Global energy use has expanded at unprecedented rates to keep up with the demands of growing economies and populations. Issues such as climate change mitigation, sustainable development, and energy security have complicated energy expansion, and countries worldwide are reevaluating their current sources of energy, where it comes from, and how much of it they utilize. Renewable energy (RE) technologies have emerged as the answer for many countries energy problems satisfying the need for cleaner technology while still expanding energy supplies as a tool for further economic development. These new technologies, however, face significant market barriers that impede the uptake of new RE technologies and necessitate government intervention.
The research in the paper analyzes the impact of the quota obligation policy, more commonly called the renewable portfolio standard (RPS) in the United States (US), on the adoption of wind power. The first analysis in the paper observes past regulatory policies and applies what is learned from their implementation to the RPS. The manner in which electric utilities responded is also examined to determine how the utilities may respond to further regulatory mandates such as a federal RPS. The second analysis utilizes data from the 35 states with an RPS in estimating a structural model of wind power development which accounts for particular characteristics of the RPS target and other drivers of wind power development such as state economic and population factors. This research shows that several other factors play a key role in increasing wind capacity within US states in addition to the RPS. These factors include a states wind energy potential, state GDP, and state population change. Additionally, it was found that there is a momentum effect associated with time since RPS adoption and that increases in wind energy prices do not negatively affect development in states with an RPS.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PITT/oai:PITTETD:etd-05252010-115936 |
| Date | 29 June 2010 |
| Creators | Ratnikova, Deanna |
| Contributors | John Mendeloff, Nuno Themudo, Martin Staniland |
| Publisher | University of Pittsburgh |
| Source Sets | University of Pittsburgh |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-05252010-115936/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Pittsburgh or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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