For the actual implementation of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies, societal support is a crucial precondition. This paper describes an extensive study on the acceptance of CCS by stakeholders in the Netherlands and explores one of the determining factors in the acceptance of CCS by the lay public, i.e. the way the Dutch press perceives and portrays CCS. The stakeholder analysis shows that there is a positive attitude towards CCS by industry, government, and environmental NGOs, provided that the conditions they pose on the deployment of CCS are met. The content analysis of Dutch news articles conveys that the media portrayal of CCS is-to a certain extent-a balanced reflection of the way CCS is perceived by the stakeholders. Both analyses show that the concerns about CCS have not overshadowed the main promise that CCS is part of the solution to climate change. However, the current negative aspects of CCS as raised by different stakeholders and the media will remain if no action is taken. Therefore, the conditions posed on the use of CCS, as well as the actions required to meet these conditions, could function as a proxy for the 'societal voice', articulating the most important issues concerning the future acceptance of CCS technology.

The Maldives is one of the most vulnerable countries to the projected impacts of climate change, due to a combination of the small sizes of the islands and their low height above sea level. Like other small island developing states, the Maldives depends overwhelmingly on petroleum imports for their electricity production, which creates serious economic and financial difficulties. The Government of Maldives is therefore committed to promote sustainable energy and has been actively pursuing several inter-related initiatives to overcome the existing barriers to the utilization of renewable energy technologies. To assist this, the quantification and evaluation of the potentials of available solar and wind resources in the country for electricity applications has been performed. The hybrid system design tool HOMER has been used to create optimal renewable energy (RE) system designs. In order to evaluate these different RE alternatives a multi-criteria analysis is performed using a number of criteria that are likely to be decisive in implementation decisions. The evaluation shows that fully RE system configurations are not financially viable in the Maldives while the RE-diesel hybrid systems could bring down the price of electricity with 5-10 $cent/kWh in smaller outer islands. Assuming that these latter systems with a high probability of adoption are implemented, the results show that 10% of the electricity in the Maldives could be supplied by RE based systems in a cost effective way. r ARTICLE IN PRESS

Like in many Small Island Developing States, the techno-economic potential of renewable energy technologies (RETs) in the Maldives is substantial. However, it is not certain that these economically viable RETs will indeed be implemented and utilized, since this is greatly influenced by various social, institutional and political factors (i.e., the Innovation System). In order to steer away from activities that enhance the current fossil fuel based lock-in situation and create an environment that increases the chance of a successful transfer and diffusion of RETs, several projects have been set up in the Maldives. These projects have been initiated by the Global Environmental Facility, the United Nations Development Program, and the European Commission. In this article we evaluate these projects by analyzing whether or not they strengthen the local Renewable Energy Innovation System. This evaluation shows that these RE programs strengthen most of the key processes necessary in an Innovation System conducive to technology transfer. However, as not enough attention is being paid to local entrepreneurial activities and the creation of a domestic market for RETs, the process of RET transfer might run the risk of stagnation after completion of the RE programs.

In order to take up Norway's twin challenge of reducing CO 2 emissions, while meeting its growing energy demand with domestic resources, the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) plays an important role in Norwegian energy policies. This study uses the Functions of Innovation Systems approach to identify key policy issues that need to be addressed in order to prolong Norway's international leadership position in the development of CCS. The analysis shows that Norway has been successful in building an innovation system around CCS technology. The key determinants for this achievement are pinpointed in this article. However, the evolution of the innovation system seems to have entered a critical phase that is decisive for a further thriving development of CCS in Norway. The results provide a clear understanding of the current impediments in the CCS innovation system and stress the need to direct policy initiatives at the identified weak system functions-i.e. entrepreneurial activity and market formation-to improve the performance of the system. We discuss how policymakers can use these insights to develop a coherent set of policy instruments that would foster the deployment of CCS concepts related to power production and enhanced oil recovery in Norway.

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