Satellite Power System (SPS)

Potential organizational options for a solar power satellite system (SPS) were investigated. Selection and evaluation criteria were determined to include timeliness, reliability, and adequacy to contribute meaningfully to the U.S. supply; political feasibility (both national and international); and cost effectiveness (including environmental and other external costs). Based on these criteria, four organizational alternatives appeared to offer reasonable promise as potential options for SPS. A large number of key issues emerged as being factors which would influence the final selection process. Among these issues were a variety having to do with international law, international institutions, environmental controls, economics, operational flexibility, congressional policies, commercial-vs-governmental ownership, national dedication, and national and operational stategic issues

Global Demand for Environmental Goods and Services on the Rise: Good Growth Opportunities for German Suppliers

According to conservative calculations, over $580 billion was spent worldwide on environmental goods and services and renewable energy technologies1 in 2004. So-called "green spending" is set for strong growth in the future on account of the long-term expansion of the global economy and mounting environmental challenges. Significant opportunities for growth and employment in Germany are also offered by forecasted trends in the market for green technologies. DIW Berlin has developed a method to quantify future global demand for environmental goods and services based on alternative economic scenarios. The method places a key focus on the international trade of environmental goods and services. Our calculations predict that the effective annual demand for environmental goods and services in Germany will increase from$75 billion in 2004 to between $106 and 171 billion by 2020 (at 2004 prices and exchange rates).The high growth in German exports is responsible in particular for this trend. Nevertheless, sensitivity calculations indicate that demand could also grow at a much slower rate through 2020 under unfavorable economic conditions.Environmental Goods and Services Sector, World Trade, Scenarios

Economic Opportunities and Structural Effects of Sustainable Energy Supply

Renewable energy sources and increased energy efficiency are not only crucial for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other negative impacts of conventional energy supply; they also hold enormous economic opportunity. Significant and dynamically growing sectors have emerged in the area of renewable energy over the last several years. In 2010, 26.6 billion euros were invested in Germany alone in renewable energy facilities. Altogether, renewable energy sources created 35.5 billion euros in demand for the German economy. Gross employment in the area of renewable energy is estimated at 367,400 persons for 2010. Likewise, the net economic balance for the expansion of renewables is positive. Model calculations conducted by DIW Berlin show that the gross domestic product is by 2.9 percent higher in 2030 in the "Expansion Scenario" than following a "Null Scenario" with no expansion. Depending on the labor market conditions, the net employment effects appear to be weak to moderate, but in any case positive. These scenario calculations also illustrate that the impact of the expansion differs across sectors. Furthermore, the transition from the current energy supply regime to one where renewable energy sources contribute a large share and energy efficiency has been substantially increased will require a structural change in business and the working world that will have to be followed closely in the future.Renewable energy, economic impacts, structural change, Germany

Economic Effects of Renewable Energy Expansion: A Model-Based Analysis for Germany

Increasing utilization of renewable energy sources (RES) is a priority worldwide. Germany has been a forerunner in the deployment of RES and has ambitious goals for the future. The support and use of renewables affects the economy: It creates business opportunities in sectors producing renewable energy facilities, but also comes along with costs for supporting the deployment of renewables. This paper analyses and quantifies the net balance of economic effects associated with renewable energy deployment in Germany until 2030. To this end, we use a novel model, the 'Sectoral Energy-Economic Econometric Model' (SEEEM). SEEEM is an econometric multi-country model which, for Germany, contains a detailed representation of industries, including 14 renewable energy technology sectors. Our results show that renewable energy expansion can be achieved without compromising growth or employment. The analysis reveals a positive net effect on economic growth in Germany. Net employment effects are positive. Their size depends strongly on labour market conditions and policies. Results at the industry level indicate the size and direction of the need for restructuring across the sectors of the Germany economy.

Global Demand for Environmental Goods and Services on the Rise: Good Growth Opportunities for German Suppliers

According to conservative calculations, over $580 billion was spent worldwide on environmental goods and services and renewable energy technologies1 in 2004. So-called "green spending" is set for strong growth in the future on account of the long-term expansion of the global economy and mounting environmental challenges. Significant opportunities for growth and employment in Germany are also offered by forecasted trends in the market for green technologies. DIW Berlin has developed a method to quantify future global demand for environmental goods and services based on alternative economic scenarios. The method places a key focus on the international trade of environmental goods and services. Our calculations predict that the effective annual demand for environmental goods and services in Germany will increase from$75 billion in 2004 to between $106 and 171 billion by 2020 (at 2004 prices and exchange rates).The high growth in German exports is responsible in particular for this trend. Nevertheless, sensitivity calculations indicate that demand could also grow at a much slower rate through 2020 under unfavorable economic conditions

Weltweite Nachfrage nach Umwelt- und Klimaschutzgütern steigt: gute Wachstumschancen für deutsche Anbieter

Die weltweiten Ausgaben für Umweltschutzgüter und Investitionen in erneuerbare Energien beliefen sich im Jahr 2004 auf über 580 Milliarden US-Dollar - konservativ gerechnet. Aufgrund des langfristigen Wachstums der Weltwirtschaft und zunehmender ökologischer Herausforderungen werden die Ausgaben in Zukunft stark wachsen. Daraus ergeben sich für Deutschland erhebliche Chancen für Wachstum und Beschäftigung. Das DIW Berlin hat jetzt ein methodisches Verfahren entwickelt, das die zukünftige weltweite Nachfrage nach Umweltschutzgütern in ökonomischen Szenarien quantifiziert. Dabei wird vor allem auch der internationale Handel mit solchen Gütern analysiert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die in Deutschland wirksame Nachfrage nach Umwelt- und Klimaschutzgütern von derzeit rund 75 Milliarden US-Dollar bis zum Jahr 2020 auf 106 bis 171 Milliarden zunehmen dürfte (zu Preisen und Wechselkursen von 2004). Die Dynamik ergibt sich insbesondere aus der Entwicklung der deutschen Exporte. Sensitivitätsrechnungen weisen darauf hin, dass diese unter ungünstigen Bedingungen auch geringer ausfallen können.Environmental Goods and Services Sector, World Trade, Scenarios

Exploring polymer/nanoparticle hybrid solar cells in tandem architecture

Tandem solar cells offer the possibility to significantly enhance solar cell performance through harvesting a broader part of the solar spectrum by using complementary absorbing materials. We report on tandem solar cells, with at least one polymer/nanoparticle hybrid layer as absorber material, in which the nanoparticles are prepared in situ by thermal decomposition of metal xanthates directly in the polymer matrix. In a first series, we investigated a hybrid-organic tandem solar cell, with a hybrid solar cell consisting of the silafluorene containing low band gap polymer PSiF-DBT and copper indium sulphide (CIS) nanoparticles as the bottom cell, and a low band gap polymer (PTB7)/fullerene derivative (PC61BM) organic solar cell as the top cell in order to study different recombination layers. Tandem devices with open circuit voltages nearly reaching the sum of the individual cells have been realised. The short circuit current is equal to the value of the hybrid single cell and a fill factor above 50% is obtained, leading to power conversion efficiencies of about 4.1%. Furthermore, the first results on hybrid-hybrid tandem solar cells consisting of two PSiF-DBT/CIS solar cells are presented. Although the preparation of these double hybrid devices is challenging because of the necessity of two thermal annealing steps, the resulting multilayer stack reveals smooth and homogeneous layers with sharp interfaces. The first working hybrid-hybrid tandem solar cells still exhibited 81% of the sum of the open circuit voltages of the single junction solar cells. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry

Economic opportunities and structural effects of sustainable energy supply

Renewable energy sources and increased energy efficiency are not only crucial for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other negative impacts of conventional energy supply; they also hold enormous economic opportunity. Significant and dynamically growing sectors have emerged in the area of renewable energy over the last several years. In 2010, 26.6 billion euros were invested in Germany alone in renewable energy facilities. Altogether, renewable energy sources created 35.5 billion euros in demand for the German economy. Gross employment in the area of renewable energy is estimated at 367,400 persons for 2010. Likewise, the net economic balance for the expansion of renewables is positive. Model calculations conducted by DIW Berlin show that the gross domestic product is by 2.9 percent higher in 2030 in the Expansion Scenario than following a Null Scenario with no expansion. Depending on the labor market conditions, the net employment effects appear to be weak to moderate, but in any case positive. These scenario calculations also illustrate that the impact of the expansion differs across sectors. Furthermore, the transition from the current energy supply regime to one where renewable energy sources contribute a large share and energy efficiency has been substantially increased will require a structural change in business and the working world that will have to be followed closely in the future

Ausbau erneuerbarer Energien erhöht Wirtschaftsleistung in Deutschland

Der starke Ausbau erneuerbarer Energien führt in Deutschland zu Nachfrageimpulsen und verringert die Einfuhr konventioneller Brennstoffe. Allerdings sind mit dem Ausbau auch gegenläufige Substitutions- und Kosteneffekte verbunden, die für sich genommen die Konsummöglichkeiten vermindern können. Das DIW Berlin hat die volkswirtschaftliche Nettobilanz dieser Wirkungen bis zum Jahr 2030 mit einem neu entwickelten Modell untersucht. Aus dieser Analyse ergeben sich positive ökonomische Nettoeffekte: Das Wirtschaftswachstum ist deutlich höher als in einem Szenario ohne erneuerbare Energien. Dies wirkt sich auch positiv auf die Beschäftigung aus

Ausbau erneuerbarer Energien erhöht Wirtschaftsleistung in Deutschland

Der starke Ausbau erneuerbarer Energien führt in Deutschland zu Nachfrageimpulsen und verringert die Einfuhr konventioneller Brennstoffe. Allerdings sind mit dem Ausbau auch gegenläufige Substitutions- und Kosteneffekte verbunden, die für sich genommen die Konsummöglichkeiten vermindern können. Das DIW Berlin hat die volkswirtschaftliche Nettobilanz dieser Wirkungen bis zum Jahr 2030 mit einem neu entwickelten Modell untersucht. Aus dieser Analyse ergeben sich positive ökonomische Nettoeffekte: Das Wirtschaftswachstum ist deutlich höher als in einem Szenario ohne erneuerbare Energien. Dies wirkt sich auch positiv auf die Beschäftigung aus.Renewable energy, Econometric modelling, Employment effects, Germany