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2001–2008: European-Scale Experimentation in Renewable Energy Policy-Making

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Feed-in tariffs in the European Union

Part of the book series: Progressive Energy Policy ((PEP))

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Abstract

The chapter analyses two evolutions in European renewable electricity policy between 2001 and 2008. The first was a sophistication of renewable electricity support schemes, in particular feed-in tariffs. The second was the consolidation of expertise about renewable electricity policy. Cointe and Nadaï describe how feed-in tariffs were re-arranged in their design and in their relations to European law. In parallel, they trace the expansion of literature on renewable electricity policy. This production of expertise was partly driven by the European Commission and its will to coordinate renewable electricity policy across Europe via regular assessments. The chapter ends on an analysis of the validation of feed-in tariffs as “market-based” by the Commission, arguing that it also reflected a shift in focus from competition to investment.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In a similar view, Owen (2006) distinguished three perspectives in research on the obstacles to the entry of renewable energy into the mainstream of the power sector: a research, innovation and deployment one (focused on the nature of innovation , on industry strategies and on learning processes), a market barriers approach (a view of the adoption of new technologies as a market process, focused on the framework within which investors and consumers make decision) and a market transformation perspective (interested in the practical dimensions of market building and influencing actors’ attitude and decisions).

  2. 2.

    The definition of “maturity” cannot be taken for granted; it is in fact quite complex, since it can incorporate technological, industrial, economic or political dimensions—most of which are not stabilised as such when considering emerging technologies, hence the inverted commas. For the purpose of this paragraph, we take it to refer to a comparison of the dependence on support: wind power, for instance, has been around for longer than photovoltaic , and its costs have decreased enough to reach a level comparable with those of conventional electricity. Being closer to “competitiveness”, it can be considered as needing less support than other, more expensive and less widespread technologies for which deeper cost reductions are still expected.

  3. 3.

    At least in their most basic forms. More sophisticated models with “technology bands” have been developed in order to avoid lock-in of the most mature technologies.

  4. 4.

    The conclusions presented in these two paragraphs are drawn from the OPTRES report, an expertise report commissioned by the European Commission, and whose executive summary expresses the same ideas using similar wording (Ragwitz et al. 2007, p. 2).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. TIK Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Béatrice Cointe

  2. CIRED-CNRS (Centre International de Recherche sur l’Environnement et le Développement), Nogent-sur-Marne, France

    Alain Nadaï

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  1. Béatrice Cointe
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  2. Alain Nadaï
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Cointe, B., Nadaï, A. (2018). 2001–2008: European-Scale Experimentation in Renewable Energy Policy-Making. In: Feed-in tariffs in the European Union. Progressive Energy Policy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76321-7_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76321-7_4

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