Winds of Change: The Environmental Movement and the Global Development of the Wind Energy Industry

Winds of Change examines the global development of the wind energy industry from a political, social movements-based perspective. It argues the wind energy industry developed successfully in certain regions and countries in large part because the environmental movement influenced its growth. Vasi then defines and analyses the three main pathways through which the environmental movement has contributed to industry growth: it has influenced the adoption and implementation of renewable energy policies, it has created consumer demand for clean energy, and it has changed the institutional logics of the energy sector. The book uses quantitative analysis to present the big picture of the global development of the wind energy industry, then draws on qualitative analyses to understand why countries such as Germany, Denmark, or Spain are world leaders in wind energy, while other countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, or Canada have a somewhat underdeveloped wind power industry. It also analyzes how the environmental movement contributed to the recent growth of the market for renewable energy certificates in the United States. The book also examines the remarkable transformation of the electricity sector in different countries, showing how environmentalists in Germany, Denmark, United States and United Kingdom contributed to wind turbine manufacturing by becoming entrepreneurs, innovators, and/or advocates, and, furthermore, how environmental groups and activists formed new companies that specialize in wind-farm development and operation, and pressured utility companies to invest in renewable energy by using tactics such as protests, lawsuits, and lobbying for stricter regulation. In conclusion, Vasi presents the main implications for future studies on industry development and social movement outcomes, as well as for the future growth of the renewable energy sector.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: The Wind Energy Industry and the Environmental Movement Chapter 1: The Big Picture Chapter 2: Environmental Campaigns and the Adoption and Implementation of Feed-in Tariffs Chapter 3: Environmental Campaigns and the Adoption and Implementation of Renewable Portfolio Standards Chapter 4: From Thinking Globally about Climate Change to Acting Locally on the Energy Challenge Chapter 5: Going With the Wind: The Environmentalist Transformation of the Electricity Sector Conclusion: The Answer May be Blowing in the Wind References Index

About the Author :
Ion Bogdan Vasi is Assistant Professor at the School of International and Public Affairs and the Department of Sociology at Columbia University.

Review :
"A wide ranging, richly informative, and engaging account of the global emergence of a new industry." --Hayagreeva Rao, Atholl McBean Professor Of Organizational Behavior, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University "Why does wind power stand out as one of the splashiest success stories in renewable energy but is so unevenly distributed across the globe? This imaginative yet systematic study shows that neither technology nor economic need are sufficient to turn wind potential into wind power. Vasi shows that it takes a combination of dedicated political elites, social movement activism, and positive political opportunities to produce 'winds of change." --Sidney Tarrow, Maxwell Upson Professor of Government and Sociology, Cornell University "This splendid book rescues social movements from the margins of politics and places them at the centre of economic transformation. Through a cross-nationally comparative exploration of the development and adoption of wind energy, Ion Vasi demonstrates how environmental movements have shaped energy policy, created consumer demand, and helped to transform the energy industry nationally and internationally. This is then both an exemplary study of the ways in which environmental campaigners have changed the shape and context of energy supply and a practical demonstration of how and why social movements matter." --Christopher Rootes, Professor of Environmental Politics and Political Sociology, University of Kent "In my view, and to my surprise, Vasi's answers are clear and convincing. He shows how the environmental movement has indeed been an important driver market of formation and industrial growth in the wind energy sector, working through various industry and policy channels. ... Vasi's book is very well-suited to become core reading in courses in environmental innovation." --Contemporary Sociology