Comparative Renewables Policy

Challenging one-eyed technology-focused accounts of renewables policy, this book provides a ground-breaking, deep-diving and genre-crossing longitudinal study of policy development. The book develops a multi-field explanatory approach, capturing inter-relationships between actors often analyzed in isolation. It provides empirically rich and systematically conducted comparative case studies on the political dynamics of the ongoing energy transition in six European countries. While France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom opted for 'technology-specific' renewables support mixes, Norway and Sweden embarked on 'technology-neutral' support mixes. Differences between the two groups result from variations in domestic political and organizational fields, but developments over time in the European environment also spurred variation. These findings challenge more simplistic and static accounts of Europeanization. This volume will be of key interest to scholars and students of energy transitions, comparative climate politics, policy theory, Europeanization, European integration and comparative European politics more broadly, as well practitioners with an interest in renewable energy and climate transition. The Open Access version of this book, available at: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780429198144, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Elin Lerum Boasson is Associate Professor and Deputy Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Oslo. She is also Senior Researcher at CICERO - Centre for International Climate Research, Oslo, Norway. Merethe Dotterud Leiren is Research Director and Political Scientist at CICERO - Centre for International Climate Research, Oslo, Norway. Jørgen Wettestad is Research Professor at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Oslo, Norway.

Part I: Setting the Stage 1. Introduction 2. Comparing renewable support mixes 3. A Dynamic Multi-field Approach 4. Europeanization of renewables support Part II: Case Studies 5. Germany: From feed-in tariffs to greater competition 6. The United Kingdom: From market-led policy towards technology steering 7. Poland: Incumbent stability amid legislative volatility 8. France: From renewables laggard to technology-specific devotee 9. Sweden: Electricity-certificate champion 10. Norway: Certificate supporters turning opponents Part III: Assessments and Conclusions 11. Comparative assessments and conclusions 12. Implications for climate research and policy studies