IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v39y2011i9p5167-5181.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Examining the financial performance of micro-generation wind projects and the subsidy effect of feed-in tariffs for urban locations in the United Kingdom

Author

Listed:
  • Walters, Ryan
  • Walsh, Philip R.

Abstract

This paper seeks to evaluate the effect of the upcoming 2010 UK Feed-in Tariff (UK FIT) on decentralised small wind-energy installations at the household and building level in urban locations. It is projected that the UK FIT will stimulate an unprecedented surge in building-mounted turbine installation. The tariff amount must stimulate incentive but mitigate the likelihood of distortions in the competitive electricity market. To analyse these issues, measured energy output from sites in the Warwick Wind Trials Project (WWTP) is converted into revenue in a net-present-value (NPV) framework for assessing commercial purchases of small wind systems. Variances in project variables are examined through NPV simulations using Monte Carlo analysis to capture permutations of small wind-project performance in the UK--with and without the UK FIT. Our research concludes that the proposed tariff amount of 30.5 p/kWh will not significantly boost the economic attractiveness of mildly selective (WWTP-based) sites in the UK. Furthermore, the fixed-tariff rate (£/kWh generated) could cause inefficiencies applied across uneven wind-resource distribution. The results of this study suggest further examination of policy related to micro-generation, in particular decentralised small wind projects.

Suggested Citation

  • Walters, Ryan & Walsh, Philip R., 2011. "Examining the financial performance of micro-generation wind projects and the subsidy effect of feed-in tariffs for urban locations in the United Kingdom," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(9), pages 5167-5181, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:39:y:2011:i:9:p:5167-5181
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421511004472
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    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. Perez, Yannick & Ramos-Real, Francisco Javier, 2009. "The public promotion of wind energy in Spain from the transaction costs perspective 1986-2007," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(5), pages 1058-1066, June.
    2. del Ri­o González, Pablo, 2008. "Ten years of renewable electricity policies in Spain: An analysis of successive feed-in tariff reforms," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 2907-2919, August.
    3. Philippe Menanteau & Dominique Finon & Marie-Laure Lamy, 2003. "Prices versus quantities :environmental policies for promoting the development of renewable energy," Post-Print halshs-00480457, HAL.
    4. Meyer, Niels I., 2003. "European schemes for promoting renewables in liberalised markets," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 665-676, June.
    5. Dominique Finon & Philippe Menanteau, 2003. "The Static and Dynamic Efficiency of Instruments of Promotion of Renewables," Post-Print halshs-00001300, HAL.
    6. Bayod-Rújula, Angel A., 2009. "Future development of the electricity systems with distributed generation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 377-383.
    7. Mulder, Arjen, 2008. "Do economic instruments matter? Wind turbine investments in the EU(15)," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 2980-2991, November.
    8. Falconett, Irina & Nagasaka, Ken, 2010. "Comparative analysis of support mechanisms for renewable energy technologies using probability distributions," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(6), pages 1135-1144.
    9. Menanteau, Philippe & Finon, Dominique & Lamy, Marie-Laure, 2003. "Prices versus quantities: choosing policies for promoting the development of renewable energy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(8), pages 799-812, June.
    10. Dinica, Valentina, 2008. "Initiating a sustained diffusion of wind power: The role of public-private partnerships in Spain," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(9), pages 3562-3571, September.
    11. Han, Jingyi & Mol, Arthur P.J. & Lu, Yonglong & Zhang, Lei, 2009. "Onshore wind power development in China: Challenges behind a successful story," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 2941-2951, August.
    12. Jacobsson, Staffan & Lauber, Volkmar, 2006. "The politics and policy of energy system transformation--explaining the German diffusion of renewable energy technology," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 256-276, February.
    13. Sauter, Raphael & Watson, Jim, 2007. "Strategies for the deployment of micro-generation: Implications for social acceptance," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 2770-2779, May.
    14. Patrik Söderholm & Ger Klaassen, 2007. "Wind Power in Europe: A Simultaneous Innovation–Diffusion Model," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 36(2), pages 163-190, February.
    15. Couture, Toby & Gagnon, Yves, 2010. "An analysis of feed-in tariff remuneration models: Implications for renewable energy investment," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 955-965, February.
    16. Jensen, Stine Grenaa & Skytte, Klaus, 2003. "Simultaneous attainment of energy goals by means of green certificates and emission permits," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 63-71, January.
    17. Kelleher, J. & Ringwood, J.V., 2009. "A computational tool for evaluating the economics of solar and wind microgeneration of electricity," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 401-409.
    18. Lesser, Jonathan A. & Su, Xuejuan, 2008. "Design of an economically efficient feed-in tariff structure for renewable energy development," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 981-990, March.
    19. Munksgaard, Jesper & Morthorst, Poul Erik, 2008. "Wind power in the Danish liberalised power market--Policy measures, price impact and investor incentives," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(10), pages 3940-3947, October.
    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. Aquila, Giancarlo & Nakamura, Wilson Toshiro & Junior, Paulo Rotella & Souza Rocha, Luiz Celio & de Oliveira Pamplona, Edson, 2021. "Perspectives under uncertainties and risk in wind farms investments based on Omega-LCOE approach: An analysis in São Paulo state, Brazil," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    2. Cui, Yu & Khan, Sufyan Ullah & Li, Zhixue & Zhao, Minjuan, 2021. "Environmental effect, price subsidy and financial performance: Evidence from Chinese new energy enterprises," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    3. Bortolini, Marco & Gamberi, Mauro & Graziani, Alessandro & Manzini, Riccardo & Pilati, Francesco, 2014. "Performance and viability analysis of small wind turbines in the European Union," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 629-639.
    4. Ross, S.J. & McHenry, M.P. & Whale, J., 2012. "The impact of state feed-in tariffs and federal tradable quota support policies on grid-connected small wind turbine installed capacity in Australia," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 141-147.
    5. Sakah, Marriette & Diawuo, Felix Amankwah & Katzenbach, Rolf & Gyamfi, Samuel, 2017. "Towards a sustainable electrification in Ghana: A review of renewable energy deployment policies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 544-557.
    6. de Oliveira, Lucas Guedes & Aquila, Giancarlo & Balestrassi, Pedro Paulo & de Paiva, Anderson Paulo & de Queiroz, Anderson Rodrigo & de Oliveira Pamplona, Edson & Camatta, Ulisses Pessin, 2020. "Evaluating economic feasibility and maximization of social welfare of photovoltaic projects developed for the Brazilian northeastern coast: An attribute agreement analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    7. Balcombe, Paul & Rigby, Dan & Azapagic, Adisa, 2013. "Motivations and barriers associated with adopting microgeneration energy technologies in the UK," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 655-666.
    8. Rocha, Luiz Célio Souza & Aquila, Giancarlo & Rotela Junior, Paulo & Paiva, Anderson Paulo de & Pamplona, Edson de Oliveira & Balestrassi, Pedro Paulo, 2018. "A stochastic economic viability analysis of residential wind power generation in Brazil," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 412-419.
    9. Gabriel Nasser Doyle de Doile & Paulo Rotella Junior & Priscila França Gonzaga Carneiro & Rogério Santana Peruchi & Luiz Célio Souza Rocha & Karel Janda & Giancarlo Aquila, 2021. "Economic Feasibility of Photovoltaic Micro-Installations Connected to the Brazilian Distribution Grid in Light of Proposed Changes to Regulations," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-14, March.
    10. Shakeel, Shah Rukh & Takala, Josu & Zhu, Lian-Dong, 2017. "Commercialization of renewable energy technologies: A ladder building approach," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 855-867.
    11. Stewart, Fraser, 2021. "All for sun, sun for all: Can community energy help to overcome socioeconomic inequalities in low-carbon technology subsidies?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    12. Dalia Štreimikienė & Vidas Lekavičius & Gintare Stankūnienė & Aušra Pažėraitė, 2022. "Renewable Energy Acceptance by Households: Evidence from Lithuania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-17, July.
    13. Yi Song Liu & Tan Yigitcanlar & Mirko Guaralda & Kenan Degirmenci & Aaron Liu & Michael Kane, 2022. "Leveraging the Opportunities of Wind for Cities through Urban Planning and Design: A PRISMA Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-78, September.
    14. Ahmad, Salman & Tahar, Razman Mat & Muhammad-Sukki, Firdaus & Munir, Abu Bakar & Rahim, Ruzairi Abdul, 2015. "Role of feed-in tariff policy in promoting solar photovoltaic investments in Malaysia: A system dynamics approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 808-815.
    15. Aquila, Giancarlo & Rotela Junior, Paulo & de Oliveira Pamplona, Edson & de Queiroz, Anderson Rodrigo, 2017. "Wind power feasibility analysis under uncertainty in the Brazilian electricity market," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 127-136.
    16. Zhang, M.M. & Zhang, C. & Liu, L.Y. & Zhou, D.Q., 2020. "Is it time to launch grid parity in the Chinese solar photovoltaic industry? Evidence from 335 cities," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    17. Balcombe, Paul & Rigby, Dan & Azapagic, Adisa, 2014. "Investigating the importance of motivations and barriers related to microgeneration uptake in the UK," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 403-418.

    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. Sakah, Marriette & Diawuo, Felix Amankwah & Katzenbach, Rolf & Gyamfi, Samuel, 2017. "Towards a sustainable electrification in Ghana: A review of renewable energy deployment policies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 544-557.
    2. Stokes, Leah C., 2013. "The politics of renewable energy policies: The case of feed-in tariffs in Ontario, Canada," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 490-500.
    3. Li, Jinke & Liu, Guy & Shao, Jing, 2020. "Understanding the ROC transfer payment in the renewable obligation with the recycling mechanism in the United Kingdom," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    4. Shen, Neng & Deng, Rumeng & Liao, Haolan & Shevchuk, Oleksandr, 2020. "Mapping renewable energy subsidy policy research published from 1997 to 2018: A scientometric review," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    5. Alishahi, E. & Moghaddam, M. Parsa & Sheikh-El-Eslami, M.K., 2012. "A system dynamics approach for investigating impacts of incentive mechanisms on wind power investment," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 310-317.
    6. Couture, Toby & Gagnon, Yves, 2010. "An analysis of feed-in tariff remuneration models: Implications for renewable energy investment," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 955-965, February.
    7. del Río, Pablo, 2012. "The dynamic efficiency of feed-in tariffs: The impact of different design elements," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 139-151.
    8. del Río, Pablo & Bleda, Mercedes, 2012. "Comparing the innovation effects of support schemes for renewable electricity technologies: A function of innovation approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 272-282.
    9. Marc Baudry & Clément Bonnet, 2016. "Demand pull isntruments and the development of wind power in Europe: A counter-factual analysis," Working Papers 1607, Chaire Economie du climat.
    10. Lehmann, Paul & Gawel, Erik, 2013. "Why should support schemes for renewable electricity complement the EU emissions trading scheme?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 597-607.
    11. de la Hoz, Jordi & Boix, Oriol & Martín, Helena & Martins, Blanca & Graells, Moisès, 2010. "Promotion of grid-connected photovoltaic systems in Spain: Performance analysis of the period 1998-2008," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(9), pages 2547-2563, December.
    12. Pérez de Arce, Miguel & Sauma, Enzo & Contreras, Javier, 2016. "Renewable energy policy performance in reducing CO2 emissions," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 272-280.
    13. Martin, Nigel J. & Rice, John L., 2017. "Examining the use of concept analysis and mapping software for renewable energy feed-in tariff design," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 211-220.
    14. Martin, Nigel & Rice, John, 2013. "The solar photovoltaic feed-in tariff scheme in New South Wales, Australia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 697-706.
    15. Huang, Shih-Chieh & Lo, Shang-Lien & Lin, Yen-Ching, 2013. "Application of a fuzzy cognitive map based on a structural equation model for the identification of limitations to the development of wind power," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 851-861.
    16. Reinhard Madlener & Weiyu Gao & Ilja Neustadt & Peter Zweifel, 2008. "Promoting renewable electricity generation in imperfect markets: price vs. quantity policies," SOI - Working Papers 0809, Socioeconomic Institute - University of Zurich.
    17. 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.
    18. Agnolucci, Paolo, 2008. "Factors influencing the likelihood of regulatory changes in renewable electricity policies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 141-161, January.
    19. Dominique Finon, 2006. "The Social Efficiency Of Instruments For The Promotion Of Renewable Energies In The Liberalised Power Industry," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 77(3), pages 309-343, September.
    20. Walker, S.L., 2012. "Can the GB feed-in tariff deliver the expected 2% of electricity from renewable sources?," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 383-388.

    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:39:y:2011:i:9:p:5167-5181. 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.