IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/eneeco/v118y2023ics0140988322004819.html

Effects of innovation stimuli regulation in the electricity sector: A quantitative study on European countries

Author

Listed:
  • Ribeiro, Beatriz Couto
  • Ferrero, Luciane Graziele Pereira
  • Bin, Adriana
  • Blind, Knut

Abstract

The energy transition is characterized by decarbonization, decentralization, and digitalization trends in the electricity sector, increasing the demand for novel technologies and innovation. Nevertheless, there are still challenges in the electricity sector to provide proper innovation incentives, often attributed to the slow technological dynamics of the sector and its regulated nature. As a response to insufficient levels of innovation, numerous European countries introduced innovation-stimuli regulations in the electricity sector during the second half of the 2000s. To evaluate the impact of these regulations on innovation, we employed a difference-in-differences (DiD) model on a panel data set with 21 European countries covering the period from 1991 to 2016, using patents as a dependent variable. In addition to the canonical DiD, we performed group-specific treatment effects to estimate the difference among the “early adopters” and “late adopters” countries of innovation-stimuli regulation. We find that the introduction of innovation-stimuli regulation has positively impacted patenting activities in the electricity sector, especially among the “early adopters”. These results suggest that innovation-stimuli regulation can be an important regulatory tool to foster further innovation that is required to complete the energy transition.

Suggested Citation

  • Ribeiro, Beatriz Couto & Ferrero, Luciane Graziele Pereira & Bin, Adriana & Blind, Knut, 2023. "Effects of innovation stimuli regulation in the electricity sector: A quantitative study on European countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:118:y:2023:i:c:s0140988322004819
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2022.106352
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988322004819
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.eneco.2022.106352?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Crispim, João & Braz, José & Castro, Rui & Esteves, Jorge, 2014. "Smart Grids in the EU with smart regulation: Experiences from the UK, Italy and Portugal," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 85-93.
    2. Cameron,A. Colin & Trivedi,Pravin K., 2013. "Regression Analysis of Count Data," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107667273, November.
    3. repec:aen:journl:ej38-2-moises is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Dierk Bauknecht, 2011. "Incentive Regulation and Network Innovations," RSCAS Working Papers 2011/02, European University Institute.
    5. Popp, David, 2019. "Environmental Policy and Innovation: A Decade of Research," International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, now publishers, vol. 13(3-4), pages 265-337, September.
    6. Cambini, Carlo & Meletiou, Alexis & Bompard, Ettore & Masera, Marcelo, 2016. "Market and regulatory factors influencing smart-grid investment in Europe: Evidence from pilot projects and implications for reform," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 36-47.
    7. Raphael Calel & Antoine Dechezleprêtre, 2016. "Environmental Policy and Directed Technological Change: Evidence from the European Carbon Market," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 98(1), pages 173-191, March.
    8. Nicolli, Francesco & Vona, Francesco, 2016. "Heterogeneous policies, heterogeneous technologies: The case of renewable energy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 190-204.
    9. Cambini, Carlo & Congiu, Raffaele & Jamasb, Tooraj & Llorca, Manuel & Soroush, Golnoush, 2020. "Energy Systems Integration: Implications for public policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    10. Cullmann, Astrid & Nieswand, Maria, 2016. "Regulation and investment incentives in electricity distribution: An empirical assessment," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 192-203.
    11. repec:aen:journl:ej36-4-poudineh is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Pavitt, Keith, 1984. "Sectoral patterns of technical change: Towards a taxonomy and a theory," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 13(6), pages 343-373, December.
    13. Meletiou, Alexis & Cambini, Carlo & Masera, Marcelo, 2018. "Regulatory and ownership determinants of unbundling regime choice for European electricity transmission utilities," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 13-25.
    14. David Popp, 2019. "Environmental Policy and Innovation: A Decade of Research," NBER Working Papers 25631, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Hille, Erik & Althammer, Wilhelm & Diederich, Henning, 2020. "Environmental regulation and innovation in renewable energy technologies: Does the policy instrument matter?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    16. Lamnatou, Chr. & Chemisana, D. & Cristofari, C., 2022. "Smart grids and smart technologies in relation to photovoltaics, storage systems, buildings and the environment," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(C), pages 1376-1391.
    17. Carlo Cambini & Federico Caviggioli & Giuseppe Scellato, 2016. "Innovation and market regulation: evidence from the European electricity industry," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(8), pages 734-752, November.
    18. Michael L. Polemis & Markos Tselekounis, 2021. "Threshold effects in the regulation-innovation nexus: evidence from the telecommunications industry," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 60(1), pages 74-93, August.
    19. Jamasb, Tooraj & Pollitt, Michael G., 2011. "Electricity sector liberalisation and innovation: An analysis of the UK's patenting activities," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 309-324, March.
    20. de Rassenfosse, Gaétan & Dernis, Hélène & Guellec, Dominique & Picci, Lucio & van Pottelsberghe de la Potterie, Bruno, 2013. "The worldwide count of priority patents: A new indicator of inventive activity," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 720-737.
    21. Ivan Haščič & Mauro Migotto, 2015. "Measuring environmental innovation using patent data," OECD Environment Working Papers 89, OECD Publishing.
    22. Dimos, Christos & Pugh, Geoff, 2016. "The effectiveness of R&D subsidies: A meta-regression analysis of the evaluation literature," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 797-815.
    23. Card, David & Krueger, Alan B, 1994. "Minimum Wages and Employment: A Case Study of the Fast-Food Industry in New Jersey and Pennsylvania," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(4), pages 772-793, September.
    24. Marques, Vítor & Bento, Nuno & Costa, Paulo Moisés, 2014. "The “Smart Paradox”: Stimulate the deployment of smart grids with effective regulatory instruments," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 96-103.
    25. Awaworyi Churchill, Sefa & Inekwe, John & Ivanovski, Kris, 2021. "R&D expenditure and energy consumption in OECD nations," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    26. Yann Ménière & Antoine Dechezleprêtre & Matthieu Glachant & Ivan Hascic & N. Johnstone, 2011. "Invention and transfer of climate change mitigation technologies: a study drawing on patent data," Post-Print hal-00869795, HAL.
    27. Antoine Dechezleprêtre & Matthieu Glachant & Ivan Haščič & Nick Johnstone & Yann Ménière, 2011. "Invention and Transfer of Climate Change--Mitigation Technologies: A Global Analysis," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 5(1), pages 109-130, Winter.
    28. Douglas G. Steigerwald & Gonzalo Vazquez-Bare & Jason Maier, 2021. "Measuring Heterogeneous Effects of Environmental Policies Using Panel Data," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 8(2), pages 277-313.
    29. Wesley M. Cohen & Richard R. Nelson & John P. Walsh, 2000. "Protecting Their Intellectual Assets: Appropriability Conditions and Why U.S. Manufacturing Firms Patent (or Not)," NBER Working Papers 7552, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    30. Marino, Marianna & Parrotta, Pierpaolo & Valletta, Giacomo, 2019. "Electricity (de)regulation and innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 748-758.
    31. Bailey, Elizabeth E., 1974. "Innovation and regulation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(3), pages 285-295, August.
    32. Callaway, Brantly & Sant’Anna, Pedro H.C., 2021. "Difference-in-Differences with multiple time periods," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 225(2), pages 200-230.
    33. David Popp, 2019. "Environmental policy and innovation: a decade of research," CESifo Working Paper Series 7544, CESifo.
    34. Costantini, Valeria & Crespi, Francesco & Palma, Alessandro, 2017. "Characterizing the policy mix and its impact on eco-innovation: A patent analysis of energy-efficient technologies," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(4), pages 799-819.
    35. Jamasb, Tooraj & Pollitt, Michael, 2008. "Liberalisation and R&D in network industries: The case of the electricity industry," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(6-7), pages 995-1008, July.
    36. Wooldridge, Jeffrey M., 1999. "Distribution-free estimation of some nonlinear panel data models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 90(1), pages 77-97, May.
    37. Puhani, Patrick A., 2012. "The treatment effect, the cross difference, and the interaction term in nonlinear “difference-in-differences” models," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 115(1), pages 85-87.
    38. Bel, Germà & Joseph, Stephan, 2018. "Climate change mitigation and the role of technological change: Impact on selected headline targets of Europe's 2020 climate and energy package," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 3798-3807.
    39. Isabell Koske & Isabelle Wanner & Rosamaria Bitetti & Omar Barbiero, 2015. "The 2013 update of the OECD's database on product market regulation: Policy insights for OECD and non-OECD countries," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1200, OECD Publishing.
    40. Blind, Knut, 2012. "The influence of regulations on innovation: A quantitative assessment for OECD countries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(2), pages 391-400.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. M. T. Costa-Campi & N. Duch-Brown & Jose Garcia-Quevedo, 2024. "Drivers of Cooperation in Innovation by Energy Firms in Spain," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 87(12), pages 3387-3414, December.
    2. Ribeiro, Beatriz Couto & Jamasb, Tooraj, 2025. "Innovation by regulation: Smart electricity in Great Britain and Italy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    3. Liu, Haodong & Tang, Xinmeng & Xu, Qiuyan, 2025. "The economically viable decarbonization path for China's electricity sector in the context of environmental decentralisation: The role of green finance," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    4. Song, Malin & Pan, Heting & Shen, Zhiyang & Tamayo-Verleene, Kristine, 2024. "Assessing the influence of artificial intelligence on the energy efficiency for sustainable ecological products value," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    5. M. Ángeles López‐Cabarcos & Helena Santos‐Rodrigues & Lara Quiñoá‐Piñeiro & Juan Piñeiro‐Chousa, 2023. "How to explain stock returns of utility companies from an environmental, social and corporate governance perspective," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(5), pages 2278-2291, September.
    6. Zhang, Tao & Jiang, Jianli & Xie, Bai-Chen, 2025. "Technological innovation and cost efficiency of grid firms in China: Dual impact of climate uncertainty and regulation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bagayev, Igor & Kogler, Dieter F. & Lochard, Julie, 2025. "Does environmental regulation drive specialisation in green innovation?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    2. Ribeiro, Beatriz Couto & Jamasb, Tooraj, 2025. "Innovation by regulation: Smart electricity in Great Britain and Italy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    3. Jingbo Cui & Zhenxuan Wang & Haishan Yu, 2022. "Can International Climate Cooperation Induce Knowledge Spillover to Developing Countries? Evidence from CDM," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 82(4), pages 923-951, August.
    4. Romagnoli, Matteo, 2024. "Clean sweep: Electricity liberalization and the direction of technological change in the electricity sector," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(8).
    5. Garsous, Grégoire & Worack, Stephan, 2022. "Technological expertise as a driver of environmental technology diffusion through trade: Evidence from the wind turbine manufacturing industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    6. Massimiliano Mazzanti & Antonio Musolesi, 2020. "Modeling Green Knowledge Production and Environmental Policies with Semiparametric Panel Data Regression models," SEEDS Working Papers 1420, SEEDS, Sustainability Environmental Economics and Dynamics Studies, revised Sep 2020.
    7. Barbieri, Nicolò & Marzucchi, Alberto & Rizzo, Ugo, 2023. "Green technologies, interdependencies, and policy," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    8. Bruns, Stephan B. & Kalthaus, Martin, 2020. "Flexibility in the selection of patent counts: Implications for p-hacking and evidence-based policymaking," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(1).
    9. Tomasz Kijek & Arkadiusz Kijek & Piotr Bolibok & Anna Matras-Bolibok, 2021. "The Patterns of Energy Innovation Convergence across European Countries," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-17, May.
    10. Liu, Yinan & Lv, Peiyao & Zhao, Hao, 2024. "Green innovation through trade: The impact of European Union emissions trading scheme on Chinese exporters," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    11. Hu, Hui & Qi, Shaozhou & Chen, Yuanzhi, 2023. "Using green technology for a better tomorrow: How enterprises and government utilize the carbon trading system and incentive policies," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    12. aus dem Moore, Nils & Brehm, Johannes & Gruhl, Henri, 2025. "Driving innovation? Carbon tax effects in the Swedish transport sector," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 248(C).
    13. Hötte, Kerstin & Pichler, Anton & Lafond, François, 2021. "The rise of science in low-carbon energy technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    14. Grafström, Jonas & Poudineh, Rahmat, 2023. "No evidence of counteracting policy effects on European solar power invention and diffusion," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    15. Fries, Steven, 2023. "Sequencing decarbonization policies to manage their macroeconomic impacts," INET Oxford Working Papers 2023-26, Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford.
    16. Rik Rozendaal & Herman Vollebergh, 2025. "Policy-Induced Innovation in Clean Technologies: Evidence from the Car Market," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 12(3), pages 565-598.
    17. Grégoire-Zawilski, Myriam & Popp, David, 2024. "Do technology standards induce innovation in environmental technologies when coordination is important?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(1).
    18. Costantini, Valeria & Crespi, Francesco & Palma, Alessandro, 2017. "Characterizing the policy mix and its impact on eco-innovation: A patent analysis of energy-efficient technologies," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(4), pages 799-819.
    19. Brehm, Johannes & aus dem Moore, Nils & Gruhl, Henri, 2022. "Driving Innovation? – Carbon Tax Effects in the Swedish Transport Sector," VfS Annual Conference 2022 (Basel): Big Data in Economics 264085, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    20. Ilan Noy & Eric Strobl, 2023. "Creatively Destructive Hurricanes: Do Disasters Spark Innovation?," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 84(1), pages 1-17, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:118:y:2023:i:c:s0140988322004819. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/eneco .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.