of the RHI policy based on Lukes' 'dimensions of power' approach using a methodology based on triangulation. We identify a number of policy change episodes during the development of the RHI and describe the influence of key actors on the policy. Despite the common assumption of the power of incumbents, we show that those actors with niche technological expertise, close relationships with Government actors and actors within the administration have been the most powerful drivers of policy development and change. Niche actors sped up the introduction of the RHI scheme and have also had some success in increasing relative support for biomethane injection. The power of a civil servant to slow the introduction of the domestic element of the RHI has also been identified.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC

An evolving risk perspective for policy instrument choice in sustainability transitions

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.We develop the concept of evolving risk to demonstrate that the optimal policy choice between price and quantity instruments may change over time. Drawing from system innovation, evolutionary concepts and modern financial and transaction cost economics, we analyze dynamic cost and welfare impacts of instrument choice under uncertainty. In early market deployment of niche technologies, economic and system-innovation arguments suggest price instruments can stabilize revenues and decrease market risks for investors. This accelerates deployment without necessarily compromising economic efficiency. Protective policies that work well for niche technologies should, however, be used cautiously during market upscaling and diffusion, due to the changing nature of risks. We use theoretic arguments and a case to demonstrate that a gradual shift towards quantity control may become preferable for welfare maximization under certain circumstances. Solar photovoltaics in Germany serves as illustrative case, where auctions (a form of quantity control) succeeded feed-in tariffs (a price instrument).Danish Council for Strategic ResearchEU Horizon 202

THE SYZYGIES OF M-FULL IDEALS

This is the author accepted manuscript. Te final version is available from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this recordCollective political action among divergent interest groups is not always easy. It requires coordination, compromise and, often, the persuasive action of a policy entrepreneur. Coalition strategies are often shaped by participants’ skill in mobilising ideas. Business-environmental coalitions – often considered ‘strange bedfellows’ – have proved to be important in emissions trading policy-making. In 2013, chronically low emissions prices meant that the EU’s climate policy flagship, the EU-ETS, was holed beneath the waterline. But, within two years and against the odds, ambitious reforms were agreed to steady the ship. Crucial to the rescue were the actions of a pro-ETS business lobby, orchestrated by environmentalists. We draw on thirty-two in-depth interviews to construct a discursive institutionalist account of collective interest representation in relation to the reforms. We highlight the ability of policy entrepreneurs to fashion a ‘change-but-no-change’ pro-reform narrative attractive to businesses, despite the fact that such discursive strategies risked marginalising alternative and more disruptive ideas

ICE report T2.1.2 - ICE general methodology

Intelligent Community Energy (ICE) project reportThis document describes a proposed methodological approach to the design and implementation of smart energy island systems. It is informed by a desk review of the available literature on smart energy islands (see T2.1.1 ICE deliverable report), current thinking in electricity system planning, and the particular challenges facing isolated systems (eg. Ushant). The approach consists of a series of sequential steps and iterations between steps that aim to guide communities through the process of creating a smart energy system. Unique to this approach is the emphasis of fostering local skills, businesses and industry in the delivery of the program with the aim of retaining these long-term benefits within the community. The document lays out the specific considerations of the proposed generic methodology for the isolated system smart energy transition. The conceptual overview of the methodology is presented and the rationale behind this choice of framework is supported. The framework comprises a set of guidelines based on the understanding of the best practices in ongoing smart energy transition projects and the approaches to electricity system planning. Within the scope of the ICE methodological approach the role of the different key players in the implementation of the methodology and the rationale behind the choices made regarding technologies, policies and so on are detailed. These includes stakeholder engagement, assessing energy demand and supply outlook and issues around balancing. Options, system reliability, scenarios and the implementation, monitoring and revision of the energy transition aspects are then considered. The ultimate goal of the document is to provide a blueprint for smart energy transitions in isolated and peripheral territories and to allow transferability of the methodology. The result here is that the specificities including business models related to issues featuring isolated territories are all covered by this generic approach. In turn, the document aims to empower policymakers and stakeholders with the outlook, circumstantial evidence, and innovation on how to develop smart energy transition strategies for isolated and peripheral territories. Following an introduction to the aims and scope of the methodology and a schematic overview of the key elements, seven key processes are described: • Section 2 emphasises the significance of stakeholder engagement to successful implementation and proposes some guidelines for community involvement • Section 3 explores important considerations in the assessment of current energy demand patterns and their evolution through time • Section 4 presents guidelines in the identification and assessment of available energy supply options • Section 5 explores the issues and approaches to ensuring electricity system stability and reliability • Section 6 provides guidance on how communities might synthesise various sources of information to create a range of credible future scenarios and identify a preferred plan • Section 7 discusses implementation, in particular drawing attention to the crucial importance of ongoing monitoring and revision • Section 8 outlines the key area for consideration to ensure local business involvement in smart energy island transitionINTERRE