Chapter 3- Comparison of RE policies
This chapter will examine the available literature on policies used to encourage the growth of renewable energy sources and technologies. A wide variety of policies have been introduced around the world with differing levels of success. This chapter will look at some of them and discuss whether Scotland should adopt, intensify or even abandon each one.
Research and Development support
Although the majority of research and development funding is generally supplied by the private sector, many countries do employ programs that help to support it.
There are several reasons why such programs may be necessary in order to encourage research and innovation. It may simply be that private investors may have
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This highlights the need for government support especially among the less mature technologies. Due to the unpredictable returns from each project the literature suggests that the government should diversify support for research. “In a situation where failure is more likely than success, but the successes will have great social value, government can bear the costs of a diversified R&D portfolio more easily than any one private firm.”(Popp, 2010)
The Scottish government offers various schemes to encourage renewable R&D. Firstly there is the Energy Technology Partnership, which is an alliance between 12 Scottish universities who are engaged in energy research. It is the largest partnership of its kind in Europe and is funded to carry out research, exchange knowledge, offer discounted courses on areas of the energy sector and to improve links within the industry.
Scottish Enterprise through its Renewable Energy Investment Fund also offers various loans and grants to eligible projects. In addition the Saltire prize was introduced to Scotland in 2008 in an attempt to encourage wave and tidal energy research and development. It is a ten million pound prize that is open to any individual or team from across the world. To win you must generate the most electricity (a minimum of 100 GWh) over a continuous two year period using only
Improvements in health care and life sciences are an important source of gains in health and longevity globally. The development of innovative pharmaceutical products plays a critical role in ensuring these continued gains. To encourage the continued development of new drugs, economic incentives are essential. These incentives are principally provided through direct and indirect government funding, intellectual property laws, and other policies that favor innovation. Without such incentives, private corporations, which bring to market the vast majority of new drugs, would be less able to assume the risks and costs necessary to continue their research and development (R&D). In the United States, government action has focused on creating the environment that would best encourage further innovation and yield a constant flow of new and innovative medicines to the market. The goal has been to ensure that consumers would benefit both from technological breakthroughs and the competition that further innovation generates. The United States also relies on a strong generic pharmaceutical industry to create added competitive pressure to lower drug prices. Recent action by the Administration and Congress has accelerated the flow of generic medicines to the market for precisely that reason. By contrast, in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
The UK government had made concerted efforts over the years in developing a definite course of action for the Renewable energy industry in the UK in light of changing conditions of the industry. This was done in order to guide and determine the conditions of engagement while proposing future directions and decisions. The intentions of these high level overall plans were to provide clear goals for the relevant stakeholders including, regulators, generators, suppliers and consumers.
Moreover, we must make sure the research and development department have enough funds to operate. In order to act as a science resource centre for the government, the R&D department needs to do a lot of researches and these researches require a huge amount of money.
And with that comes the conflict of whether or not that quest holds so much importance that a nation’s citizens should fund it without explicit consent. That scenario has occurred for almost all of the frontiers of the United States, especially Westward Expansion and space exploration. Furthermore, an entire frontier can fall apart if the money is taken midway through the mission. If the government had not bought new territory for the United States, it would prove to be difficult settling new land for our nation. And if the government pulled the funding from NASA, or ceased to fund research for new technologies, many companies would rely on donations to push on, which, although it might prove challenging, could help them to progress
One of the largest obstacles hampering research is funding. There is obviously a massive amount of research that must be conducted; the
The Office of Management and Budget, which outlines the White House’s plans for economic success, maintains that it “look[s] to scientific innovation to promote sustainable economic growth” (Zients and Holdren 1). NASA contributes to this notion by spending its budget on investments in and collaboration with other scientific institutions. It plays a part in each of the nine areas of science and technology (e.g. clean energy and advanced manufacturing) outlined in the Office of Management and Budget’s plan for economic prosperity (“NASA Socio-Economic Impacts” 9). Moreover, NASA participates in the development of 14 different technology types, from launch propulsion systems to nanotechnology (4). These involvements by NASA stimulate the economy in several ways. The administration encourages prosperity and innovativeness in other companies by contributing funds to their efforts. This, in turn, spurs competition in the technology marketplace, as more companies want to participate in NASA’s endeavors. Also, NASA’s participation in energy research guides the United States towards energy independence, which promotes a stable economy. This shows that the federal government’s funding of NASA is justified because the administration’s contributions to society and the economy are more valuable than the 0.5% of the federal budget that it
It has recently come to light that Glasgow and the West of Scotland have been using a great deal of our earth’s precious finite resources. To combat this we must take advantage of our valuable surroundings and look for long term replacements such as solar, wind and tidal power as well as geothermal and hydroelectric sources. In the interest of our planets wellbeing and our country’s economy, the engineers at SECC have created the following report. Our aim is to help you realise the potential of these alternative sources and push for them to replace the power plants burning through our finite resources.
A lot of times people make single stories about people based on their skin color and for Tom Robinson it was true. The Maycomb community singled out Tom and did not treat him with any respect because of his skin color. “You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her?”(Lee 264). When Tom went to testify and said he felt sorry for mayella the lawyer almost laughed at him because of how disrespectful he is. He thought that there was no way a black man could feel sorry for a white woman, almost like it was impossible for them. What they didn’t understand is that Tom felt sorry for her because she sees him hurting and no one else can figure it out. No matter what his skin color is he sees what is going on and feels sorry that Mayella has to live
“The mission of the SBIR program is to support scientific excellence and technological innovation through the investment of Federal research funds in critical American priorities to build a strong national economy. The program’s goals are four: 1) Stimulate technological innovation, 2) meet Federal research and development needs, 3) foster and encourage participation in innovation and entrepreneurship by socially and economically disadvantaged persons, 4) increase private-sector commercialization of innovations derived from Federal research and development
Renewable energy sources like solar, wind and hydroelectric are available but are not used often. I want us to put a limit on countries on how much non-renewable energy sources they can use. Only if we work together, help the other countries can we accomplish this. In fact, just today(1/24) Scotland has set a goal for using 50% renewable energy by 2030. I think that Scotland has set a realistic goal and that other countries should follow their lead. Non-renewable energy sources are bound to run out and when they do, we can either be ready by using renewable energy or have a global crisis. One of the best renewable energy sources currently is solar energy. Solar panels cost very little to install and have little to no maintenance. The sun provides us with more energy than we need. In fact, in just over an hour, the sun provides enough energy to run the world for an entire year. Even with the current 20% efficient solar panels, we could easily solve our energy problem. Therefore, by beginning to transition to solar energy today, we will be preventing a catastrophe of
In universities and industries, a massive amount of their entire funds come from the federal government. Plus, some private foundations, public-interest groups, and state governments will give their support for research.
Global warming and climate change is one of the most pressing issues in the contemporary society given its continued impacts on human life and the world’s ecosystem. The considerable effects of this issue have raised huge concerns among policymakers, governments, and the public. As a result, various initiatives have been developed in attempts to lessen global warming or climate change, especially those related to reducing the emission of greenhouse gases to the Earth’s atmosphere. Governments across the globe including the United Kingdom government have adopted various policies that focus on dealing with the issue. There are various policies that help in dealing with the issue including lessening greenhouse gases emissions, adapting to the effects of climate change, and geo-engineering of the climate system. The attempts by the UK government to address this problem require an understanding of the increasing energy demands and its future impact and use of suitable renewable energy sources.
Small, biotech firms and university labs can help to plug the innovation gap, and even some mid-size pharmaceutical firms are operating with R&D visions and in a therapeutic area to build detailed knowledge.
Through innovation in technology, the space exploration programs of the United States have achieved several benefits for today’s society. Many studies have shown that space programs have encouraged innovation of various
Energy is a critical component for every economy and society around the world. Energy is divided into two groups, nonrenewable (coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear) with a finite amount found around the globe and renewable (hydro, tidal, solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass) that are constantly being replenished so that they will never run out (Green Energy Choice, 2011). The international economic impact of renewable energy is explored by examining subsidies, strategic policies, and comparative advantage of renewable energy.