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UK Renewable Energy Policy Since Privatisation

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  • Michael G. Pollitt

    (ESRC Electricity Policy Research Group Judge Business School University of Cambridge)

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to look at the UK’s renewable energy policy in the context of its overall decarbonisation and energy policies. This will allow us to explore the precise nature of the ‘failure’ of UK renewables policy and to suggest policy changes which might be appropriate in light of the UK’s institutional and resource endowments. Our focus is on the electricity sector both in terms of renewable generation and to a lesser extent the facilitating role of electricity distribution and transmission networks. We will suggest that the precise nature of the failure of UK policy is rather more to do with societal preferences and the available mechanisms for encouraging social acceptability than it is to do with financial support mechanisms. Radical changes to current policy are required, but they must be careful to be institutionally appropriate to the UK. What we suggest is that current policies exhibit an unnecessarily low benefit to cost ratio, and that new policies for renewable deployment must pay close attention to cost effectiveness.
(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)

Suggested Citation

  • Michael G. Pollitt, 2010. "UK Renewable Energy Policy Since Privatisation," Working Papers EPRG 1002, Energy Policy Research Group, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
    • Handle: RePEc:enp:wpaper:eprg1002
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    Cited by:

    1. Karim L. Anaya & Michael G. Pollitt, 2014. "The Role of Distribution Network Operators in Promoting Cost-Effective Distributed Generation: Lessons from the United States for Europe," Working Papers EPRG 1422, Energy Policy Research Group, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
    2. Chi-Keung Woo, Ira Horowitz, Brian Horii, Ren Orans, and Jay Zarnikau, 2012. "Blowing in the Wind: Vanishing Payoffs of a Tolling Agreement for Natural-gas-fired Generation of Electricity in Texas," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 1).
    3. Sutherland, Lee-Ann & Peter, Sarah & Zagata, Lukas, 2015. "Conceptualising multi-regime interactions: The role of the agriculture sector in renewable energy transitions," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(8), pages 1543-1554.
    4. Onifade, Temitope Tunbi, 2016. "Hybrid renewable energy support policy in the power sector: The contracts for difference and capacity market case study," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 390-401.
    5. Richard Green & Adonis Yatchew, 2012. "Support Schemes for Renewable Energy: An Economic Analysis," Economics of Energy & Environmental Policy, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 2).
    6. Woo, C.K. & Zarnikau, J. & Moore, J. & Horowitz, I., 2011. "Wind generation and zonal-market price divergence: Evidence from Texas," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(7), pages 3928-3938, July.
    7. Chi-Keung Woo & Ira Horowitz & Jay Zarnikau & Jack Moore & Brendan Schneiderman & Tony Ho & Eric Leung, 2016. "What Moves the Ex Post Variable Profit of Natural-Gas-Fired Generation in California?," The Energy Journal, , vol. 37(3), pages 29-57, July.
    8. Kreiss, Jan & Ehrhart, Karl-Martin & Haufe, Marie-Christin, 2017. "Appropriate design of auctions for renewable energy support – Prequalifications and penalties," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 512-520.
    9. Fouquet, Roger, 2010. "The slow search for solutions: Lessons from historical energy transitions by sector and service," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(11), pages 6586-6596, November.
    10. Holburn, Guy L.F., 2012. "Assessing and managing regulatory risk in renewable energy: Contrasts between Canada and the United States," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 654-665.
    11. Nolden, Colin, 2013. "Governing community energy—Feed-in tariffs and the development of community wind energy schemes in the United Kingdom and Germany," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 543-552.
    12. Jamasb, Tooraj & Pollitt, Michael G., 2015. "Why and how to subsidise energy R+D: Lessons from the collapse and recovery of electricity innovation in the UK," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 197-205.
    13. Jianjun Kang & Delin Huang, 2023. "Examining the Effect of Privatization on Renewable Energy Consumption in the Digital Economy under Economic Patriotism: A Nonlinear Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-13, March.
    14. Brian Rivard and Adonis Yatchew, 2016. "Integration of Renewables into the Ontario Electricity System," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Bollino-M).
    15. Woo, C.K. & Sreedharan, P. & Hargreaves, J. & Kahrl, F. & Wang, J. & Horowitz, I., 2014. "A review of electricity product differentiation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 262-272.
    16. Winkler, Jenny & Magosch, Magdalena & Ragwitz, Mario, 2018. "Effectiveness and efficiency of auctions for supporting renewable electricity – What can we learn from recent experiences?," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 473-489.
    17. Anaya, Karim L. & Pollitt, Michael G., 2015. "The role of distribution network operators in promoting cost-effective distributed generation: Lessons from the United States of America for Europe," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 484-496.
    18. O'Brien, Geoff & Hope, Alex, 2010. "Localism and energy: Negotiating approaches to embedding resilience in energy systems," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(12), pages 7550-7558, December.
    19. 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.
    20. Alagappan, L. & Orans, R. & Woo, C.K., 2011. "What drives renewable energy development?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(9), pages 5099-5104, September.
    21. Elizondo Azuela, Gabriela & Barroso, Luiz & Khanna, Ashish & Wang, Xiaodong & Wu, Yun & Cunha, Gabriel, 2014. "Performance of renewable energy auctions : experience in Brazil, China and India," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7062, The World Bank.
    22. Gabriela Elizondo Azuela & Luiz Barroso, 2014. "Promoting Renewable Energy through Auctions," World Bank Publications - Reports 18674, The World Bank Group.
    23. Pere Mir-Artigues, 2013. "The Photovoltaic Crisis and the Demand-side Generation in Spain," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1311, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    24. Sreedharan, P. & Miller, D. & Price, S. & Woo, C.K., 2012. "Avoided cost estimation and cost-effectiveness of permanent load shifting in California," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 115-121.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Renewable electricity; Feed-in-Tariff; Renewable Obligation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • L98 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Government Policy

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