The energy transition.

Summary The transition to renewable energy involves two types of environmental concerns. Fossil fuels are exhaustible and their use generates negative externalities through irreversible environmental damage. In addition, there are opportunities for synergies between energy efficiency measures and the adoption of renewable energy to the extent that the former reduce energy demand so that the latter can begin to reduce future greenhouse gas emissions. The main objective of this thesis is to analyze the optimal energy transition under the certain and uncertain occurrence of an environmental disaster and to identify the incentive instruments at the household level to stimulate the energy transition.The thesis is composed of four chapters that independently address the different issues of the energy transition. The first chapter focuses on the optimal energy transition involving decisions on both the adoption of renewable energy and investment in energy saving technologies, when there is a certain pollution threshold that triggers an environmental catastrophe. The second chapter studies the optimal transition to renewable energy when the occurrence of the environmental catastrophe is uncertain. The third chapter seeks to understand the behavior of households with respect to their decisions to simultaneously adopt renewable energy and invest in energy efficiency. Finally, the fourth chapter examines the role of smart grids in integrating intermittent renewable energy to facilitate the energy transition.