Abstract
The energy policy debate in Europe has set (industrial) competitiveness high on the agenda. Support for renewable energies (RE) was in debate and partly suspended. The recent discussion on supporting nuclear power in the UK has, however, demonstrated that renewables are not the only low-carbon option that requires financial incentives under the current framework conditions. The aim of this paper is to compare the costs of state aids necessary for constructing new nuclear power plants for the example of the planned plant at Hinkley Point C in the UK with support incentives for RE.
For doing so, a static and a dynamic approach are followed: The static approach compares today’s support incentives for renewable energy with the state aid for Hinkley Point C, whereas for the dynamic approach a model-based assessment of future RE deployment up to 2050 in the EU is undertaken. This is done by use of the Green-X-model (www.green-x.at) and incorporates the impact of technological learning (future cost reductions) as well as aspects of market integration of variable renewables like solar and wind.
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Resch, G., Suna, D. (2019). Renewable Energies versus Nuclear Power. In: Haas, R., Mez, L., Ajanovic, A. (eds) The Technological and Economic Future of Nuclear Power. Energiepolitik und Klimaschutz. Energy Policy and Climate Protection. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-25987-7_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-25987-7_6
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