The feed-in tariff is a flexible, yet effective mechanism in promoting the proliferation of renewable electricity in California. The tariff creates a stable investment environment that protects both the utilities and the renewable electricity generators. Not only does the system foster capacity growth, but also technological advancement to the point where renewable electricity can compete in the market without assistance. From an environmental standpoint, the feed-in tariff contributes significantly towards achieving the emissions reduction goals set forth by AB32 without causing harmful increases to electricity prices. The feed-in tariff model has been used in countries all over the world and in countless variations. The California model is certainly unique, using a dynamic combination of eligibility requirements, pricing mechanisms, and degression rates. Flaws can already be spotted in the system, but it is too early to tell what type of market effects will truly prevail. The key will be to analyze the market effects as they happen and adjust the tariff accordingly. In the meantime, it would be advantageous to pursue more aggressive green marketing campaigns in order to establish meaningful social norms in favor of environmentally responsible goods and practices. These strong social norms will help to ensure quicker and more effective transitions to green products in the future, including the complete transition to renewable electricity over the coming generations.

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The requirement for affordable, secure and sustainable energy production is a pressing global challenge and the production of electricity with low carbon emissions is crucial. This usually entails large quantities of renewable energy generation, which is intermittent and often highly distributed throughout the electricity supply system. One of the proposed schemes to manage such generation is the smart grid, the transition to which forms the context for this research. The aim is to investigate the effect of certain psychological and social influences on the adoption of technology necessary to enable smart grids, in order to understand the implications for effective energy policy. In particular, the case of photovoltaic (PV) system adoption in the UK is studied. Empirical data detailing PV installations registered for the Feed in Tariff is analysed in order to understand rates of adoption and how they vary across both time and space. This analysis is combined with a review of policy intervention and literature from psychology to understand drivers for adoption among householders. The results from this study are then used to inform the design of an Agent Based Model of technology adoption within the smart grid context. The decision making of householders is modelled using an algorithm based on Social Cognitive Theory. The model is used to simulate different conditions and generate adoption scenarios in order to understand the potential effects of different parameters on adoption rates. In order to combine the analysis resulting from these methods, the multi-level perspective on transition in socio-technical systems is used to understand how a transition to a smart grid could be described and how adoption of PV in the UK under the Feed in Tariff incentive fits into such a transition. The results show that whilst economic incentive policies have had success in some areas adoption is also dependent on many non-financial parameters. Simulations show that the observability of adoption and the perceived inconvenience or urgency of adoption can have dramatic effects on rates of adoption, in some cases outweighing the rational economic effects of financial incentives. The implication for smart grid related policy is that non-financial factors should be taken into account as well as the more typical financial considerations in efforts to encourage adoption of necessary enabling technology by householders. The models developed could be used in further work to examine in detail adoption of other technologies such as smart home energy management systems and the interaction between adoption rates of multiple smart technologies.

近幾年再生能源蓬勃發展，全球新增的太陽能發電裝置量也持續上升，擁有高太陽能技術的台灣，更是在太陽能電池上不停成長及擴張，使台灣在太陽能產業有高度前景。但由於太陽能成本高且產業鏈冗長，許多太陽能源公司紛紛想售出發電廠或尋求投資者。另一方面，國內保險業受到市場趨於飽和及利率偏低等因素影響，獲利難以成長，保險業的另一部份獲利來自於投資，穩定的投資獲利讓保險業者可以脫離低利率的險境，但由於台灣法令對保險業者的投資限制，使保險業者欠缺投資管道。基於營運中太陽能電廠需要資金，而保險業者需要新投資項目的情況下，如何讓保險業者更明白太陽能產業之營運方式及潛在風險，給予保險業者更明確的方向做為評估模式，將是本研究之重點。 投資績效的準確度有賴於評估模式的準確性，而評估模式的準確性則取決於影響因子之準確性。故要算出較為準確的投資績效，理解與抓出適當之影響因子為本研究的研究基礎。最後，本研究將太陽能電廠之營運風險評估方式分為「營收面」與「成本面」兩個面向，「營收面」中包含環境因素、系統因素與太陽光電躉購費率三大類的影響因子；「成本面」則包含投資成本、租金成本、維修與管理成本與清潔成本四類影響因子。由以上影響因子來評估一間營運中太陽能發電廠的價值，並以20年來計算內部投資報酬率(IRR)作為評判基準。 / Due to the rapidly growth in renewable energy nowadays, the quantity of solar power systems rises sustaining. Taiwan, which has high solar technology, is still expending its capability on solar power systems. It makes Taiwan have a bright prospect of solar industries. However, the high cost and lengthy industrial chain of solar industries let solar power companies try to sell out their power systems or find investments. On the other side, based on the domestic saturated market and low interest rates, insurance industries in Taiwan are hardly to earn profit on their operation. Another way for insurance companies to obtain profit is investment. Therefore, a stable investing profit makes insurance companies out of the low-rate situation. But due to the investment restriction in Taiwanese laws, insurance companies are always lack of investment projects. Based on the short of capital funds in solar power system and the lack of investment projects in insurance companies, how to let insurance companies know more on solar industries and their potential risks, and how to assessment solar power system will be the key point in this paper. The accuracy of investment performance depends on accuracy of assessment model, and the accuracy of assessment model hinges on accuracy of impact factors. Therefore, in order to find an accurate investment performance, to realize and choose the appropriate impact factors will be the key process in this paper. Finally, to assess operational solar power station, this paper divided all the impact factors into two main categories: revenue and expense. Revenue includes 3 impact factors: environment factors, systems factors and feed-in tariff. Expense includes 4 impact factors: initial investment cost, rent expense, repair and managing cost and cleaning cost. According to these impact factors, we can assess the value of operational solar power station and evaluate internal rate of return (IRR) in 20 years.

The Complimentary Energy Decision Support Tool (CEDST) was conceived to be a renewable energy calculator designed specifically for rural sites and agricultural operations in Ontario, though could easily assess urban sites as well, and equipped with the ability to compare the feasibility of different technologies. The Wind Energy Calculator (WEC) component of the CEDST project was the focus of this thesis and was developed since research revealed no current wind prediction tools that met CEDST needs. Verification of WEC predictions found prediction accuracy to have bounds of +/- 60% on actual turbine energy production and was equivalent to the actual generation for 21% of cases. The discrepancy could have resulted from unusual annual wind speeds, which had no significant impact on project economics when analysed. Many cases revealed that 10 kW turbines are not feasible projects under the Feed-in Tariff program and that turbines begin to become economical around 35 kW. / University of Guelph, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Poultry Industry Council (PIC), Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), and Egg Farmers of Ontario

This dissertation seeks to contribute to the policy discussion on how to design efficient and sustainable energy policies. In three self-contained chapters, it applies microeconomic theory and empirical analysis to identify three market failures in European energy markets and to evaluate specific policy measures that strive to overcome these failures in order to increase market efficiency and to enhance environmental or societal sustainability. Chapter 1 and 2 study European electricity markets, which play an important role in the transition towards a carbon-neutral energy future. Overcoming barriers to efficient electricity markets is a crucial step to keep the costs of this transition as low as possible to society. Both chapters focus on obstacles to electricity market efficiency that have recently been highlighted by the European Commission. On the supply side, subsidies for renewable electricity may distort production incentives and competition in wholesale electricity markets. Chapter 1 applies a theoretical model to study the effect of different subsidies on producer strategies and competition in wholesale electricity markets. On the demand side, the European Commission seeks to overcome the reluctance of residential electricity consumers to switch electricity supplier in order to ensure effective competition in the retail electricity market. Chapter 2 empirically quantifies different reasons for switching inertia using a structural discrete choice model and performs counterfactual analysis to study the effect of different policy measures that seek to overcome switching inertia. Chapter 3 looks at the building sector, which accounts for 40% of final energy consumption in Europe and is a major emitter of carbon emissions. In the residential housing market information asymmetries hamper incentives to invest in energy efficiency improvements of rental property. This chapter empirically analyzes the effect of a European policy that mandates the use of energy performance certificates aiming at establishing an efficient market for energy efficient dwellings. / Doctorat en Sciences économiques et de gestion / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The goal of this diploma thesis was to create a comprehensive overview of the recent devel-opment in the fight against the climate change in European Union and complement it with evidence on how the CO2 reduction measures impacted the energy industry. Firstly, the ener-gy industry of the European Union is introduced with its basic characteristics. Information on the climate change and on actions that have been established so far in order to fight the cli-mate change is also provided. Next, the theoretical knowledge from the environmental eco-nomics is presented together with the various concepts on how to address the issues connected with the externalities. EU ETS and renewable energy subsidies (FiTs) are further analyzed and practical insights on how the measures work are also offered. The practical part contributes with analyses of case studies of Germany and Czech Republic, in which the key success factors of the policies and their impact are assessed.

La Directive européenne et les politiques de prévention du changement climatique conduisentà un développement important des Énergies Renouvelables pour la production d'électricité. Cecontexte politique est en train d'induire l'insertion massive de production intermittente d'origineéolien dans les réseaux électriques. Pour répondre à la question des limites de l'intégration de l'éoliendans les réseaux électriques, nous nous appuyons sur l'étude des aspects technique et économiques.Dans ce cadre, cette thèse s'intéresse d'une part à l'étude de l'efficacité des dispositifs d'incitationéconomique du point de vue de leur efficacité à stimuler la croissance de l'énergie éolienne et d'autrepart, aux problématiques techniques de court et long terme liées à l'intermittence de l'éolien. Dans lecourt-terme, les problèmes du réseau électrique ainsi que les ajustements dans le marché del'électricité sont abordés. Dans le long terme, l'impact de l'éolien sur la sûreté de fonctionnement estévalué au moyen d'un algorithme de calcul du crédit de capacité de l'éolien. / The development of Renewable Energy for electricity production has increased due to theEuropean policies and directives to prevent climate change. This political context is promoting amassive insertion of intermittent wind electricity production into electrical networks. There are stilldoubts about the limitations of integrating wind power into the electrical networks. For this reason,we focus on the study technical and economic aspects to approach these limitations. The firstpurpose of this research is to determine the effectiveness of the economical incentives policies inorder to stimulate growth in the wind power production. The second one is to evaluate the technicalproblems in the short and long term caused by the intermittency of wind power. In the short-term,the problems of power systems as well as the adjustments in the electricity market are discussed. Inthe long term, the impact of wind power reliability (in the network) is evaluated by using an algorithmto calculate the capacity credit of wind power.

Le Traité de Marrakech stipule que le commerce et le développement économique devraient être orientés de manière à permettre l’utilisation optimale des ressources mondiales, conformément à l’objectif de développement durable. Combiné aux dispositions du Protocole de Kyoto et du Traité de Copenhague, les gouvernements poursuivent de politiques nationales favorisant les producteurs nationaux au détriment des étrangers. Cette mémoire propose une analyse des règles de l’OMC, dans le but de déterminer les mesures disciplinaires possibles contre le Canada à l'égard de ses mécanismes de support de l’énergie renouvelable. Une analyse des règles énoncées dans le GATT, l’Accord sur les subventions et les mesures compensatoires et divers accords multilatéraux conclus dans le cadre de l’OMC permet de déterminer si elles pourraient s’appliquer aux mécanismes de support de l’énergie renouvelable. Une analyse des programmes du Québec et de l’Ontario permet une prise de position quant à leur conformité aux règles commerciales de l’OMC. / The Marrakesh Agreement’s preamble states that trade and economic development should be conducted to allow for the optimal use of the world’s resources in accordance with the objective of sustainable development. This, combined with the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol and Copenhagen Accord, allows governments to pursue their domestic policies in such a way as to unfairly favor domestic producers over foreign ones. This thesis provides a review of WTO law to assess the potential for disciplinary measures against Canada with regard to renewable energy support mechanisms. An analysis of the rules outlined in the GATT, the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures and various other WTO multilateral agreements allows us to determine whether such rules can apply to renewable energy support mechanisms. Furthermore, an analysis of the programs in support of renewable energy production available in Québec and Ontario sheds light on such mechanisms’ compliance with WTO trade rules.

Le Traité de Marrakech stipule que le commerce et le développement économique devraient être orientés de manière à permettre l’utilisation optimale des ressources mondiales, conformément à l’objectif de développement durable. Combiné aux dispositions du Protocole de Kyoto et du Traité de Copenhague, les gouvernements poursuivent de politiques nationales favorisant les producteurs nationaux au détriment des étrangers. Cette mémoire propose une analyse des règles de l’OMC, dans le but de déterminer les mesures disciplinaires possibles contre le Canada à l'égard de ses mécanismes de support de l’énergie renouvelable. Une analyse des règles énoncées dans le GATT, l’Accord sur les subventions et les mesures compensatoires et divers accords multilatéraux conclus dans le cadre de l’OMC permet de déterminer si elles pourraient s’appliquer aux mécanismes de support de l’énergie renouvelable. Une analyse des programmes du Québec et de l’Ontario permet une prise de position quant à leur conformité aux règles commerciales de l’OMC. / The Marrakesh Agreement’s preamble states that trade and economic development should be conducted to allow for the optimal use of the world’s resources in accordance with the objective of sustainable development. This, combined with the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol and Copenhagen Accord, allows governments to pursue their domestic policies in such a way as to unfairly favor domestic producers over foreign ones. This thesis provides a review of WTO law to assess the potential for disciplinary measures against Canada with regard to renewable energy support mechanisms. An analysis of the rules outlined in the GATT, the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures and various other WTO multilateral agreements allows us to determine whether such rules can apply to renewable energy support mechanisms. Furthermore, an analysis of the programs in support of renewable energy production available in Québec and Ontario sheds light on such mechanisms’ compliance with WTO trade rules.