Three essays on the diffusion of clean energy technologies
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Due to the pressing challenges from climate change and energy security, clean energy technologies have been widely regarded as providing important channels to reduce carbon emissions and to alleviate the reliance on fossil fuels. It is imperative to analyze the underlying dynamics and mechanisms of the diffusion of clean energy technologies, to identify key factors influencing the diffusion and to evaluate the impacts from the diffusion process. This dissertation empirically analyzes the diffusion of wind energy and energy efficient building technologies, using China and U.S. as examples. Chapter 1 introduces clean energy technologies as well as the key mechanisms, entities and issues involved in the diffusion of these technologies. Chapter 2 quantifies the effect of technology acquisition mechanisms -- purchasing production licenses from foreign manufacturers, joint design with foreign design firms, joint ventures and domestic R& D -- on wind turbine manufacturers 's technology levels (as measured by turbine size, in MW). It also examines the impacts of government policies and manufacturers' business diversification on technology levels. The results from econometric modeling studies indicate that technology acquisition mechanisms are statistically significant factors in influencing both technology upgrading and catch-up. In Chapter 3, learning by doing and learning by searching rates of wind energy in China are quantified. The two types of learning investigated are associated with about 4% price reduction per doubling of installed capacity, providing an estimate of the evolution of the price of wind power, a technology widely used in other markets, which in China has benefited from technology leapfrogging, established supply chains, and operational experience in other countries. This chapter also identifies that wind turbine manufacturing localization and wind farm economies of scale are significantly associated with reductions in the price of wind power in China. Chapter 4 discusses the rebound effects of energy efficiency. A key ongoing debate on energy efficiency is about the extent of the rebound effects: does greater efficiency lead to higher or lower energy use than there would have been without those improvements? Chapter 4 analyzes the rebound effects of energy efficiency in the commercial building sector. Chapter 4 builds a structural model of a building's decision to adopt an energy efficient building technology and subsequent energy demand. The results show that energy efficient technologies save energy after rebound effects. This gives quantitative argument for government to promote the diffusion of energy efficient technologies.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2012 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Qiu, Yueming |
|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department |
| Primary advisor | Ortolano, Leonard |
| Primary advisor | Sweeney, James L |
| Thesis advisor | Ortolano, Leonard |
| Thesis advisor | Sweeney, James L |
| Thesis advisor | Harding, Matthew |
| Advisor | Harding, Matthew |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Yueming Qiu. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. |
| Thesis | Thesis (Ph.D.)--Stanford University, 2012. |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2012 by Yueming Qiu
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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