Promoting sustainable electricity in Europe. Challenging the path dependence of dominant energy systems

Abstract:
This is a timely and comparative assessment of initiatives to promote renewable electricity sources (RES) in eight European countries. Carried out by the ProSus research programme at the University of Oslo in cooperation with leading research institutions in each country, the study focuses on the promotional schemes used to foster RES in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden.

The study is unique in that it monitors progress on implementing the EU RES Directive in relation to the impact of the ‘dominant energy systems’ in each country. Employing the notions of ‘path dependency/path creation’, the analysis demonstrates that crucial lessons for achieving RES targets are to be found in the contextual conditions of national and regional settings; conditions that qualify the effects of more general, market-oriented schemes. The conclusions reached are of direct relevance for the ongoing debate as to the most effective policy instruments for achieving sustainable energy and climate policies in Europe.

The book will be of interest to academics and researchers involved in environmental management, energy studies, technology and sustainable development. Furthermore it will be of interest to policymakers and bureaucrats both at the EU level and among EU/EEA member states concerned with climate change, renewable energy and sustainable development at large. The book should also be of relevance for business organizations and NGOs concerned with the promotion of sustainable electricity.

Contents:
1. Introduction: Promoting Green Electricity in Europe: The Challenge of Integrating Contextual Factors - William M. Lafferty and Audun Ruud
2. The Netherlands: Muddling Through in the Dutch Delta - Maarten J. Arentsen
3. Denmark: Path-Creation Dynamics and Winds of Change - Peter Karnøe and Adam Buchhorn
4. Ireland: Putting the Wind up the Political System -
Gerard Mullally and Jillian Murphy
5. Spain: Greening Electricity While Growing the Economy - Carmen Navarro
6. Finland: Big is Beautiful – Promoting Bioenergy in Regional–Industrial Contexts - Paula Kivimaa
7. Austria: An ‘Incidental Front-Runner’ Faces New Challenges - Barbara Pflüglmayer, Christian Nopp, Volkmar Lauber and Michael Narodoslawsky
8. Sweden: Greening the Power Market in a Context of Liberalization and Nuclear Ambivalence - Yong Chen and Francis X. Johnson
9. Norway: Trying to Maintain Maximal RES-E in a Petroleum-Driven Economy - Jørgen Knudsen, Olav Mosvold Larsen and Audun Ruud
10. Conclusion: Energy Path Dependence and the Promotion of RES-E in Europe - William M. Lafferty and Audun Ruud