World Bank - Policy Research Working Paper - Energy

Improving access to affordable and reliable energy services for cooking is essential for developing countries in reducing adverse human health and environmental impacts hitherto caused by burning of traditional biomass. This paper reviews empirical studies that analyze choices of fuel and adoption of improved stoves for cooking in countries where biomass is still the predominant cooking fuel. The review highlights the wide range of factors that influence households’ cooking fuel choices and adoption of improved stoves, including socioeconomic (access and availability, collection costs and fuel prices, household income, education and awareness), behavioral (food tastes, lifestyle), and cultural and external factors (indoor air pollution, government policies). The paper also summarizes the evidence on the significant adverse health impacts from exposure to indoor smoke, especially among women and young children. In low-income households, perceived health benefits of adopting improved stoves and financial benefits from fuel savings tend to be outweighed by the costs of improved stoves, even after accounting for the opportunity cost of time spent collecting biomass fuel. The paper identifies knowledge and evidence gaps on the success of policies and programs designed to scale up the adoption of improved cookstoves.2014-06-03T04:00:00.000Z2014-06-03T04:00:00.000ZEnergy|EnvironmentEnergy Production and Transportation|Climate Change Mitigation and Green House Gases|Renewable Energy|Energy and Environment|Environment and Energy EfficiencyThe World RegionMalla, Sunil|Timilsina, Govinda RHousehold cooking fuel choice and adoption of improved cookstoves in developing countries : a reviewEnglishWorldEnergy|EnvironmentEnergy Production and Transportation|Climate Change Mitigation and Green House Gases|Renewable Energy|Energy and Environment|Environment and Energy EfficiencyWPS6903WorldEnglishPolicy Research Working PaperThe World Region

Turkey has historically struggled to attract foreign investors. This paper argues that not only macroeconomic and political stability, but also regional integration explains the upsurge in foreign direct investment observed since 2005. The analysis draws from a qualitative framework. It discusses how, contrary to the Customs Union Treaty for industrial products with the European Union, the official start of the European Union's accession to negotiations in 2005 encompassed a wide set of reforms in several chapters directly or indirectly affecting the business climate. The reforms helped to enhance foreign direct investment attraction in Turkey. However, it seems that the global economic slowdown starting in 2009 and increasing Euro-skepticism have already started to erode this effect. Only large foreign investment in the energy sector observed in 2009-13, explained by the energy security strategy of the European Union and the privatization agenda, has prevented the collapse of foreign direct investment inflows to Turkey.2014-07-22T04:00:00.000Z2014-07-22T04:00:00.000ZEnergy|International Economics and Trade|Macroeconomics and Economic GrowthForeign Direct Investment|Investment and Investment Climate|Knowledge Economy|Trade Liberalization|Oil & GasEurope and Central AsiaSanchez Martin, Miguel Eduardo|Escribano Frances, Gonzalo|de Arce Borda, RafaelHow regional integration and transnational energy networks have boosted FDI in Turkey (and may cease to do so): a case study: how geo-political alliances and regional networks matterEnglishTurkeyEnergy|International Economics and Trade|Macroeconomics and Economic GrowthForeign Direct Investment|Investment and Investment Climate|Knowledge Economy|Trade Liberalization|Oil & GasWPS6970TurkeyEnglishPolicy Research Working PaperEurope and Central Asia

This paper studies the optimal transition from existing coal power plants to gas and renewable power under a carbon budget. It solves a model of polluting, exhaustible resources with capacity constraints and adjustment costs (to build coal, gas, and renewable power plants). It finds that optimal investment in renewable energy may start before coal power has been phased out and even before investment in gas has started, because doing so allows for smoothing investment over time and reduces adjustment costs. Gas plants may be used to reduce short-term investment in renewable power and associated costs, but must eventually be phased out to allow room for carbon-free power. One risk for myopic agents comparing gas and renewable investment is thus to overestimate the lifetime of gas plants -- e.g., when computing the levelized cost of electricity -- and be biased against renewable power. These analytical results are quantified with numerical simulations of the European Commission's 2050 energy roadmap.2014-07-29T04:00:00.000Z2014-07-29T04:00:00.000ZEnergy|EnvironmentClimate Change Mitigation and Green House Gases|Energy Production and Transportation|Carbon Policy and Trading|Environment and Energy Efficiency|Energy and EnvironmentThe World RegionLecuyer, Oskar|Vogt-Schilb, AdrienOptimal transition from coal to gas and renewable power under capacity constraints and adjustment costsEnglishWorldEnergy|EnvironmentClimate Change Mitigation and Green House Gases|Energy Production and Transportation|Carbon Policy and Trading|Environment and Energy Efficiency|Energy and EnvironmentWPS6985WorldEnglishPolicy Research Working PaperThe World Region