Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : September 13, 2020 - September 16, 2020
Renewable energy cannot be widely promoted without political supports. This study examines the conditions under which three types of energy policies, carbon tax, subsidy, and price regulation are accepted in competitive markets, and the relationship between the acceptability of these policies and the progress of energy transition from fossil fuels to renewables. A gaming experiment that regards human gameplay as a kind of social simulation is adopted as research method. The multiplayer game used in this study represents a dilemma between the long-term profits by investments in renewable energy and the short-term profits by price competition. The perceptions and behaviors of players and the time-series changes in the state of market are obtained from the gameplay. The results of the experiments suggest that the acceptability of carbon tax increases as the fossil fuel price rises. Further, the voluntary investment in renewable energy is suggested to be hindered by the expectations for subsidies to renewables.
