Are decisions well supported for the energy transition? A review on modeling approaches for renewable energy policy evaluation

Abstract

This study reviews energy policy evaluation approaches on their capability to estimate a successful implementation of renewable energy policies. This is predominantly done via energy system modeling and analysis. Although modeling the possible success and effects is not a precondition for policy making, it is a powerful tool to support decision makers in policy making. This awareness has led to the development of numerous modeling approaches with many case studies. Therefore, effort has to be made to evaluate recent modeling approaches that could be suitable for renewable energy policy evaluation. It is the aim of this paper to provide an overview on recent renewable energy policy modeling approaches that are capable in evaluating the success and side effects to other sectors of renewable energy policies. We will highlight advantages and drawbacks of these approaches and provide a framework assessing the suitability of the presented methodologies for the evaluation of renewable energy policies. We provide a tabular overview that enables the reader to quickly derive information on the suitability of the several modeling approaches to evaluate renewable energy policies.