Designing for Diffusion: Opportunities and Barriers in Energy Transition

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

The global response to climate change requires a rapid transition from fossil fuels to clean technologies. Despite technological availability, there remain many barriers to diffusion of renewable energy. This panel unpacks the behavioral and economic barriers to diffusion to inform policy designs that catalyze the energy transition.

The first paper examines local variance in renewable energy uptake versus fossil fuel persistence to explore what powers energy transition within and across the United States. The authors use panel regression and spatial autocorrelation tests to identify factors that support renewable development versus reinforce fossil fuel infrastructure. The results inform policy designs that mitigate “not in my backyard” barriers to clean energy diffusion.

The second paper evaluates the interaction of large-scale solar projects with landscapes and communities. The authors analyze public comments submitted by thousands of stakeholders to understand perceptions of aesthetic, economic, health, land use, pollution, property values, and wildlife problems that may arise from large-scale solar diffusion in the US and UK. These findings inform how public officials and developers can engage with communities to cultivate socially acceptable energy transitions.

The third paper analyzes potential profit-sharing agreements that can support offshore wind projects in developing economies. The authors combine meta-analysis and Monte Carlo simulations grounded in data from expert interviews and a panel of offshore oil and gas seabed lease agreements. The results identify sets of viable terms which would apply policy instruments already in place for fossil fuels to foster both renewable energy diffusion and local economic development.

The fourth paper evaluates the policy landscape shaping adoption of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) using state-level data to predict adoption of both SAFs themselves and the policy incentives promoting them. The authors analyze evidence of diffusion mechanisms including emulation, competition and learning. The findings offer insight into how context and policy design combine to influence technology diffusion, with broader implications for understanding policy design in hard-to-decarbonize sectors.

Together, these papers comment on the role of state- and other local-level policies in shaping the climate response and energy transition. Through diverse methods and contexts, the authors measure policy variations and their impacts on renewable energy uptake. As a result, the session will foster critical discussion on how policy design can catalyze diffusion at the scale and speed the climate crisis demands.

Policy Area

• Natural Resource, Energy, and Environmental Policy

Chair

• Evan Matthew Mistur, University of Texas at Arlington

Discussants

• Stephanie Lenhart, Boise State University

• Daniel Matisoff, Georgia Institute of Technology

Organizer

• Mallory E Flowers, University of Rhode Island

Individual Presentations

• Powering subnational energy transitions: Understanding the spatial and policy drivers drivers of renewables diffusion - Presenting Author: Benjamin Leffel, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Evaluating the Perceptions of Problem Shifting Related to Large-Scale Solar Development in the US and UK - Presenting Author: Gilbert Michaud, Loyola University Chicago

• Encouraging Offshore Wind in Developing Countries: Novel Applications of Seabed Leasing Best Practices - Non-Presenting Co-Author: Helen Croskell, University of Rhode Island; Presenting Author: Mallory E Flowers, University of Rhode Island

• Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) Policies Taking Off: Inventory and Diffusion of SAF Incentives in the US - Presenting Author: riley chodak, Georgia Institute of Technology