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Evaluating the case for supporting renewable electricity

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  • Newbery, David

Abstract

Renewable electricity, particularly solar PV and wind, creates external benefits of learning-by-doing that drive down costs and reduce COâ‚‚ emissions. The Global Apollo Programme called for collective action to develop enewable energy. This paper sets out a method for assessing whether a trajectory of investment that involves initial subsidies is justified by the subsequent learning-by-doing spillovers and if so, computes the maximum justifiable additional subsidy to provide, taking account of the special features of renewable electricity -- geographically dispersed and variable quality resource base and local saturation. Given current costs and learning rates, accelerating the current rate of investment appears globally socially beneficial for solar PV in most but not all cases, less so for on-shore wind. The optimal trajectory appears to involve a gradually decreasing rate of growth of installed capacity.

Suggested Citation

  • Newbery, David, 2018. "Evaluating the case for supporting renewable electricity," CEPR Discussion Papers 12700, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:12700
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Tiruwork B. Tibebu & Eric Hittinger & Qing Miao & Eric Williams, 2024. "Adoption Model Choice Affects the Optimal Subsidy for Residential Solar," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-19, February.
    3. Simshauser, Paul & Newbery, David, 2024. "Non-firm vs priority access: On the long run average and marginal costs of renewables in Australia," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    4. Simshauser, P. & Gohde, N., 2024. "3-Party Covenant Financing of 'Semi-Regulated' Pumped Hydro Assets," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2425, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    5. Volker Roeben & Rafael Emmanuel Macatangay, 2023. "Bluer Than Blue: Exit from Policy Support for Clean Marine Energy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-19, October.
    6. Espinosa Valderrama, Mónica & Cadena Monroy, Ángela Inés & Behrentz Valencia, Eduardo, 2019. "Challenges in greenhouse gas mitigation in developing countries: A case study of the Colombian transport sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 111-122.
    7. Newbery, David, 2018. "Policies for decarbonizing a liberalized power sector," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy, vol. 12, pages 1-24.
    8. Özdemir, Özge & Hobbs, Benjamin F. & van Hout, Marit & Koutstaal, Paul R., 2020. "Capacity vs energy subsidies for promoting renewable investment: Benefits and costs for the EU power market," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    9. Newbery, David M., 2023. "High renewable electricity penetration: Marginal curtailment and market failure under “subsidy-free” entry," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    10. Roach, Martin & Meeus, Leonardo, 2023. "An energy system model to study the impact of combining carbon pricing with direct support for renewable gases," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    11. Özdemir, Ö. & Hobbs, B. & van Hout, M. & Koutstaal, P., 2019. "Capacity vs Energy Subsidies for Renewables: Benefits and Costs for the 2030 EU Power Market," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1927, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    12. Nemet, Gregory F. & Lu, Jiaqi & Rai, Varun & Rao, Rohan, 2020. "Knowledge spillovers between PV installers can reduce the cost of installing solar PV," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    13. Zhou, Li & Duan, Maosheng & Yu, Yadong & Zhang, Xiliang, 2018. "Learning rates and cost reduction potential of indirect coal-to-liquid technology coupled with CO2 capture," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 165(PB), pages 21-32.
    14. Fabra, Natalia, 2021. "The energy transition: An industrial economics perspective," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    15. Grubb, Michael & Lange, Rutger-Jan & Cerkez, Nicolas & Sognnaes, Ida & Wieners, Claudia & Salas, Pablo, 2024. "Dynamic determinants of optimal global climate policy," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 490-508.
    16. Zhao, Jinyang & Yu, Yadong & Ren, Hongtao & Makowski, Marek & Granat, Janusz & Nahorski, Zbigniew & Ma, Tieju, 2022. "How the power-to-liquid technology can contribute to reaching carbon neutrality of the China's transportation sector?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(PA).
    17. Michael Pollitt & Geoffroy Dolphin, 2021. "Should the EU ETS be extended to road transport and heating fuels?," Working Papers EPRG2119, Energy Policy Research Group, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
    18. Simshauser, Paul & Gohdes, Nicholas, 2025. "Incomplete markets, pumped hydro storage and the role of policy in Australia's national electricity market," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    19. Romeiro, Diogo Lisbona & Almeida, Edmar Luiz Fagundes de & Losekann, Luciano, 2020. "Systemic value of electricity sources – What we can learn from the Brazilian experience?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    20. Tibebu, Tiruwork B. & Hittinger, Eric & Miao, Qing & Williams, Eric, 2022. "Roles of diffusion patterns, technological progress, and environmental benefits in determining optimal renewable subsidies in the US," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    21. David Newbery, 2020. "Club goods and a tragedy of the commons: the Clean Energy Package and wind curtailment," Working Papers EPRG2036, Energy Policy Research Group, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • C6 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • H43 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Project Evaluation; Social Discount Rate
    • Q42 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Alternative Energy Sources
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming
    • Q5 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics

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