The innovation impact of the EU Emission Trading System -- Findings of company case studies in the German power sector
Abstract
This paper provides a detailed analysis of how the European Emission Trading System (EU ETS) as the core climate policy instrument of the European Union has impacted innovation. Towards this end, we investigate the impact of the EU ETS on research, development and demonstration (RD&D), adoption, and organizational change. In doing so, we pay particular attention to the relative influences of context factors (policy mix, market factors and public acceptance) and firm characteristics (value chain position, technology portfolio, size and vision). Empirically, our qualitative analysis is based on multiple case studies with 19 power generators, technology providers and project developers in the German power sector which were conducted in 2008/09. We find that the innovation impact of the EU ETS has remained limited so far because of the scheme's initial lack of stringency and predictability and the relatively greater importance of context factors. Additionally, the impact varies significantly across technologies, firms, and innovation dimensions and is most pronounced for RD&D on carbon capture technologies and organizational changes. Our analysis suggests that the EU ETS on its own may not provide sufficient incentives for fundamental changes in corporate innovation activities at a level which ensures political long-term targets can be achieved.Download Info
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Bibliographic Info
Article provided by Elsevier in its journal Ecological Economics.
Volume (Year): 70 (2011)
Issue (Month): 3 (January)
Pages: 513-523
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Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ecolecon
Related research
Keywords: EU ETS Emission trading Innovation Technological change Organizational change Power sector;References
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Citations
Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.Cited by:
- Anderson, Blake & M'Gonigle, Michael, 2012. "Does ecological economics have a future?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 37-48.
- Wilfried Ehrenfeld, 2012. "Climate Innovation - The Case of the Central German Chemical Industry," IWH Discussion Papers 2, Halle Institute for Economic Research.
- Spencer, Thomas & Marcey, Celine & Colombier, Michel & Guerin, Emmanuel, 2011. "Decarbonizing the EU power sector: policy approaches in the light of current trends and long-term trajectories," MPRA Paper 35009, University Library of Munich, Germany.
- Wilfried Ehrenfeld, 2012. "Towards a Theory of Climate Innovation - A Model Framework for Analyzing Drivers and Determinants," IWH Discussion Papers 1, Halle Institute for Economic Research.
- Heindl, Peter & Lutz, Benjamin, 2012. "Carbon management: Evidence from case studies of German firms under the EU ETS," ZEW Discussion Papers 12-079, ZEW - Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung / Center for European Economic Research.
- Angelo Antoci & Simone Borghesi & Mauro Sodini, 2012. "ETS and Technological Innovation: A Random Matching Model," Working Papers 2012.79, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
- Giulio Cainelli & Massimiliano Mazzanti & Simone Borghesi, 2012. "The European Emission Trading Scheme and environmental innovation diffusion: Empirical analyses using Italian CIS data," Working Papers 201201, University of Ferrara, Department of Economics.
- Simone Borghesi & Giulio Cainelli & Massimiliano Mazzanti, 2012. "Brown Sunsets and Green Dawns in the Industrial Sector: Environmental Innovations, Firm Behavior and the European Emission Trading," Working Papers 2012.03, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
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