This paper analyzes the impact of the Fukushima accident on the future of nuclear power around the world. We begin with a discussion of the “but for” baseline and the much discussed “nuclear renaissance.” Our pre-Fukushima benchmark for growth in nuclear generation in the U.S. and other developed countries is much more modest than many…
Number 2
ISSN 2160-5890 (Online)
How a “Low Carbon” Innovation Can Fail–Tales from a “Lost Decade” for Carbon Capture, Transport, and Sequestration (CCTS)
This paper analyzes the discrepancy between the high hopes placed in Carbon Capture, Transport, and Storage (CCTS) and the meager results that have been observed in reality, and advances several explanations for what we call a “lost decade” for CCTS. We trace the origins of the high hopes placed in this technology by industry and…
Global Climate Games: How Pricing and a Green Fund Foster Cooperation
The most efficient global climate policy is to price carbon. The Kyoto-Copenhagen agenda was intended to do this with a system of international cap and trade. We view these negotiations as a game in which countries choose their quantity targets based on self interest. Like the analogous public-goods game, in which countries choose their abatement…
Book Reviews
Editorial
Impacts of Intermittent Renewables on Electricity Generation System Operation
All power generation technologies leave their particular imprint on the power system that they belong to. Wind and solar power have only recently reached significant levels of penetration in some countries, but they are expected to grow much during the next few decades, and contribute substantially to meeting future electricity demand, see e.g. European Commission…
Contracting for Wind Generation
The UK Government proposes offering long-term Feed-in-Tariffs (FiTs) to low-carbon generation to reduce risk and encourage new entrants. Their preference is for a Contract-for-Difference (CfD) for all generation regardless of type. I argue that a standard CfD is unsuitable for on-shore wind, where a fixed FiT appears less risky. The estimated extra trading and balancing…
Solar Integration
Solar energy can enter our energy systems through many doors and windows, mostly as heat and electricity. As costs go down, especially for photovoltaic electricity, the variability of the resource becomes a dominant issue.Interconnections,load management, flexible fossil or hydro power plants and storage capacities of pumped hydro plants combine to make the daily variability manageable,…
Market and Policy Barriers to Deployment of Energy Storage
There has recently been resurgent interest in energy storage, due to a number of developments in the electricity industry. Despite this interest, very little storage, beyond some small demonstration projects, has been deployed recently. While technical issues, such as cost, device efficiency, and other technical characteristics are often listed as barriers to storage, there are…
Can Bioenergy Assessments Deliver?
The role of biomass as a primary energy resource is highly debated. Next generation biofuels are suggested to be associated with low specific greenhouse gas emissions. But land consumption, demand for scarce water, competition with food production and harmful indirect land-use effects put a question mark over the beneficial effects of bioenergy deployment. In this…