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The zero carbon agenda and metals demand: some major dilemmas
The transition to net zero over the next few decades will involve a large increase in the global demand for many metals essential to the renewables...
60 UNU-WIDER articles, publications, projects, experts...
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Blog
Climate Change – The last 30 years and the next 30
With COP21 currently taking place in Paris, the thoughts of UNU-WIDER Research Fellow Channing Arndt on the past and future of the climate change...
Working Paper
Towards a political economy framework for wind powerWe propose a general taxonomy of the political economy challenges to wind power development and integration, highlighting the implications in terms of actors, interests, and risks. Applying this framework to three functions in China’s electricity...
Working Paper
The political economy of clean energy transitions at sub-national levelThis paper examines the political economy aspects, particularly the influence of the Clean Development Mechanism, in clean energy and climate change policies in the states of Bahia and Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. The different mechanisms for...
Working Paper
Post-apartheid electricity policy and the emergence of South Africa’s renewable energy sectorThis paper situates South Africa’s new renewable energy sector within the context of the country’s electricity system and in turn its unique political economy. I chart major developments in the country’s energy policy and governance since the end of...
Working Paper
The political economy of energy innovationThis paper empirically investigates the effects of environmental policy, institutions, political orientation, and lobbying on energy innovation and finds that they significantly affect the incentives to innovate and create cleaner energy efficient...
Working Paper
Varieties of clean energy transitions in EuropeThe paper introduces a novel framework for classifying different types of national political economies. It applies the outlined framework to analyse in an historical perspective the development of one mature renewable energy sector (onshore wind) and...
Working Paper
The social shaping of nuclear energy technology in South AfricaThis paper analyses the question why the South African government intends to procure nuclear energy technology, despite affordable and accessible fossil and renewable energy alternatives. We analyse the social shaping of nuclear energy technology...
Working Paper
Governing clean energy transitions in China and IndiaChina and India will have to radically transform their electric power systems in order to decouple economic growth from unsustainable resource consumption. While the majority of transition literature has focused on the diverse socio-technical factors...
Working Paper
Implementing EU renewable energy policy at the subnational levelThe European Union (EU) has set targets for gradually reducing greenhouse gas emissions through 2050. One of the instruments involved is the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive, which specifies a 20 per cent renewable energy target for the EU by 2020...
Working Paper
The effects of climate risk on hydropower P3 contract valueLarge hydropower dams are at the centre of a debate weighing the value and costs of renewable energy against the risks of climate change. The debate is especially relevant on the African continent, which offers vast hydropower potential, but which is...
Working Paper
An inquiry into the political economy of the global clean energy transition policies and Nigeria’s federal and state governments’ fiscal policiesIn order to implement clean energy transition programmes, the national and sub-national governments in Nigeria will incur some cost. In the same way, failure to implement the policies will come with some costs. This paper therefore considers the...
Journal Article
Biofuels technology development in Southern AfricaPart of Journal Special Issue Bioenergy in Southern Africa
Journal Article
Producing Biofuels in Low-Income CountriesThis paper jointly evaluates the greenhouse gas emissions and economic impacts from producing biofuels in Tanzania. Sequentially-linked models capture natural resource constraints; emissions from land use change; economywide growth linkages; and...
Working Paper
The Role of Issue Linkage in Managing the MekongThe Mekong River is the major water source in Southeast Asia and shared by six countries. There is a rush to acquire sources of alternative energy and other benefits to meet the growing demand for water and energy, while China and Myanmar have...
Working Paper
Optimized Reservoir Operation Model of Regional Wind and Hydro Power IntegrationThe present study develops a reliability assessment method of wind resource using optimum reservoir target power operations that maximizes the firm generation of integrated wind and hydro power. A combined water resources model for a system of...
Displaying 16 of 60 results