Student: Keith Morency
Graduation date: May 2016
Type: Concentration (single major)
Date approved: November 2013
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Summary
According to the most recent report by the International Energy Agency, there are approximately 1.3 billion people living without access to electricity. The vast majority of these people reside in the least developed countries in the world, which can be found primarily in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Access to reliable energy sources has been shown to foster major improvements in quality of life, education, social welfare and technology, which would in turn create new opportunities for these communities to participate in global markets and collaboration efforts (Javadi et. al, 2012). At the same time, there are many energy and heating systems in place in developing and developed nations that are heavily reliant on fossil fuels, which have contributed to both localized pollution, global climate change, and international instability. However, because the least developed nations have little energy infrastructure, they represent an opportunity for the wide-scale implementation of renewable energy technologies, solving both the issues of electricity scarcity and fossil fuel pollution (Mohammed et. al, 2013). As non-Annex 1 countries, as defined by the Kyoto Protocol, they are also able to apply for Clean Development Mechanism projects, which are clean-development projects funded by the developed world. While these projects have been debatably successful at reducing global carbon levels, they can provide an incentive for developing countries to make the preliminary switch to renewables. The technological prowess of renewable energy sources such as wind power and PV (photovoltaic) is no longer doubted, so the question now turns to the feasibility of implementing these technologies where they are most needed (Jacobsson et. al, 2004). The goal of this concentration is to research the political economy of these developing nations so that renewable energy projects can be applied in a way that encourages positive participation and cooperation from their political parties and leaders, economic planners, and community representatives, all integral aspects of the political economy theme. There will also be significant research into current market-based incentives for clean development, such as feed-in tariffs. It will also be very closely tied to the energy theme, as it will examine how renewable energy is implemented around the globe, the reliability of these projects, as well as how they can potentially mitigate the negative consequences of fossil fuel use. Hopefully the concentration will provide quality insight into the necessary steps required to make these nations safer, self-sufficient, and global leaders in the transition from fossil to renewable fuels.
Southeast Asia has become one of the world’s leading regions in renewable energy technologies. However, there are several countries in this region that still have large rural populations with little access to electricity, such as Myanmar and Bangladesh. The fact that a country like Thailand, which boasts 100% access to electricity for its population, can exist next to these struggling countries tells this author that there are unique political and economic factors at play in each nation that are affecting energy policy and, in turn, quality of life (Dent, 2012). An analysis of these factors, such as economic ties between legislators and the fossil fuel companies, the extent of NGO presence in the economy, the willingness of rural community to adapt modern technologies, as well as economic incentives for clean development will paint a clearer picture of how to implement renewable energy. This confluence of factors is highly pertinent to my study of political economy, as well as my interest in how renewable energy projects are affected by these types of systems. I would like to focus on Vietnam in particular, as I will be traveling abroad there next fall and am planning on doing extensive research on how the government and it’s high level of control is working with NGO’s in implementing the transition to clean energy in rural areas. However, similar potential has been observed in sub-Saharan African countries such as Nigeria, which has particularly experienced the negative results of a fossil fuel based economy (Mohammed et. al, 2013) Projects have been proposed to connect renewable power sources in Europe to Africa and Asia in an attempt to use Western resources to equitably distribute energy (Czisch et. al, 2006).
References
Czisch, Gregor. 2006. “Low Cost but Totally Renewable Electricity Supply for a Huge Supply Area–a European/trans-European Example.” Paper Available Online at: Http://www. Iset. Uni-kassel. de/abt/w3-w/projekte/LowCostEuropElSup_revised_for_AKE_2006. Pdf.
Dent, Christopher M. 2012. “Renewable Energy and East Asia’s New Developmentalism: Towards a Low Carbon Future?” The Pacific Review 25 (5) (December): 561–587. doi:10.1080/09512748.2012.728240.
Jacobsson, Staffan, and Anna Bergek. 2004. “Transforming the Energy Sector: The Evolution of Technological Systems in Renewable Energy Technology.” Industrial and Corporate Change 13 (5) (October 1): 815–849. doi:10.1093/icc/dth032.
Javadi, F.S., B. Rismanchi, M. Sarraf, O. Afshar, R. Saidur, H.W. Ping, and N.A. Rahim. 2013. “Global Policy of Rural Electrification.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 19 (March): 402–416. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2012.11.053.
Mohammed, Y.S., M.W. Mustafa, N. Bashir, and A.S. Mokhtar. 2013. “Renewable Energy Resources for Distributed Power Generation in Nigeria: A Review of the Potential.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 22 (June): 257–268. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2013.01.020.
Additional References
Delucchi, Mark A., and Mark Z. Jacobson. 2011. “Providing All Global Energy with Wind, Water, and Solar Power, Part II: Reliability, System and Transmission Costs, and Policies.” Energy Policy 39 (3) (March): 1170–1190. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2010.11.045.
Droege, P. 2006. “The Renewable City: Dawn of an Urban Revolution.” Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society 26 (2) (April 1): 141–150. doi:10.1177/0270467606287531.
K.C., Surendra, Samir Kumar Khanal, Prachand Shrestha, and Buddhi Lamsal. 2011. “Current Status of Renewable Energy in Nepal: Opportunities and Challenges.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 15 (8) (October): 4107–4117. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2011.07.022.
Ruane, John, Andrea Sonnino, and Astrid Agostini. 2010. “Bioenergy and the Potential Contribution of Agricultural Biotechnologies in Developing Countries.” Biomass and Bioenergy 34 (10) (October): 1427–1439. doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2010.04.011.
Questions
- Descriptive: What countries are currently engaged in, or have plans to engage in, renewable energy development? What is it about these countries that make them good candidates for these types of projects? Why do similar political structures give rise to such a wide range of economic opportunities for the development of energy infrastructure?
- Explanatory: What political economic forces have shaped, and are currently influencing, the ability of countries in the Global South to implement renewable energy projects?
- Evaluative: What are some of the economic and political barriers that could be slowing the advancement of renewable energy projects?
- Instrumental: How can renewable energy companies feasibly market their services to developing nations?
Concentration courses
- IA 232 (Southeast Asian Politics, 4 credits), spring 2014. Examines the political economy of Southeast Asia, my situated area of study.
- IA 238 (Political Economy of Development, 4 credits), spring 2015. This class will be an appropriate follow up to my studies in Japan and Vietnam. While I observed immense potential for renewable energy development, there are undoubtedly significant social, political and economic barriers to development. I hope to study these barriers to further my understanding of the potential work that must be done to make renewable energy development a reality.
- IS 242 (Environmental Sustainability in Vietnam, 4 credits), fall 2014. An examination of different environmental problems affecting rural Vietnam, especially pertinent to my study of energy inequality in Southeast Asia.
- ENVS 499 (Independent Study, 4 credits), summer 2014. This study was conducted on the Mt. Fuji Overseas Program. I investigated the role of Japanese hot spring resorts in Japan's recent push to develop geothermal energy infrastructure post-Fukushima.
Arts and humanities courses
- PHIL 215 (Philosophy and the Environment, 4 credits). Pre-approved A&H course; no justification required.
- HIST 316 (Popular Culture/Everyday Life in Japanese History, 4 credits), spring 2014. This course will examine how elements of popular culture throughout the last few centuries affect a broad range of daily activities and cultural expectations in Japan. My studies in Japan as part of my concentration will be greatly enhanced by the insights I could potentially gain from this class regarding public perceptions of nuclear energy (or clean energy in general), as well as the history of land use and the overall cultural connection to the land in Japan.