Wind Energy in Fossil Fuel-Rich Jurisdictions

In the last two decades wind power has emerged as a mainstream alternative to fossil fuel-based conventional electricity. Its adoption, however, has been uneven across affluent countries, and climate scientists warn we must hasten our transition to non-emitting energy systems to avert catastrophe. This thesis studies the real-world experiences of Texas, Saskatchewan, and Western Australia with wind energy from 1997 to 2012 to look for lessons about stimulating accelerated deployment and explain divergent outcomes. A comparative case study, the thesis assesses within and across cases five factors thought to influence wind energy deployment: federal production tax incentives, mandatory renewable energy quotas, electricity market type, planning model, and approach to grid infrastructure improvements. Our findings suggest that federal tax incentives have stimulated deployment in Texas and Saskatchewan, and competitive electricity markets along with proactive grid infrastructure improvements have bolstered deployment Texas and Western Australia. However, the ambitiousness of mandatory quotas and the simplicity of planning models were less important.