Voluntary agreements in energy policy

Abstract

Voluntary agreements (VAs) in the energy area are seen as a new way to promote energy savings and CO2 reductions in industry. In order to describe the working and effects of VAs in energy policy this paper draws on case studies conducted in Denmark, Sweden, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Finland. An implementation analysis is used that begins with an examination of why VAs were chosen at the political level and moves on to consider whether specific activities have been carried out in the firms and whether this has caused any effects on energy efficiency. From this analysis, it seems as if VAs often give industry monetary as well as non-monetary incentives to limit their energy use. It is also apparent that VAs also present more information about the energy saving-potential in industry, which is an important effect in any attempt to change industrial behaviour so that it becomes more energy efficient.