Renewable energy can play a fundamental role in tackling climate change, environmental degradation and energy security. As these challenges have become ever more pressing, governments and markets are seeking innovative solutions. Yet, what are the key factors that will determine the success of renewable energy policies? How can current policies be improved to encourage greater deployment of renewables? What impact can more effective policies have on renewables’ share in the future global energy mix and how soon? Deploying Renewables: Principles for Effective Policies addresses these questions. Responding to the Gleneagles G8 call for a clean and secure energy future, it highlights key policy tools to fast-track renewables into the mainstream. This analysis illustrates good practices by applying the combined metrics of effectiveness and efficiency to renewable energy policies in the electricity, heating and transport sectors. It highlights significant barriers to accelerating renewables penetration, and argues that the great potential of renewables can be exploited much more rapidly and to a much larger extent if good practices are adopted.

Table of contents: Executive Summary Introduction Chapter 1. Renewable Energy Technology Market Trends in OECD Countries and BRICS Chapter 2. Potentials and Costs for Renewable Energy Technologies Chapter 3. Effectiveness and Efficiency of Renewable Energy Market Deployment Policies Chapter 4. Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) Trends for Renewables Chapter 5. Conclusions and Recommendations Annex A. Definitions, Abbreviations, Acronyms and Units Annex B. References