Electrical Transmission: Barriers and Policy Solutions

Author(s): Chi-Jen Yang

Published: August 2009

download: working paper (.pdf) >

This paper is one in a series by the CCPP at Duke University to explore the barriers facing
large‐scale, low‐carbon electricity generation and increased efficiency in the near‐term –
primarily the next ten to fifteen years. Policy drivers may be necessary to provide the right
price signal to develop low‐carbon emission technologies, but a price signal alone may not
be enough to enable broad‐scale deployment.1 Significant technical, legal, infrastructural,
and social barriers prevent the implementation of the necessary technologies and efficiency
improvements.

The series provides an overview of the barriers and outlines general policy options for
lawmakers who wish to speed the development and/or wide‐scale deployment of lowcarbon
energy technologies. It will include papers focusing on specific energy generation
echnologies, including renewable energy and energy storage, and energy efficiency, a cost effective near‐term option for displacing carbon‐intensive energy generation.