Energy technology assessment: Considerations of geographical scale

The geographic scale of decisions is determined almost completely by political jurisdictions. Some of the implications of the differences between those scales are discussed and an important role for energy technology assessment in mediating between them is suggested. The geographical morphology of energy technology assessment, particularly as that assessment applies to public policy dealt with are those that can have a significant effect on the set of technologies used by a country in the future. Some examples are the determination of a national research and development policy, the setting of air pollutant emission standards for power plants, or the adoption of major energy pricing policies.