the Technical Stuff...

Source: Jaffe, Adam B., Newell, Richard G. and Stavins, Robert N.,Energy-Efficient Technologies and Climate Change Policies: Issues and Evidence(December 1999). Climate Issues Working Paper No. 19; KSG Working Paper. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=198829 or DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.10.2139/ssrn.198829 So with all this talk about governmental energy policies, and energy star(R) products and 'green'-ness and what not, everything has gotten a bit confusing. Now all biases aside, balancing the question of energy conservation and energy output will provide us all a better future...the balance however....now that's a problem. I wanted to get a better idea of what's going on with the energy situation and what I think would be best for the future so that I can factor that understanding into voting one way or another. So, at the present time, many of our energy organizations are public-private. Some examples are Energy Star, Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing. This means that there are private individuals actually 'owning' and operating the 'company' with government over site and regulation, sometimes funding dependant upon the way the partnership/organization was created. (By no means is this a comprehensive discussion, but an explanation in the most basic of terms). There are a couple of questions we can ask about energy efficiency: 1. can the market handle the extra expense in making energy efficient products - should it? 2. is energy efficiency a viable mechanism for change? and then 3. how do we best enact this legislation? governmental control? volunteerism? tax credits? the list goes on and on. The Jaffe paper brings up the idea of the "energy gap" this is the 'gap' between the highest technological energy efficient products available and those being used in households across the US. Because of this gap, opponents argue that there will be no environmental benefits and so the time and energy producing these products is wasted. The proponents argue that this is because of 'barriers' in the market (i would also add a lack of understanding or perhaps an attitudinal barrier especially with older generations)(p.6). Whichever you agree more with, it has to be concluded that it is some combination of the two. Subsequent pages discuss various variables that are also barriers or possible barriers to the market, such as price of production, availability etc. Then, the article discusses the ways that new technology ideas get 'diffused' into our daily life and the different factors there as well. On page 14 the possible solutions begin. These are all interesting. Basically it comes down to the government's policy and priorities on energy efficiency. Do they want to save money or provide clean energy this dichotomy determines the path of regulation. They also argue that there are market clues that can be taken into consideration to determine how best to add energy efficient products to the market so they will do best. It is perhaps not an answer to the questions above, but a manner in how one should go about answering them. It's a pretty good read.