ABSTRACT

We explore the role and influence of the Finnish energy elite’s inner circle in the process of transition to renewable energy. Finland is a corporatist country where economic interest groups have privileged access to government decision-making circles. These dense networks reproduce decades-long energy policy structures that have always favored centralized electricity production, a model now implemented in renewable energy production. We address the formation of feed-in tariffs (FITs, a government subsidy for electricity produced by renewable energy) in Finland’s routine corporatist system between 2006 and 2011. The views of inner-circle actors expressed in formal government documents correspond to legislative outcomes regarding FITs. They preferred market-based solutions and cost-efficiency and transferred the costs of FITs to the state budget, which benefited large companies. This was partly possible because Finland’s corporatist energy policy model excludes non-inner-circle actors. Nevertheless, FITs have enabled the growing significance of wind power.

摘要

我们探讨了芬兰能源精英内部圈子在向可再生能源过渡过程中的作用和影响。芬兰是一个社团主义国家，经济利益集团享有进入政府决策圈的特权。这些密集的网络重现了数十年的能源政策结构，这些结构始终偏向于集中式电力生产，而这种模式现已在可再生能源生产中得以实施。我们将探讨2006年至2011年之间芬兰例行的团体制中的上网电价（FITs，政府对可再生能源发电的补贴）的形成。正式政府文件中表达的内在行为者的观点与FITs的立法结果相对应。他们更喜欢基于市场的解决方案和成本效率，并将FIT的成本转移到了国家预算中，这使大公司受益。之所以如此，部分原因是因为芬兰的社团主义能源政策模型将非内在行为者排除在外。尽管如此，FITs使风能的重要性日益提高。