Renewable Energy Solution
Assignment Task�
The current trend in the United Kingdom energy policy suggests an�
evolutionary direction from a highly fossil fuel driven economy, to an�
environmentally friendly energy policy, mainly due to the evidence of climate�
change and global warming.�
Using the Strength-Weakness-Opportunity-Threat (SWOT) analytical tool,�
critically discuss the impact of advancements in renewable energy�
technologies on the direction of energy policy of the United Kingdom.�
�
Abstract
RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES 2
Changes in technology in the United Kingdom has played an important role in climate
change since these functions contribute to the reduction of technological costs, a factor that leads
to the increase in market penetration of emission reducing initiatives (Cahoy, pp. 24-28, 2012).
This paper seeks to provide a conceptual framework that highlights the necessity of the need of
renewable energy technologies on the direction of energy policies in the United Kingdom.
In a brief overview, the paper will determine the induced innovative hypothesis by clearly
showing interventions that have been an essential tool in advancing the course of renewable
energy technologies in the United Kingdom (Cahoy, pp. 24-28, 2012). Different literature will be
incorporated to show different views on the need for renewable policies with the aim of
overcoming the concomitant barriers and failures of its success. Through the incorporation of a a
situational analysis the paper will critically detail the impacts and advancements that can be
achieved in initiating renewable energy technologies in line with the energy policies of the
United Kingdom.
Introduction
It is important to note that the many challenges that have been experienced worldwide are
due to climate changes that result from carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that are released in the
environment massively (Daugherty, & Carter, pp. 24-28. 2010). It is out of these measures that a
substantial effort is required in order to reduce the concentrations of CO2 at levels that mitigates
the increments in subsequent temperature rates, a factor that would cause effects on the
economic performance, ecosystems, and welfare.
Increased cases of diffusion and adaptation of renewable energy technologies plays a
significant role in the contemporary society today. Several appeals have been made to enlighten
RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES 3
people on the potential of relying on renewable energies with some bearing no fruits (Daugherty,
& Carter, pp. 24-28. 2010). Renewable energy has the benefit of generating local environmental
and health benefits to the environment and the locals as well as approaches of facilitating energy
access that can positively impact competitiveness, employment, and a sustainable green growth
system.
It is against this background that technology and its advances included the changes play a
significant role in helping lower the costs which in turn enables the United Kingdom to increase
its market penetration on the renewable energy technologies (Daugherty, & Carter, pp. 24-28.
2010). Technological developments of this nation need to be therefore accelerated with the aim
of reducing the elements of low carbon by making the renewable energy technologies (RET) is
cheaper and more efficient for the adaptation of large scale consumption in the country.
It is crucial to regard that the selection and dissemination of the renewable energy
technologies have been strongly hampered by several obstacles that need to be addressed. The
numerous failures in implementing these initiatives in the United Kingdom can be attributed to
the high costs and risks associated with the implementation f this programs, unfavorable pricing
structures, the limited access to these modes of diffusion including the non-consideration of the
benefits of this concomitant (Ewalk, Elzarka, Hellwig, & Stein, pp. 91-119, 2014).
Literature Review on Factors that Affect these Processes
In identifying the major factors that have hampered the implementation of the renewable
energy technologies in accordance to the energy policies, it is significant to mention that the
government of the United Kingdom has been the largest contributor by its regulative terms on
RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES 4
the implementation of the environmental policies that are required to correct that challenges
experienced in the nation (Ewalk, et. al).
This factor has in turn affected the pricing mechanisms of the nation in implementing
these technologies since several laws have been initiated to restrict the costs of this renewed
energy technology (Ewalk, et. al). Market barriers in this case refer to those elements and factors
that discourage the market entrance and participation of this technology in this region. The
market failure and barriers therefore that hinder the development of this initiative can be
explained in the table provided below;
Market Failures Market Barriers
Unpriced costs including the negative
externalities
The market power and economics of scale
Unpriced social costs on supply vulnerabilities The unprimed nature of the benefits accrued
from learning through usage
Social costs of emissions that is unprimed The marginalization of the new technologies
due to the market power that is exerted by
other conventional energy initiatives and
companies.
National security risks and unprimed positive
externalities
Higher transition costs on information
The unprimed nature of the benefits of
knowledge and innovation
Principal-agent challenges on policy
coordination
RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES 5
Market Barriers
Low awareness and priority on energy
issues.
Barriers in capital markets
The uncertainty on the future energy costs
and prices
Intensive capital investments in renewable
energy technologies that disquotational fiscal
policies
High costs and discount rates on renewable
energy costs
The enacted subsidies on conventional energy
sources
Administrative procedures on project
approval measures
Unfavorable legislative measures on renewable
energy technologies
Unpriced costs or negative externalities
Major failures in the prices of fossil fuels do not affect the costs of associated fuel prices
remain a challenge in the implementation of renewable energy technology. This factor is
attributed to the fact that there are no policy interventions that regulate the emissions that are
made on the fossil combustion (Ewalk, et. al). Due to this problem, the government has been
challenged in pricing these combustions on an optimum social level based on the public
character of the clean air and environmental technologies.
Negative environmental externalities therefore arise since the prices that have been
placed on the greenhouse gases have tentatively exceeded the private costs of emissions. This
translates to the fact that substitutes on fossil fuels can be misused on the context that the
RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES 6
investments are not adequately provided to mitigate the external costs of initiating the renewable
energy technologies.
Another problem that is looming and hampering the implementation of the renewable
energy technology is in the externalities in the supply of vulnerable energy. This factor is
primarily attributed to the unrelated pricing mechanisms that have been pegged by the national
security risks on oil and gas imports. The costs that are related to these risk factors fail to be
adequately reflected in the implementation of the renewable energy technology prices (Gerlat,
pp. 16-19, 2014). Out of these factors, the policy interventions enacted by the government in
achieving the objectives of these aspects fail in relation to the failure in identifying the potential
of implementing the renewable energy technologies.
Situational Analysis
Strengths Weaknesses
The capacity of holding a global research on
sciences associated with renewable energy
systems.
The introduction of the renewable energy
technology seems o be expensive compared to
the use of fossil energy solution.
Focus placed on the importance of the
renewable energy technologies
The production of the renewable energy
solutions remains a challenge to the woodlands
since it is land consuming.
The strong support achieved from the
stationary demonstration initiatives in the
niche markets of the United Kingdom
The use of renewable energy solutions needs
the investment of coexisting technologies
Excellence achieved in the field of research on The Implementation of this initiative requires a
RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES 7
the capabilities of manufacturing renewable
energy technological solutions
training program geared towards equipping
several key players on the importance of this
technology, a factor that is considered
expensive.
The renewable energy technologies can,
therefore, adjust a steady supply of a
replenished energy systems that substitute the
fossil fuels
The specialization and consistency of
improved agricultural produce also are a
hindrance to the implementation of this
initiative since they offer competition into the
achievement of the renewable energy
technological goals
The renewable energy technology can create
job opportunities in the United Kingdom
The invention of biofuels and wood
technologies that are characterized by low
energy contents measured on the basis of
volumes.
Production of a renewable energy technology
opens doors for a renewed distribution channel
that benefits agricultural products, a factor that
increases the income levels of farmers
Opportunities and Threats
Opportunities Threats
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Renewed energy technological solutions have
the capacity to replace the use of fossil fuels.
The domination of transport fuels in the United
Kingdom with fossil fuels
The development of new renewable energy
technologies that will affect the use of bio-fuel
production and benefit the environment
Limited resources that hamper the initiation of
these functions
New research resources that will develop new
energy technologies that are beneficial to the
environment
The competitive market that advocates for the
production of fossil fuels
New and efficient technologies will be
formulated to improve on the existing
technologies on renewable energy initiatives
The influence of political laws on the
production of renewed energy technologies
Discoveries on the development of renewed
energy solutions has weakened over time
Summary of the SWOT Analysis
Strengths Weaknesses
There is a significant need of the development
of renewed energy technologies in the United
Kingdom
The slow implementation of the land reform
issues in the United Kingdom
The introduction of renewed energy
technologies will relieve the electrical market
The relative low price of fossil fuels in the
United Kingdom market
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The production of a renewed energy
technology has the capacity to meet the supply
needs of the market and overtake the
production of the fossil fuel
The production of renewable energy is proving
to be consuming a lot of land thus making the
turnover of the woodlands to remain low
Opportunities Threats
United Kingdom’s target in introducing the
renewable energy technologies in the market
The failure in an efficient coordination and
corporation between the environmental and
energy organizations in the United Kingdom
The directives of the European Union in
implementing the renewed energy solutions
The negative reactions that have been received
from the introduction of the renewed energy
technologies
The funds allocated by the European Union in
the implementation of hi initiatives
Lack of proper financial allocations geared
towards achieving the nations objectives of
introducing the renewable energy technologies
(Hitchin, pp. 36-39, 2014)
The Need of Introducing RET in the United Kingdom
It is important to mention that in order to minimize the effects of global warming, there is a great
need for introducing the renewed energy technology in the United Kingdom. All these factors
will provide a positive impact on the nation’s objectives of mitigating the emission of carbon
into the environment, a factor that will immensely affect the health of the nation positively.
RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES 10
In order to achieve this, the United Kingdom needs to introduce efficient vehicles that
consume less fossil fuel since they remain the largest pollutants of the environment. The nation
needs to engage in developing research strategies towards the innovation in producing energy
efficient vehicles that rely on renewed energy technologies and not fossil fuels (Hitchin, pp. 36-
39, 2014). It is also significant to mention that the production of such vehicles will be high, thus
making the prices of purchasing them also high. In order to normalize and regulate the pricing
structures of these innovative vehicles, there is a need for introducing several players into the
market who will engage in the production of RET vehicles, a factor that will ensure the prices are
regulated.
It is also a factor to consider for the United Kingdom to introduce the use of solar panels
and wind power as an element of the implementation of renewed energy technology. The
introduction of the solar and wind energy technologies will be utilized as a clean source of
energy in the nation (Kim, pp. 1162-1185, 2013). This can be accomplished by the advancement
of energy power plants geared towards reducing environmental pollution and that support the
introduction of these technologies.
The United Kingdom also has a voice in realizing this initiative by positively
implementing this technology. It is significant that the nation enforces a legislative measures and
laws that impose the implementation of these technologies in the country (Kim, pp. 1162-1185,
2013). This can only e achieved when there are explicit laws that have been developed that
regulate the emissions of carbon into the environment from companies. The introduction of
carbon taxes on all companies that emit carbon into the environment will be a significant factor
to consider into mitigating the use of fossil fuels in the nation.
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In a nutshell, there are a lot of factors that need to be considered in ensuring that
renewable energy technologies on the direction of energy policies in the United Kingdom are
achieved. These factors have a positive impact on the environment since they support the efforts
of reducing the effects of global warming (Lacasa, pp. 1073-1093, 2014). In order to achieve all
this objective, the United Kingdom need to minimize or mitigate the consequences of global
warming through the development of renewed energy technologies.
Conclusion
It is important to note that the many challenges that have been experienced worldwide are
due to climate changes that result from carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that are released in the
environment massively. Increased cases of diffusion and adaptation of renewable energy
technologies plays a significant role in the contemporary society today.
Technology and its advances included the changes play a significant role in helping lower
the costs which in turn enables the United Kingdom to increase its market penetration on the
renewable energy technologies (‘Ozzie Zehner,’ pp. 1-7, 2012). The adoption and diffusion of the
renewable energy technologies therefore play a significant factor in strongly changing the factors
that obstruct its functions by the introduction of the renewed energy technologies and policies in
the United Kingdom.
In short, there are a lot of factors that need to be considered in ensuring that renewable
energy technologies on the direction of energy policies in the United Kingdom are achieved.
These factors have a positive impact on the environment since they support the efforts of
reducing the effects of global warming.
RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES 12
References
Cahoy, DR 2012, ‘Inverse Enclosure: Abdicating the Green Technology Landscape’, American
Business Law Journal, 49, 4, pp. 805-857, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 4
July 2015.
Daugherty, M, & Carter, V 2010, ‘Renewable Energy Technology. (cover story)’, Technology
Teacher, 69, 5, pp. 24-28, Professional Development Collection, EBSCOhost, viewed 4 July
2015.
Ewalk, S, Elzarka, H, Hellwig, C, & Stein, S 2014, ‘Emerging Sustainable Practices and
Technologies in Commercial Construction’, Franklin Business & Law Journal, 2014, 3, pp. 91-
119, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 4 July 2015.
Gerlat, A 2014, ‘Taking a Turn?’, Waste360, 45, 7, pp. 16-19, Business Source Complete,
EBSCOhost, viewed 4 July 2015.
Hitchin, P 2014, ‘RENEWABLE RISKS’, Engineering & Technology (17509637), 9, 8, pp. 36-
39, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 4 July 2015.
Kim, E 2013, ‘Deregulation and differentiation: Incumbent investment in green
technologies’, Strategic Management Journal, 34, 10, pp. 1162-1185, Business Source Complete,
EBSCOhost, viewed 4 July 2015.
Lacasa, ID 2014, ‘Ceremonial Encapsulation and the Diffusion of Renewable Energy
Technology in Germany’, Journal Of Economic Issues (M.E. Sharpe Inc.), 48, 4, pp. 1073-1093,
Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 4 July 2015.
RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES 13
‘Ozzie Zehner: Alternatives to alternative energy’ 2012, Bulletin Of The Atomic Scientists, 68, 5,
pp. 1-7, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 4 July 2015.
