IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v148y2021ipas0301421520306510.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Expediting a renewable energy transition in a privatised market via public policy: The case of south Australia 2004-18

Author

Listed:
  • McGreevy, Dr Michael
  • MacDougall, Colin
  • Fisher, Dr Matt
  • Henley, Mark
  • Baum, Fran

Abstract

In the 14 years from 2004 to 2018, the state of South Australia underwent a sustainability transition that saw its privately owned and operated electricity system change from 100% fossil fuel generation to a position where 50% was generated by wind and solar. However, this transition has not been without controversy. Most notably, in 2016 and again in 2017, the state was hit with major blackouts that many powerful individuals and organisations blamed on the renewables transition. The result of these blackouts and the substantial political fallout from them was the formulation and release of a new energy policy in 2017. Via a series of interviews with actors directly involved with the formulation of this new policy and an analysis of other sources attached to the state’s renewables transition, this article reflects upon the elements and motivations that made and continue to make the renewables transition in South Australia successful. In particular, the research shows that when renewables establish a critical mass of generation, they produce a path dependent trajectory that is difficult to alter. In conclusion, the experience of South Australia demonstrates a means by which renewables transitions can be expedited by public policy initiatives in a privatised market system.

Suggested Citation

  • McGreevy, Dr Michael & MacDougall, Colin & Fisher, Dr Matt & Henley, Mark & Baum, Fran, 2021. "Expediting a renewable energy transition in a privatised market via public policy: The case of south Australia 2004-18," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 148(PA).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:148:y:2021:i:pa:s0301421520306510
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111940
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421520306510
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111940?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hess, David J., 2014. "Sustainability transitions: A political coalition perspective," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 278-283.
    2. Zhao, Yong & Tang, Kam Ki & Wang, Li-li, 2013. "Do renewable electricity policies promote renewable electricity generation? Evidence from panel data," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 887-897.
    3. Kelly-Richards, Sarah & Silber-Coats, Noah & Crootof, Arica & Tecklin, David & Bauer, Carl, 2017. "Governing the transition to renewable energy: A review of impacts and policy issues in the small hydropower boom," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 251-264.
    4. Gürtler, Konrad & Postpischil, Rafael & Quitzow, Rainer, 2019. "The dismantling of renewable energy policies: The cases of Spain and the Czech Republic," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    5. Blakers, Andrew & Lu, Bin & Stocks, Matthew, 2017. "100% renewable electricity in Australia," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 471-482.
    6. Gao, Anton Ming-Zhi & Fan, Chien-Te & Liao, Chao-Ning, 2018. "Application of German energy transition in Taiwan: A critical review of unique electricity liberalisation as a core strategy to achieve renewable energy growth," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 644-654.
    7. Aguirre, Mariana & Ibikunle, Gbenga, 2014. "Determinants of renewable energy growth: A global sample analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 374-384.
    8. Carley, Sanya, 2009. "State renewable energy electricity policies: An empirical evaluation of effectiveness," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 3071-3081, August.
    9. Olson-Hazboun, Shawn K. & Howe, Peter D. & Leiserowitz, Anthony, 2018. "The influence of extractive activities on public support for renewable energy policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 117-126.
    10. Cheung, Grace & Davies, Peter J., 2017. "In the transformation of energy systems: what is holding Australia back?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 96-108.
    11. Hua, Yaping & Oliphant, Monica & Hu, Eric Jing, 2016. "Development of renewable energy in Australia and China: A comparison of policies and status," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 1044-1051.
    12. Shrimali, Gireesh & Kniefel, Joshua, 2011. "Are government policies effective in promoting deployment of renewable electricity resources?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(9), pages 4726-4741, September.
    13. McGreevy, Michael & Harris, Patrick & Delany-Crowe, Toni & Fisher, Matt & Sainsbury, Peter & Baum, Fran, 2019. "Can health and health equity be advanced by urban planning strategies designed to advance global competitiveness? Lessons from two Australian case studies," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 242(C).
    14. Byrnes, Liam & Brown, Colin & Foster, John & Wagner, Liam D., 2013. "Australian renewable energy policy: Barriers and challenges," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 711-721.
    15. Garud, Raghu & Gehman, Joel, 2012. "Metatheoretical perspectives on sustainability journeys: Evolutionary, relational and durational," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 980-995.
    16. Sharma, Deepak, 2003. "The multidimensionality of electricity reform--an Australian perspective," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(11), pages 1093-1102, September.
    17. Schallenberg-Rodriguez, Julieta, 2017. "Renewable electricity support systems: Are feed-in systems taking the lead?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 1422-1439.
    18. Martin, Nigel & Rice, John, 2015. "Improving Australia's renewable energy project policy and planning: A multiple stakeholder analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 128-141.
    19. Alagappan, L. & Orans, R. & Woo, C.K., 2011. "What drives renewable energy development?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(9), pages 5099-5104, September.
    20. Markard, Jochen & Raven, Rob & Truffer, Bernhard, 2012. "Sustainability transitions: An emerging field of research and its prospects," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 955-967.
    21. Delmas, Magali A. & Montes-Sancho, Maria J., 2011. "U.S. state policies for renewable energy: Context and effectiveness," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 2273-2288, May.
    22. Baer, Hans A., 2016. "The nexus of the coal industry and the state in Australia: Historical dimensions and contemporary challenges," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 194-202.
    23. Martin, Nigel J. & Rice, John L., 2012. "Developing renewable energy supply in Queensland, Australia: A study of the barriers, targets, policies and actions," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 119-127.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Csereklyei, Zsuzsanna & Anantharama, Nandini & Kallies, Anne, 2021. "Electricity market transitions in Australia: Evidence using model-based clustering," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    2. Dumbrell, Nikki P. & Wheeler, Sarah Ann & Zuo, Alec & Adamson, David, 2022. "Public willingness to make trade-offs in the development of a hydrogen industry in Australia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    3. Liu, Tingting & Chen, Zhe & Xu, Jiuping, 2022. "Empirical evidence based effectiveness assessment of policy regimes for wind power development in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Polzin, Friedemann & Egli, Florian & Steffen, Bjarne & Schmidt, Tobias S., 2019. "How do policies mobilize private finance for renewable energy?—A systematic review with an investor perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 236(C), pages 1249-1268.
    2. Gosens, Jorrit & Hedenus, Fredrik & Sandén, Björn A., 2017. "Faster market growth of wind and PV in late adopters due to global experience build-up," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 267-278.
    3. Escoffier, Margaux & Hache, Emmanuel & Mignon, Valérie & Paris, Anthony, 2021. "Determinants of solar photovoltaic deployment in the electricity mix: Do oil prices really matter?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    4. Consolación Quintana-Rojo & Fernando-Evaristo Callejas-Albiñana & Miguel-Ángel Tarancón & Isabel Martínez-Rodríguez, 2020. "Econometric Studies on the Development of Renewable Energy Sources to Support the European Union 2020–2030 Climate and Energy Framework: A Critical Appraisal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-26, June.
    5. Basher, Syed Abul & Masini, Andrea & Aflaki, Sam, 2015. "Time series properties of the renewable energy diffusion process: Implications for energy policy design and assessment," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 1680-1692.
    6. Sanya Carley & Elizabeth Baldwin & Lauren M. MacLean & Jennifer N. Brass, 2017. "Global Expansion of Renewable Energy Generation: An Analysis of Policy Instruments," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 68(2), pages 397-440, October.
    7. Marques, António Cardoso & Fuinhas, José Alberto & Pereira, Diogo Santos, 2019. "The dynamics of the short and long-run effects of public policies supporting renewable energy: A comparative study of installed capacity and electricity generation," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 188-206.
    8. Jenner, Steffen & Groba, Felix & Indvik, Joe, 2013. "Assessing the strength and effectiveness of renewable electricity feed-in tariffs in European Union countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 385-401.
    9. Schumacher, Kim & Yang, Zhuoxiang, 2018. "The determinants of wind energy growth in the United States: Drivers and barriers to state-level development," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 1-13.
    10. Best, Rohan & Burke, Paul J., 2018. "Adoption of solar and wind energy: The roles of carbon pricing and aggregate policy support," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 404-417.
    11. Yasir Alsaedi & Gurudeo Anand Tularam & Victor Wong, 2021. "Impact of the Nature of Energy Management and Responses to Policies Regarding Solar and Wind Pricing: A Qualitative Study of the Australian Electricity Markets," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(3), pages 191-205.
    12. Gireesh Shrimali & Steffen Jenner & Felix Groba & Gabriel Chan & Joe Indvik, 2012. "Have State Renewable Portfolio Standards Really Worked?: Synthesizing Past Policy Assessments," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1258, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    13. Curtius, Hans Christoph, 2018. "The adoption of building-integrated photovoltaics: barriers and facilitators," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 783-790.
    14. Justyna Godawska & Joanna Wyrobek, 2021. "The Impact of Environmental Policy Stringency on Renewable Energy Production in the Visegrad Group Countries," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-23, September.
    15. Kahia, Montassar & Ben Aissa, Mohamed Safouane & kadria, Mohamed, 2014. "Do renewable energy policies promote economic growth? A nonparametric approach," MPRA Paper 80751, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Kersey, Jessica & Blechinger, Philipp & Shirley, Rebekah, 2021. "A panel data analysis of policy effectiveness for renewable energy expansion on Caribbean islands," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    17. Ebers Broughel, Anna, 2019. "Impact of state policies on generating capacity for production of electricity and combined heat and power from forest biomass in the United States," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 1163-1172.
    18. Tolliver, Clarence & Keeley, Alexander Ryota & Managi, Shunsuke, 2020. "Policy targets behind green bonds for renewable energy: Do climate commitments matter?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    19. Shahnazi, Rouhollah & Dehghan Shabani, Zahra, 2020. "Do renewable energy production spillovers matter in the EU?," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 786-796.
    20. Nicolini, Marcella & Tavoni, Massimo, 2017. "Are renewable energy subsidies effective? Evidence from Europe," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 412-423.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:148:y:2021:i:pa:s0301421520306510. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.