Designing Sustainable Development? The Effectiveness of PV Solar Regulation in Australia and China

Abstract

In an effort to accelerate the commercialisation and deployment of solar energy, the NSW and Chinese governments have recently established regulatory support mechanisms in the form of feed-in tariffs for their solar industries. This article critically compares the flawed design and implementation of the NSW Solar Bonus Scheme, with the recently implemented Chinese Improving the Solar Photovoltaic Electricity Price Scheme to assess how the design of these schemes contributes to their success or failure. It concludes with recommendations for future regulatory support mechanisms to make them more effective and more likely to be successfully implemented.

Keywords: renewable energy, solar energy, law, regulatory support mechanisms, feed-in tariff, Australia, China, sustainable development

JEL Classification: K10, K30, K32