Overview

Overview

Up to this point in the course, we have covered how markets are created and controlled and discussed the limits to markets and cost-only models, which, as you learned in the following lessons, are essential in buying and selling energy. Further, any argument for renewable energy (except for hydropower), would need to address why it is costlier per unit of energy, in an attempt to appeal to the buyers' other interests. Convincing people to spend more money (windmill generated electricity) for the same thing (electrical power) requires an appeal to considerations other than price. Using rational arguments well-supported by research can often appeal to buyers/consumers, but usually only after a concerted effort and extended campaign to do so on the part of the company or advocates for renewables, or the environment, etc. This manner of appeal is called a nonmarket strategy and, for the rest of the course, we will be covering how to develop nonmarket strategies for renewable energies.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

• identify types of nonmarket interactions;
• explain the differences between corporate versus private use of nonmarket strategies; and
• understand and apply some of the nonmarket techniques and scoping methods covered in the readings.

What is due for Lesson 8?

This lesson will take us one week to complete. Please refer to the Course Syllabus for specific time frames and due dates. Specific directions for the assignment below can be found within this lesson.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please post them to our Questions? discussion forum (not e-mail), located under the Discussions tab in Canvas. I will check that discussion forum daily to respond. While you are there, feel free to post your own responses if you, too, are able to help out a classmate.