Wind Power Politics and Policy

Scott Victor Valentine

Uses case studies from a variety of countries, to illustrate the various policy-related impediments and catalysts to the implementation of wind power.
Assesses the question of why wind power has struggled to gain market share, despite its commercial viability.

Wind Power Politics and Policy

Scott Victor Valentine

Description

The wind power development policy community faces a conundrum. On the one hand, as the most commercially viable form of utility-scale renewable energy, the wind power industry has experienced in excess of ten-fold growth in total installed capacity over the past decade. On the other hand, installed wind power capacity still accounts for less than 2% of global electricity-generation capacity, despite the prevalence of studies indicating that, in certain situations, wind power can be a cheaper form of electricity than most fossil fuel alternatives. Accordingly, the most puzzling aspect of wind power development policy can be summed up in the following manner: given the global imperative to facilitate an expedient transition away from CO2-intensive energy technologies and the commercial viability of wind power, what is stopping the wind power industry from capturing higher market shares around the world?
In Wind Power Politics and Policy, Scott Valentine examines this question from two angles. First, it presents an analysis of social, technical, economic and political (STEP) barriers which research shows tends to stymie wind power development. Case studies which examine phlegmatic wind power development in Japan, Taiwan, Australia and Canada are presented in order to demonstrate to the reader how these barriers manifest themselves in practice. Second, the book presents an analysis of STEP catalysts which have been linked to successful growth of wind power capacity in select nations. Four more case studies that examine the successful development of wind power in Denmark, Germany, the USA and China are put forth as practical examples of how supportive factors conflate to produce conditions that are conducive to growth of wind power markets. By examining its impediments and catalysts, the book will provide policymakers with insight into the types of factors that must be effectively managed in order to maximize wind power development.

Wind Power Politics and Policy

Scott Victor Valentine

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION: THE GLOBAL IMPERATIVE
1.1 THE GLOBAL IMPERATIVE
1. 2 ENERGY AND THE GLOBAL IMPERATIVE
1. 3 ELECTRICITY AND THE GLOBAL IMPERATIVE
1.3.1 Electricity Generation Technologies
1.3.2 The Dynamics of Electricity Prices
1.4 ENERGY MARKET CHANGE & INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS
1.4.1 Convergence and Alternative Energy
1.4.2 The Need for Speed
1.5 ENERGY MARKET CHANGE & DEVELOPING NATIONS
1.5.1 Economic Considerations
1.5.2 Economic Security Considerations
1.5.3 Economic Empowerment
1.5.4 Social Considerations
1.5.5 The Need for Speed
1.6 WHEN FORCES FOR SPEED MEET THE NEED FOR SPEED
1.7 THE DICHOTOMY OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
1.8 OBJECTIVES AND OUTLINE OF THIS BOOK

CHAPTER 2: UNDERSTANDING WIND POWER SYSTEMS
2.1 THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING WIND POWER SYSTEMS
2.2 FEATURES OF WIND POWER SYSTEMS
2.2.1 Main Components of a Wind System
2.2.2 Innovation and Cost
2.2.3 Delivering Wind Power to the Grid
2.3 WIND POWER MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES
2.3.1 The Challenge of Matching Supply and Demand
2.3.2 Stochastic flows
2.4 ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS AND REALITIES
2.5 IMPAIRMENT OF EXISTING COMMUNITY ENDOWMENTS
2.5.1 Separating Perception from Fact
2.5.2 Perceptions Improve
2.5.3 Aesthetic Concerns Overshadow All Others
2.5.4 Beyond NIMBY Opposition
2.5.5 Overall Lessons in Regard to Community Opposition
2.5.6 Government Agency Opposition
2.6 IMPAIRMENT OF EXISTING ECOSYSTEMS
2.6.1 Bird Mortality
2.6.2 The Challenge of Estimating Bird Mortality
2.6.3 Degradation of Animal Habitat
2.6.4 Offshore Wind Farms and Ecological Concerns
2.6.5 The Importance of Environmental Impact Assessments
2.6.6 Aesthetics
2.7 CONCLUSION

CHAPTER 3: THE POLICY SET MODEL
3.1 THE VALUE OF A COMMON ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK
3.2 THE SEAMLESS WEB
3.3 COMPLEX ADAPTIVE MARKET THEORY IN WIND POWER MARKET ANALYSIS
3.4 STEP ANALYSIS
3.5 THE POLITICAL SET MODEL
3.6 THE POLITICAL SET MODEL AND THE CASE STUDIES
3.7 TYING THEORY TO THE POLITICAL SET MODEL

Chapter 4: Wind Power in Denmark
4.1 INTRODUCTION
4.2 AN OVERVIEW OF ELECTRICITY GENERATION IN DENMARK
4.3 HISTORY OF WIND POWER DEVELOPMENT IN DENMARK
4.4 UNDERSTANDING THE GENERAL FORCES FOR CHANGE
4.4.1 Socio-Cultural Landscape
4.4.2 Economic landscape
4.4.3 Technological landscape
4.5 INFLUENCES ON GOVERNMENT POLICY
4.5.1 Socio-Cultural à Political
4.5.2 Economic à Political
4.5.3 Technological à Political
4.6 POLITICAL INFLUENCES ON POLICY
4.6.1 National political structure
4.6.2 Governing party ideology
4.6.3 Fiscal health
4.6.4 Policy regime
4.7 THE CULMINATION OF INFLUENCES
4.8 WHAT TO EXPECT GOING FORWARD

Chapter 5: Wind Power in Germany
5.1 INTRODUCTION
5.2 AN OVERVIEW OF ELECTRICITY GENERATION IN GERMANY
5.3 HISTORY OF WIND POWER DEVELOPMENT IN GERMANY
5.4 UNDERSTANDING THE GENERAL FORCES FOR CHANGE
5.4.1 Socio-Cultural Landscape
5.4.2 Economic landscape
5.4.3 Technological landscape
5.5 INFLUENCES ON GOVERNMENT POLICY
5.5.1 Socio-Cultural à Political
5.5.2 Economic à Political
5.5.3 Technological à Political
5.6 POLITICAL INFLUENCES ON POLICY
5.6.1 National political structure
5.6.2 Governing party ideology
5.6.3 Fiscal health
5.6.4 Policy regime
5.7 THE CULMINATION OF INFLUENCES
5.8 WHAT TO EXPECT GOING FORWARD

Chapter 6: Wind Power in China
6.1 INTRODUCTION
6.2 AN OVERVIEW OF ELECTRICITY GENERATION IN CHINA
6.3 HISTORY OF WIND POWER DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA
6.4 UNDERSTANDING THE GENERAL FORCES FOR CHANGE
6.4.1 Socio-Cultural Landscape
6.4.2 Economic landscape
6.4.3 Technological landscape
6.5 INFLUENCES ON GOVERNMENT POLICY
6.5.1 Socio-Cultural à Political
6.5.2 Economic à Political
6.5.3 Technological à Political
6.6 POLITICAL INFLUENCES ON POLICY
6.6.1 National political structure
6.6.2 Governing party ideology
6.6.3 Fiscal health
6.6.4 Policy regime
6.7 THE CULMINATION OF INFLUENCES
6.8 WHAT TO EXPECT GOING FORWARD

Chapter 7: Wind Power in the United States
7.1 INTRODUCTION
7.2 AN OVERVIEW OF ELECTRICITY GENERATION IN THE USA
7.3 HISTORY OF WIND POWER DEVELOPMENT IN THE USA
7.4 UNDERSTANDING THE GENERAL FORCES FOR CHANGE
7.4.1 Socio-Cultural Landscape
7.4.2 Economic landscape
7.4.3 Technological landscape
7.5 INFLUENCES ON GOVERNMENT POLICY
7.5.1 Socio-Cultural à Political
7.5.2 Economic à Political
7.5.3 Technological à Political
7.6 POLITICAL INFLUENCES ON POLICY
7.6.1 National political structure
7.6.2 Governing party ideology
7.6.3 Fiscal health
7.6.4 Policy regime
7.7 THE CULMINATION OF INFLUENCES
7.7.1 Political à Socio-cultural
7.7.2 Political à Economic
7.7.3 Political à Technological
7.8 WHAT TO EXPECT GOING FORWARD

Chapter 8: Wind Power in Canada
8.1 INTRODUCTION
8.2 AN OVERVIEW OF ELECTRICITY GENERATION IN CANADA
8.3 HISTORY OF WIND POWER DEVELOPMENT IN CANADA
8.4 UNDERSTANDING THE GENERAL FORCES FOR CHANGE
8.4.1 Socio-Cultural Landscape
8.4.2 Economic landscape
8.4.3 Technological landscape
8.5 INFLUENCES ON GOVERNMENT POLICY
8.5.1 Socio-Cultural à Political
8.5.2 Economic à Political
8.5.3 Technological à Political
8.6 POLITICAL INFLUENCES ON POLICY
8.6.1 National political structure
8.6.2 Governing party ideology
8.6.3 Fiscal health
8.6.4 Policy regime
8.7 THE CULMINATION OF INFLUENCES
8.7.1 Political à Socio-cultural
8.7.2 Political à Economic
8.7.3 Political à Technological
8.8 WHAT TO EXPECT GOING FORWARD

Chapter 9: Wind Power in Japan
9.1 INTRODUCTION
9.2 AN OVERVIEW OF ELECTRICITY GENERATION IN JAPAN
9.3 HISTORY OF WIND POWER DEVELOPMENT IN JAPAN
9.4 UNDERSTANDING THE GENERAL FORCES FOR CHANGE
9.4.1 Socio-Cultural Landscape
9.4.2 Economic landscape
9.4.3 Technological landscape
9.5 INFLUENCES ON GOVERNMENT POLICY
9.5.1 Socio-Cultural à Political
9.5.2 Economic à Political
9.5.3 Technological à Political
9.6 POLITICAL INFLUENCES ON POLICY
9.6.1 National political structure
9.6.2 Governing party ideology
9.6.3 Fiscal health
9.6.4 Policy regime
9.7 THE CULMINATION OF INFLUENCES
9.7.1 Political à Socio-cultural
9.7.2 Political à Economic
9.7.3 Political à Technological
9.8 WHAT TO EXPECT GOING FORWARD

Chapter 10: Strategic Control over Wind Power Development Policy
10.1 INTRODUCTION
10.2 INFLUENTIAL SOCIAL FACTORS
10.3 INFLUENTIAL TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS
10.4 INFLUENTIAL ECONOMIC FACTORS
10.5 INFLUENTIAL POLITICAL FACTORS
10.6 CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Chapter 11: Applied Policymaking
11.1 POLICY FORMULATION
11.2 UNDERSTANDING SYSTEM DYNAMICS
11.2.1 Economics is Still King
11.2.2 Chain Reactions Can Be Partially Managed
11.2.3 Favorable Conditions Still Need to Be Managed
11.2.4 First Mover Advantages Exist
11.2.4 Public Opposition Trumps Economic Impediments at High Levels of Installed Capacity
11.3 POLICY IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING ESSENTIALS
11.3.1 Malleability
11.3.2 Transparency and Broad Participation
11.3.3 Strategic Balance
11.3.4 Evolutionary Mindset
11.4 AVENUES OF FURTHER RESEARCH AND CONCLUSION

Wind Power Politics and Policy

Scott Victor Valentine

Author Information

Scott Victor Valentine is Associate Professor in the Department of Public Policy and School of Environment and Energy at City University of Hong Kong.

Wind Power Politics and Policy

Scott Victor Valentine

Reviews and Awards

" [T]he book has a lot of value for understanding wind deployments across six of the most important countries in relation to forward looking policies and commitment to energy transformation with a commercialized renewable energy such as wind power. It is important for a range of readers - beginning students or well versed professionals - in order to understand the details of these case studies with very different systems and challenges." --Energy Research & Social Science

"If you must choose only one book to help understand the dynamics and potential of wind power in the contemporary energy mix, this is it. Valentine provides a succinct overview of the technologies and issues facing the sector and detailed cases studies of countries such as Germany, Denmark Canada, Japan, China and the United States which show the factors and variables which have resulted in some of these countries being world leaders in wind power and others laggards. This is a first class work, engaging and readable yet detailed and sophisticated in its approach and findings." --Professor Michael Howlett, Chair Professor, Department of Political Science, Simon Fraser University, Author of Designing Public Policy: Principles and Instruments

"Climate change can no longer be denied. Humanity has to act quickly and decisively to deal with it and mitigate its impact. We have to give up our addiction to fossil fuel and find alternative power sources. Surprisingly, little attention has been paid to wind power as a viable alternative. Scott Valentine's book therefore could not be more timely and more relevant for a planet in peril. He explains lucidly how wind power can give us new hope." --Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Dean, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, former President of the UN Security Council, Author of The Great Convergence: Asia, the West, and the Logic of One World

"As the climate change crisis makes clear, the transition to clean energy is the challenge of this century. An important component of a renewal energy mix will be wind power. But there is nothing certain about this development. This book helps us sort out the complex issues associated with this important source of renewable energy. I highly recommend it." --Professor Frank Fischer, Professor, Department of Political Science, Rutgers University, Author of Reframing Public Policy: Discursive Politics and Deliberative Practices

"The book describes a dilemma wrapped in a paradox. The paradox is that the world needs to decarbonize its electricity sector, yet clean and competitive wind power is struggling. That creates the dilemma: will the world embrace the opportunity to generate carbon-free electricity and address the changing climate or will it continue on its unsustainable path forward? Scott Valentine's book explains the electricity resource choices made by six influential nations. The history of wind power development in these nations is explained through a Political SET framework which provides comprehensive insight into forces that either enable or bar wind power development. This book provides a clear idea of what must be managed in order for wind power development to meet its potential in a timely manner." --Professor Marilyn Brown, School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology, Author of Climate Change and Global Energy Security: Technology and Policy Options, 2007 Nobel Laureate