Next Generation of Renewable Electricity Policy: How Rapid Change is Breaking Down Conventional Policy Categories

Couture, T. D.; Jacobs, D.; Rickerson, W.; Healey, V.

doi:10.2172/1172282

Title: Next Generation of Renewable Electricity Policy: How Rapid Change is Breaking Down Conventional Policy Categories

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Abstract

A number of policies have been used historically in order to stimulate the growth of the renewable electricity sector. This paper examines four of these policy instruments: competitive tendering, sometimes called renewable electricity auctions, feed-in tariffs, net metering and net billing, and tradable renewable energy certificates. In recent years, however, a number of changes to both market circumstances and to policy priorities have resulted in numerous policy innovations, including the emergence of policy hybrids. With no common language for these evolving policy mechanisms, policymakers have generally continued to use the same traditional policy labels, occasionally generating confusion as many of these new policies no longer look, or act, like their traditional predecessors. In reviewing these changes, this paper makes two separate but related claims: first, policy labels themselves are breaking down and evolving. As a result, policy comparisons that rely on the conventional labels may no longer be appropriate, or advisable. Second, as policymakers continue to adapt, we are in effect witnessing the emergence of the next generation of renewable electricity policies, a change that could have significant impacts on investment, as well as on market growth in both developed and developing countries.

Authors:

Couture, T. D. ^[1]; Jacobs, D. ^[2]; Rickerson, W. ^[3]; Healey, V. ^[4]

E3 Analytics, Berlin (Germany)
International Energy Transition (IET), Boston, MA (United States)
Meister Consultants Group, Boston, MA (United States)
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Publication Date:: Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2015

Research Org.:: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE

OSTI Identifier:: 1172282

Report Number(s):: NREL/TP-7A40-63149

DOE Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

Resource Type:: Technical Report

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION; 29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY AND ECONOMY; 32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION; RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY; POLICIES; POLICY INSTRUMENTS; COMPETITIVE TENDERING; AUCTIONS; FEED-IN TARIFFS; NET METERING; NET BILLING; TRADABLE RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATES; POLICY LABELS; POLICY COMPARISONS

Citation Formats


                    Couture, T. D., Jacobs, D., Rickerson, W., and Healey, V. Next Generation of Renewable Electricity Policy: How Rapid Change is Breaking Down Conventional Policy Categories.  United States: N. p., 2015. 
        Web.  doi:10.2172/1172282.

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                    Couture, T. D., Jacobs, D., Rickerson, W., & Healey, V. Next Generation of Renewable Electricity Policy: How Rapid Change is Breaking Down Conventional Policy Categories.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.2172/1172282

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                    Couture, T. D., Jacobs, D., Rickerson, W., and Healey, V. 2015.  
        "Next Generation of Renewable Electricity Policy: How Rapid Change is Breaking Down Conventional Policy Categories".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.2172/1172282.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1172282.

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@article{osti_1172282,

  title        = {Next Generation of Renewable Electricity Policy: How Rapid Change is Breaking Down Conventional Policy Categories},

  author       = {Couture, T. D. and Jacobs, D. and Rickerson, W. and Healey, V.},

  abstractNote = {A number of policies have been used historically in order to stimulate the growth of the renewable electricity sector. This paper examines four of these policy instruments: competitive tendering, sometimes called renewable electricity auctions, feed-in tariffs, net metering and net billing, and tradable renewable energy certificates. In recent years, however, a number of changes to both market circumstances and to policy priorities have resulted in numerous policy innovations, including the emergence of policy hybrids. With no common language for these evolving policy mechanisms, policymakers have generally continued to use the same traditional policy labels, occasionally generating confusion as many of these new policies no longer look, or act, like their traditional predecessors. In reviewing these changes, this paper makes two separate but related claims: first, policy labels themselves are breaking down and evolving. As a result, policy comparisons that rely on the conventional labels may no longer be appropriate, or advisable. Second, as policymakers continue to adapt, we are in effect witnessing the emergence of the next generation of renewable electricity policies, a change that could have significant impacts on investment, as well as on market growth in both developed and developing countries.},

  doi          = {10.2172/1172282},

  url          = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1172282},
  journal      = {},
number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2015},

  month        = {Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2015}

}

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