Vicki Garrett and Tomas M. Koontz.

Energy Policy, Vol. 36, No. 4, Apr. 2008, pp. 1551-1566.

Creating the technologies to solve our energy and pollution problems is only one part of the solution. Getting the technologies adopted may be a larger hurdle. This study examines the adoption of a low- or no-cost technology, passive solar housing design, in the United States. Interviews with professionals involved in passive solar supply identified lack of demand as the most important factor, followed by availability, awareness, and economic incentives. Corresponding survey results from homebuyers in one region suggest that lack of demand represents not disinterest, but rather lack of availability when purchasing a home. Conventional homeowners are not familiar with passive solar design, but are predisposed to favor it, especially if it can be incorporated into traditional housing styles. In addition, to the extent that they can learn information to counter the perceptions that passive solar homes are too complicated or there is too little sun in their region, homebuyers would be more willing to purchase a passive solar home. Policy interventions to promote passive solar homes should focus on supply-side incentives as well as information for homebuyers. [Copyright 2008 Elsevier Ltd.]

Arthur van Benthem, Kenneth Gillingham and James Sweeney.

Energy Journal, Vol. 29, No. 3, 2008 2008, pp. 131-151.

Much policy attention has been given to promote fledgling energy technologies that promise to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. These policies often aim to correct market failures, such as environmental externalities and learning-by-doing (LBD). We examine the implications of the assumption that LBD exists, quantifying the market failure due to LBD. We develop a model of technological advancement based on LBD and environmental market failures to examine the economically efficient level of subsidies in California's solar photovoltaic market. Under central-case parameter estimates, including nonappropriable LBD, we find that maximizing net social benefits implies a solar subsidy schedule similar in magnitude to the recently implemented California Solar Initiative. This result holds for a wide range of LBD parameters. However, with no LBD, the subsidies cannot be justified by the environmental externality alone.

K. Seyboth, L. Beurskens, O. Langniss and Ralph E. H. Sims.

Energy Policy, Vol. 36, No. 7, Jul 2008, pp. 2460-2463.

Heating and cooling in the industrial, commercial, and domestic sectors constitute around 40-50% of total global final energy demand. A wide range of renewable energy heating and cooling (REHC) technologies exists but they are presently only used to meet around 2-3% of total world demand (excluding from traditional biomass). Several of these technologies are mature, their markets are growing, and their costs relative to conventional heating and cooling systems continue to decline. However, in most countries, policies developed to encourage the wider deployment of renewable electricity generation, transport biofuels and energy efficiency have over-shadowed policies aimed at REHC technology deployment. This paper, based on the findings of the International Energy Agency publication Renewables for Heating and Cooling-Untapped Potential, outlines the present and future markets and compares the costs of providing heating and cooling services from solar, geothermal and biomass resources. It analyses current policies and experiences and makes recommendations to support enhanced market deployment of REHC technologies to provide greater energy supply security and climate change mitigation. If policies as successfully implemented by the leading countries were to be replicated elsewhere (possibly after modification to better suit local conditions), there would be good potential to significantly increase the share of renewable energy in providing heating and cooling services.; All rights reserved, Elsevier

Kwok L. Shum and C. Watanabe.

Energy Policy, Vol. 36, No. 2, Feb 2008, pp. 508-521.

It is by now familiar that in the deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, the cost dynamics of major system component like solar cell/module is subjected to experience curve effects driven by production learning and research and development at the supplier side. What is less clear, however, is the economics of system integration or system deployment that takes place locally close to the user, involving other market players, in the downstream solar PV value chain. Experts have agreed that suppliers of solar PV system must customize their flexible characteristics to address local unique users' and applications requirements and compete on price/performance basis. A lack of understanding of the drivers of the economics of system customization therefore is a deficiency in our understanding of the overall economics of this renewable energy technology option. We studied the non-module BOS cost for grid-connected small PV system using the experience curve framework. Preliminary analysis of PV statistics of the US from IEA seems to suggest that learning in one application type is taking place with respect to the cumulative installation among all types of grid-connected small PV projects. The effectiveness of this learning is also improving over time. A novel aspect is the interpretation of such experience curve effect or learning pattern. We draw upon the notion of product platform in the industrial management literature and consider different types of local small-scale grid-tied PV customization projects as adapting a standard platform to different idiosyncratic and local application requirements. Economics of system customization, which is user-oriented, involves then a refined notion of inter-projects learning, rather than volume-driven learning by doing. We formalized such inter-projects learning as a dynamic economy of scope, which can potentially be leveraged to manage the local and downstream aspect of PV deployment. This dynamic economy may serve as a focus of energy policy having implications on standardization of design and training for installation, facilitating knowledge reuse among different integration projects and enabling inter-projects learning.; All rights reserved, Elsevier

Y. Kajikawa, J. Yoshikawa, Y. Takeda and K. Matsushima.

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Vol. 75, No. 6, Jul 2008, pp. 771-782.

Science and technology for renewable and sustainable energy are indispensable for our future society and economics. To meet the goal of sustainable energy development, there is a growing body of research efforts world wide. The planner of energy research has to grasp the broader coverage of scientific and technological research, and make decisions on effective investment in promising and emerging technologies especially under circumstances of limited resources. In this paper, we track emerging research domains in energy research by using citation network analysis. Our analysis confirms that the fuel cell and solar cell are rapidly growing domains in energy research. We further investigate the detailed structure of these two domains by clustering publications in these domains. Each citation cluster has characteristic research topics, and there is a variety of growth trends among the clusters. By using citation network analysis, we can track emerging research domains among a pile of publications efficiently and effectively.