Evaluating the impact of renewable energy policy instruments

This thesis comprises three separate studies, employing difference-in-differences estimators to evaluate the causal impact of renewable energy (RE) policy instruments on: (i) RE production - 116 countries; (ii) RE technology innovation - 26 OECD and 6 BRIICS countries; and (iii) carbon emissions reduction - 114 countries, from 1992 to 2016, in each of the wind, solar and bioenergy sectors. The findings will interest public policymakers, regulators, energy producers and their employees and consumers, lobby groups, climate change activists, investors, and societies. The findings may help these people to determine which RE policy instruments can help their country to attain the Sustainable Development Goals.