This thesis investigates the connection between environmental regulation, technological innovation, and export competitiveness in renewable energy equipment based on a large sample of 225 developed and developing countries from 1990 to 2012. The empirical analysis yields strong supporting evidence for the narrowly strong Porter Hypothesis as well as for the lead market theory. The results suggest that environmental regulation drives innovation and export volumes in solar- and wind-power-related goods. This is particularly the case for well-crafted (i.e. market-based, output-oriented, and clear) instruments such as carbon trading regimes. Moreover, the data show that early adopters of renewable energy support policies benefit most.

Eco-innovations are crucial for reducing the environmental damages arising from economic activities, and are one of the main drivers of a successful transition towards sustainable development and remedying essential climate change problems. This book provides an overview of recent advances in the rapidly growing field of eco-innovation research, adopts an interdisciplinary perspective and outlines the main future developmental trends. A broad range of topics are addressed, including a bibliometric analysis of eco-innovation research, the relationship between eco-innovation and corporate sustainability, eco-innovation system analysis, new evidence on the economic effects of eco-innovation, and the relevance of policy and policy mixes for eco-innovation activities. The book is dedicated to Klaus Rennings, one of the most important representatives of this field, who unexpectedly passed away in September 2015.

This Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report (IPCC-SRREN) assesses the potential role of renewable energy in the mitigation of climate change. It covers the six most important renewable energy sources - bioenergy, solar, geothermal, hydropower, ocean and wind energy - as well as their integration into present and future energy systems. It considers the environmental and social consequences associated with the deployment of these technologies, and presents strategies to overcome technical as well as non-technical obstacles to their application and diffusion. SRREN brings a broad spectrum of technology-specific experts together with scientists studying energy systems as a whole. Prepared following strict IPCC procedures, it presents an impartial assessment of the current state of knowledge: it is policy relevant but not policy prescriptive. SRREN is an invaluable assessment of the potential role of renewable energy for the mitigation of climate change for policymakers, the private sector, and academic researchers.

The dynamism in modern Asia, especially with the current revival in Japan, stands in sharp contrast to the situation in Europe. An in-depth understanding of what is happening in contemporary Asia is key to grasping opportunities that this dynamism creates for all. This multi-volume reference work consists of three up-to-date and comprehensive volumes on Asia and the world economy. It covers the most important aspects of the world economy as they pertain to Asia in the increasingly accelerating globalization process and is a must-have for anyone keen to understand Asia and the contemporary world.The three-volume set covers the climate change challenges and solutions from the Asian perspectives, focusing on both domestic arrangements and trade-based options, and discusses scenario analyses for future climate regimes; the sustainability of growth in the Indian economy determined by analyzing the role of economic, technological and environmental factors and lastly, the growth experiences and prospects of India and China.

This book provides an up-to-date, rigorous analysis of the state of the art of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation. It focuses on the economic analysis of solar PV generation technologies as well as the policies that have been devised and implemented around the globe to support it. It provides the main theoretical tools for understanding the cost of these technologies, and discusses them from both a historical and comparative perspective with respect to other competing technologies (both conventional and renewable). In addition, it presents the conceptual rationale to maximize reader insights into whether and how public support for these technologies is justified as well as the consequences for the economy of different promotion measures. Integrating concepts from different economics disciplines (environmental economics, innovation economics, industrial economics and public economics) into a coherent basis for the analysis of the costs and policies for solar PV electricity, it provides an update to the literature to reflect recent advances in and deployments of solar electricity and the drastic reduction in associated costs.

Three papers exploring the implications of liberalising trade in various categories of environmental goods: environmentally preferable products, renewable-energy products and energy-efficient products.