This paper looks at the role of firms in the transformation of fossil fuel based energy systems towards cleaner and greener energy systems. Firms are playing an important role in determining the speed and direction of technical change towards such energy systems. But systemic constraints and...

The innovation dynamics in the transition to renewable energy industries in India and South Africa is explored, by examining the development of the two main renewable energy technologies and comparing the transitional approaches. The functions of a technological systems approach is used to trace...

This paper examines the role of the global institutional frameworks on the national processes of innovation diffusion. we focus on the influence of the Kyoto mechanisms on the diffusion of renewable energy technologies in the BRICS countries i.e. Brazil, China India, Russia and South Africa. Our...

The objective of the study is to shed light on the contributions of energy consumption and energy R&D on economic growth. We examine two sets of causal relationship between (1) capital stock, energy consumption and real GDP and (2) capital stock, energy R&D and real GDP using panel-based...

As the installed capacity of wind generation in Ireland continues to increase towards an overall goal of 40% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020, it is inevitable that the frequency of wind curtailment occurrences will increase. Using this otherwise discarded energy by strategically...

Using a three-sector general equilibrium model, the impact of renewable electricity support policies on the rate of equilibrium unemployment is analyzed. In a simple two-factor version of the model, the paper shows analytically that renewable electricity support policies lead to an increase in...

Hourly DNI data from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology over 8 years have enabled analysis of implications for solar thermal power generation systems. Six sites were selected, mostly in central Australia and the occurrence and duration of gaps in the availability of energy inputs to solar...

Stimulating renewable energy is a crucial objective in view of tackling climate change and coping with future fossil fuel scarcity. In France, fuelwood appears to be an important source for the renewable energy mix. Using the French Forest Sector Model, our paper aims to assess the impacts of...

The possibility of 100% renewable supply of European energy is analysed in terms of the amount of redundant plant required to cope with the intermittency of wind and solar energy, and the limited biomass potential. It is concluded that the capital cost would be unaffordable, and that biomass...

Energy resources for rural electrification are variable and widely dispersed, such that a solution for one region might not be appropriate for another. This study evaluates the feasibility of renewable energy technologies, centralized grid extension and local coal-fired power for rural areas...