National Policy Instruments: Policy Lessons for the Advancement & Diffusion of Renewable Energy Technologies Around the World

For renewable energy to make a significant contribution to economic development, job creation, reduced oil dependence, and lower greenhouse gas emissions, it will be essential to improve the efficiency of technologies, reduce their costs, and develop mature, self-sustaining industries to manufacture, install and maintain renewable energy systems. The goal must not be simply to install capacity, but to provide the conditions for creation of a sustained and profitable industry, which, in turn, will result in increased renewable energy capacity and generation, and will drive down costs. To achieve this end, a viable, clear and long-term government commitment is critical. Also essential are policies that create markets, and ensure a fair rate of return for investors.During the past decade, the world has witnessed double-digit growth in the wind and photovoltaic (PV) industries, significant advances in these technologies, and dramatic cost reductions. Today half a dozen countries represent roughly 80 percent of the world market for these technologies. Those countries have demonstrated that it is possible to create vibrant markets for renewable energy, and to do so very rapidly; but the record also shows that the renewable energy policies of most countries have been unsuccessful to date.Most of the renewable energy development experienced thus far has been driven by countries with feed-in, or pricing, systems. At the same time, a combination of policies is required, including standards, education, stakeholder involvement, and incentives to bring down the initial costs of investment and reduce risk, whether real or perceived. Ultimately, the effectiveness of policies in promoting renewable energy will depend on their design, enforcement, how well they address national circumstances, and the extent to which they are consistent and sustained

Mainstreaming Renewable Energy in the 21st Century

Recent surges in gasoline prices and deepening instability in the Middle East are reminders that the world's heavy dependence on fossil fuels carries an array of hidden costs, including energy insecurity and damage to human health and the natural environment. Fortunately, more and more nations are recognizing that they can address these problems by investing in renewable energy. Solar and wind power are the world's fastest growing energy sources, and investors are pouring billions of dollars into these industries every year. Around the world, a growing number of nations have recognized the economic, social, and environmental benefits of renewable energy, and are enacting tax incentives and other policy measures favorable to renewable technologies. In Germany, Japan, Spain, and a handful of other countries, clear government commitments to renewable energy and strong, effective policies have overcome barriers and created demand for these technologies, leading to dramatic growth in renewables industries and driving down costs. If these countries stay the course and others continue to join the renewables bandwagon, they will end up not only with cleaner and more efficient energy systems, but will also reap economic rewards in the form of new industries and jobs

Renewables 2010: Global Status Report

This report describes economic trends in building the capacity of renewable energy in several countries

Creating technological momentum: lessons from American and Danish wind energy research

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State of the World 2004: Special Focus The Consumer Society

A Bangladeshi child eats a bowl of rice. An American child plays with a plastic doll. A woman in Finland talks on a cell phone. A man in Zimbabwe fills his car with gasoline. A Japanese woman reads a newspaper. Think of the objects you buy and use in any given day. Now, try to imagine that there are more than 1.7 billion human beings in the consumer society -- and their numbers are growing yearly. In many cases, excessive consumption burdens societies with bulging landfills, declining fish stocks, and rising obesity levels. Meanwhile, there are still another 2.8 billion who consume too little and who suffer from hunger, homelessness, and poverty. On the Worldwatch Institute's thirtieth anniversary, this special edition of State of the World examines how we consume, why we consume, and what impact our consumption choices have on the planet and our fellow human beings. From factory-farmed chicken to old-growth lumber to gas-guzzling cars, many of the things we buy support destructive industries. But businesses, governments, and concerned citizens can harness this same purchasing power to build markets for less-hazardous products, including fair-traded foods, green power, and fuel-cell vehicles. With chapters on food, water, energy, the politics of consumption, and redefining the good life, Worldwatch's award-winning research team asks whether a less-consumptive society is possible -- and then argues that it is essential