Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
badge of environmental honor. However, in Denmark and Germany there
are already indications that public dissatisfaction is on the rise in many
regions with high concentrations of wind farms. If this is occurring now
in nations where wind power only contributes about 20% to the national
power grid, what will public perception be like if wind power expands to 30
or 40% in these and other nations? More research is needed concerning the
evolution of public perception as wind power difusion enhances.
Notwithstanding these valuable avenues for future research, the Political
SET model allows analysts to extract a much higher degree of contextually
infused knowledge in a systematic manner. he 32 variables described in
Chapter 10 that have played empirically veriied roles in inluencing wind
power development provide analysts with a concrete foundation from
which to commence analysis. If policy is formulated by taking into consider-
ation the unique national make-up of these 32 STEP variables the prospects
for policy success will be elevated. Furthermore, if the insights described in
this chapter are then used to guide policy implementation, monitoring, and
reformulation, the efectiveness of wind power policy can be maintained
throughout the stages of wind power difusion. Ensuring that the structure
of policies are customized to synergize with the national dynamics of the
energy sector's STEP variables necessitates infusing the policy process with
malleability, transparency, public participation, strategic balance, and evo-
lutionary understanding. Plato might be right in observing that the knowl-
edge that we currently have pales in comparison to the knowledge that we
do not have. But on the other hand, a rudimentary map is far better than
not possessing a map and all.
NOTES
1. Valentine, Scott Victor. 2010. “A STEP Toward Understanding Wind Power
Development Policy Barriers in Advanced Economies.”
Renewable and Sustainable
Energy Reviews
14 (9): 2796-2807. 10.1016/j.rser.2010.07.043.
2. A very useful topic that describes the strategic challenges posed by complex adap-
tive systems is Brown, Shona L., and Kathleen M. Eisenhardt. 1998.
Competing on
the Edge: Strategy as Structured Chaos
. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School
Press.
3. he most recent energy outlook report from the International Energy Agency (IEA)
is illustrative of alarm in mainstream energy circles that the current pace of transi-
tion away from carbon-intensive electricity generation is too slow to abate undesir-
able costs attributed to the worst impacts of climate change. International Energy
Agency (IEA). 2013.
World Energy Outlook 2013
. Paris: International Energy Agency.
4.
For a cost comparison see International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). 2012.
30 Years of Policies for Wind Energy: Lessons from 12 Wind Energy Markets
. Abu
Dhabi: International Renewable Energy Agency.
