Interactions of factors impacting implementation and sustainability of renewable energy sourced electricity

L. Gottschamer and Q. Zhang

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2016, vol. 65, issue C, 164-174

Abstract: Two renewable energy sourced electricity (RES-E) technologies are at the forefront of the current energy transition away from fossil fuels: wind, and solar photovoltaic. However, RES-E must overcome implementation, and sustainability challenges from factors identified in economic, policy, societal, technological, and environmental dimensions. RES-E diffusion is also a complex problem, and this critical review suggests that outcomes depend on interdependencies between factors within a single, or across multiple dimensions. Four categories of interactivity have been identified. Higher capital costs or market inequalities associated with the economic dimension of RES-E drive supportive policies or incentives in the policy dimension. In the policy-policy category, interactions between RES-E demand or supply side incentives influence electricity pricing, energy market mixes, or greenhouse gases emissions. The society-technology category examines societal-technological interactions at both micro, and macro scales. The environment-technology category details interactions between RES-E and the environment. The technology-technology category examines synergies between RES-E when collocated with conventional electricity generation technologies

Keywords: Renewable Energy; Systems Thinking; Interactions; Sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2016.06.017

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