A review and comparative analysis on energy transition in major industrialized countries

Abstract

Summary Due to the gradual depletion of fossil energy and the climate change, many industrialized countries are pursuing a sustainable energy transition, however they choose different pathways. There are such issues on the process of energy transition as the high renewable energy cost and the increase of carbon emissions. In order to ensure the smooth process of energy transition, governments need to draw energy development experience from each other to jointly promote the global energy transition. At the beginning, the recent situations from both energy economy and policy are described in this article with respect to some typical industrialized countries (the G7 countries and China). And then to make comparative analysis more logical, a novel conceptual model ‐ Institution‐Economy‐Technology‐Behavior framework is adopted. Based on this new model, this article makes a comprehensive analysis and discussion on the energy transition of each country. The common points and the differences of energy transition in different countries are summarized to grasp the driven forces of energy transition. And a series of development proposals from the aspects of system, economy, technology and behavior are made to overcome the obstacles of energy transition, ensure the smooth progress of energy transition, and achieve sustainable development.

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