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Foto: Matthias Friel

Energy policy: instruments for deep decarbonisation - Einzelansicht

Veranstaltungsart Seminar Veranstaltungsnummer 429911
SWS 2 Semester SoSe 2021
Einrichtung Sozialwissenschaften   Sprache englisch
Belegungsfrist 06.04.2021 - 10.05.2021

Belegung über PULS
Gruppe 1:
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    Tag Zeit Rhythmus Dauer Raum Lehrperson Ausfall-/Ausweichtermine Max. Teilnehmer/-innen
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Seminar Di 08:00 bis 12:00 14-täglich 13.04.2021 bis 06.07.2021  Online.Veranstaltung Prof. Dr. Lilliestam  
Kommentar

Moodle key: savingtheworld2021

The links to the Zoom seminars will be posted on the course’s Moodle page a few days ahead of each meeting.

The link to the first class will also be posted on the Moodle page a few days in advance. Please make sure to register to THIS YEAR’S class so that you can access the correct links.

Overview and setting of the course

Climate change is one of the big political challenges of our time. It has been on the political agenda for some 30 years, in an increasing number of countries. With the Paris Agreement, almost all countries in the world have committed themselves to contributing their share to limiting the global temperature to well below 2 degrees, implying a commitment to a fully carbon-neutral global economy by mid-century. This is a huge challenge – economically and technologically, for sure, but especially also societally and politically.

In terms of emission reductions, one cannot say that it has gone well: globally, GHG emissions are still increasing. To a large extent, this is caused by economic growth and industrial development in emerging countries, causing a hunger for energy that is often fed with fossil energy, including oil for the growing transport systems and coal or gas power for the power grids.

In the industrialised world, however, emissions generally decrease – too slowly, but they decrease. In Europe, for example, GHG emissions have decreased by over 20% compared to 1990, and the European Union met its 2020 climate target. Evidently, it is possible to bend the emissions curve. In particular in the energy sector – responsible for some 2/3 of global greenhouse gas emissions – starts seeing radical changes, both through the rise of renewable energy technologies and efficiency measures. In Europe, at least some policy efforts appear to have worked: emissions and energy demand are decreasing, and European (together with a handful of other countries’) policies have contributed to making renewables technologically and economically viable, putting Europe and all other countries in a position where complete energy system decarbonisation may be feasible.

In this course, we will explore the instrumentation of climate policy in the energy sector, especially on the European and national levels. The course will centre on historical and prospective policy analysis of energy policy instruments, drawing on concepts, theories and evaluation frameworks from various disciplines, including political science and environmental, behavioural and evolutionary economics. We will go far beyond the conventional description of ”climate policy” as global treaties and carbon pricing, and look at the broad set of policy instruments that affect the chances to decarbonise energy, with a focus on the European context. In this course, we will

-          investigate different types of energy policy instruments, their theoretical roots and expected effects;

-          analyse the actual performance of these instruments through case studies of both successful and failed historical cases, in order to understand how instrument design affects policy effects, but also how instruments differ in both scope and aim;

-          learn how instruments interact in a policy mix, each performing a specific task and contributing to a successful energy transition;

-          learn how to create policy solutions to take us from today’s fossil-based system to a carbon-neutral energy future in Europe.

 

Learning objectives

Students understand the breadth of the climate and energy policy field, the diversity of instruments, and know how the main instrument types work and interact. They are able to identify a policy and allocate it to the appropriate discourse and theoretical roots. Students are able to evaluate whether a policy is likely to achieve its aims, informed by knowledge of the functioning, efficiency and effectiveness of similar policies elsewhere or in the past, and can suggest alternative or complementing policies for achieving a particular energy policy goal. Students are able to generalise and combine knowledge about the barriers to decarbonisation in various energy sectors and the barriers addressed by specific policy instruments as applied in cases discussed in class, in order to create own suggestions for decarbonisation of any energy sector or geographic context.

Course outline

Classes will take place every two weeks, for four hours. The course is entirely online, in Zoom. The Zoom link to the first session will be on the course’s Moodle page a few days ahead of the first session. Please make sure to enrol in Moodle, and to enrol in the course for THIS semester, summer semester 2021.

In every session (classes 2-6), we focus on a particular type of instrument, both investigating its theoretical roots and how it has played out in practice illustrated by case studies for a particular energy sector. We will then explore and generalise lessons learned from practice, and seek to apply these lessons to develop policy proposals for other energy sectors and/or contexts. In the last session, we will pull it all together and create policy proposals for full decarbonisation of the energy system of a European country, based on the goals and instruments presented in a national energy strategy, such as a National Energy and Climate Plan.

In order to fully adapt the course to the online format, we apply a flipped classroom format, with intense preparations – readings and 4-5 student videos – before class and then discussion and problem-solving in small groups in class.

The videos replace the traditional presentations as Nebenprüfungsleistung and will be recorded by the students themselves. The videos will be made available for the whole class on Media.UP at least 72 hours before class. Every student will need to view these in preparation of each seminar, together with the set of mandatory readings. The students presenting will also need to read the mandatory readings, but their presentations must go well beyond that, focusing on theory (1 of the 4/5 presentations) or case studies (the rest). Because the videos are central to the success of each class, students presenting must coordinate their presentations, to avoid repetition and ensure that key messages are made clear. To this end, the lecturer and the group of students presenting will meet well before each class to plan the set of presentations, and to help finding relevant literature for the preparations. Each student will receive an individual grade and feedback for the presentation, but that grade will also consist (25%) of the performance of the group of presentations of each session as a whole.

In class, we will have focused discussions in small groups, each for a 75-minute slot. This will happen every second Tuesday morning, but the exact time will differ – and will of course be communicated well in advance. The students presenting will be in one slot (thus with only 5 students present), whereas the others will be randomly assigned to one of two other groups of 10 students each. The 10-student groups will go first (at 8.15 and at 9.30), and the presenter group will go last (at 11.00).

There will be substantial reading required in preparation of each class, consisting both of academic literature and of primary policy texts. Because we have double classes, each session will also have the “double” amount of reading, so it is important to plan ahead. A book (M. Grubb: Planetary Economics) will accompany us throughout the semester.

Students requiring a pass/fail grade must only pass the presentation. Students who want to do the module examination or require a grade for the course must additionally write a semester thesis. That semester thesis will contribute 2/3 of the final grade, with the other 1/3 being the presentation grade.

Any student allowed to enrol in the respective modules can take part in the course. Having attended the Climate and Energy Transition Policy seminar (winter semester) will be beneficial but is not necessary for participating in this course.

Sessions (subject to updates, esp. regarding the cases)

 

Date

 

1

 

Introduction

What will we do in this class – how and why?

Step into the world of energy policy, theoretical basics and policy evaluation criteria

2

 

Paying for emissions

Carbon pricing: cap and trade systems, carbon taxes. Theory and carbon pricing experiences from the EU, Scandinavia, the UK, and the Kyoto protocol.

3

 

Bridging the technological valley of death

Market introduction instruments. Theory and cases for renewable electricity support in Germany, Sweden/Norway, the UK.

4

 

Sticks and carrots

Standards and subsidies. Theory and cases from energy efficiency policies in Europe, including the Building Directive, Ecodesign, national renovation policies.

5

 

Command and control

Phase-out policies. Theory and cases from nuclear, petroleum car and coal phase-out policies in France, Spain, Germany, Sweden.

6

 

Breaking and reshaping the regime

Infrastructure policies. Theory and cases from bike system and city reconfiguration in the Netherlands, Denmark and Berlin, and for electric cars infrastructure in Norway, the Netherlands and Germany.

7

 

Pulling it all together

Applying our knowledge to the National Energy and Climate Plan of a European country: what should this country do now in order to reach its goals? [case still to be determined]

Literatur

Books (as preparation for sessions, according to the reading list):

-          Michael Grubb (2014): Planetary Economics, Routledge. (available as open access e-book)

Articles, reports, etc. (required as preparation for sessions)

-          Reading list will be provided when the semester starts. Expect 2-4 academic articles and/or policy documents of varying gravitas.

Articles, reports etc. for students presenting:

-          An initial set of suggested readings will be recommended, but students will need to do their own research of both the theory and empirics of the case studies.

Leistungsnachweis

Students requiring a pass/fail grade must only pass the presentation. Students who want to do the module examination or require a grade for the course must additionally write a semester thesis. That semester thesis will contribute 2/3 of the final grade, with the other 1/3 being the presentation grade.


Strukturbaum
Keine Einordnung ins Vorlesungsverzeichnis vorhanden. Veranstaltung ist aus dem Semester SoSe 2021 , Aktuelles Semester: SoSe 2024