The Swiss CO2 law runs out in 2012, together with the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. Currently, the Swiss parliament is deciding on the successor of the law that aims to achieve a 20% reduction of CO2 emissions below 1990 levels by 2020. As a means to achieve this ambitious...

We explore the history and current status of green energy finance in Australia and New Zealand. Although both countries have enviable renewable energy resources with a 100% renewable mix considered feasible, the two countries present highly contrasting contexts for energy finance. Currently, and...

India's energy sector is experiencing a transition with increasing penetration of renewable energy in the energy mix. One of the major impediments in the process of such a transition is to secure the necessary finance to achieve the transformative goal of producing 175 gigawatts of renewables by...

Die deutsche Energiepolitik verfolgt zwei wesentliche Ziele, zum einen die Abkehr vom Atomstrom (Energiewende), zum anderen den Ausbau erneuerbarer Energien, um für das Klima gefährliche Treibhausgase einzusparen. Dabei kommen unterschiedliche Instrumente zum Einsatz, die sich teilweise...

The Chinese leadership has determined to assign the market a decisive role in allocating resources. To have the market to play that role, getting the energy prices right is crucial because this sends clear signals to both producers and consumers of energy. While the overall trend of China’s...

The EU Parliament has agreed on a target of a 20 % share of renewables in the EU's total energy consumption by 2020. To achieve the target, the Council has adopted mandatory differentiated national targets for each of the Member States. In this paper we consider the potential for cost reductions...

Standard economic theory provides clear guidance on the design of cost-efficient policy in the presence of imperfect markets and externalities. However, observed policies reveal extensive discrepancies between principles and practise. Based on interviews with core politicians from the Norwegian...

We analyse optimal environmental policies in a market that is vertically differentiated in terms of the energy efficiency of products. Considering energy taxes, subsidies to firms for investment in more eco-friendly products, and product standards, we are particularly interested in how...

As an important step towards building a 'harmonious society' through 'scientific development', China has incorporated for the first time in its five-year economic plan an energy input indicator as a constraint. While it achieved a quadrupling of its GDP while cutting its energy intensity by...