The United Kingdom as an Unstable Frontrunner in Renewable Energy Policy

The UK is often regarded as a frontrunner in climate change mitigation efforts. Within the energy sector, British governments have promoted ambitious renewable energy targets and distinctive policies aimed at meeting them. However, the design of renewable energy support schemes has attracted extensive criticism for being unstable and shifting, contributing to an uncertain investment climate. Focusing on support schemes for renewable energy, we aim to understand what factors have influenced the repeated re-orientation of such support schemes in the UK. For this purpose we draw on insights from organisational and political field perspectives at European and national level. Exploring to what extent the EU has been important in understanding the design of renewable energy policy in the UK, is particularly relevant given current Brexit discussions. Based on data gathered via interviews and documents, we argue that while the EU has shaped the context in which the UK renewable policy has developed, and especially the high levels of ambition for its deployment, the specific shape of this policy is primarily the result of domestic pressures. The European Union has played a role in pushing for ambitious goals for renewable energy in a national context where climate concerns have been on the political agenda. However, cost efficiency concerns, formed in a common understanding between civil servants and big utilities are more important for explaining the changes in renewables support schemes, ultimately resulting in an auctioning system for renewable energy support in the United Kingdom.