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Is energy intensity important for the productivity growth of EET adopters?

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  • Kounetas, Konstantinos
  • Mourtos, Ioannis
  • Tsekouras, Konstantinos

Abstract

Energy Efficient Technologies (EET) have attracted strong interest because of their role in reducing environmental damage. Their adoption, however, remains rather low, while their impact on productivity is substantial and differentiating with respect to technological characteristics. Energy intensity, being such an obvious characteristic, could be employed to classify EET adopters thus giving rise to two heterogeneous technologies (i.e. those corresponding to firms of low and high energy consumption). Hence, this paper examines the impact of energy intensity on the productivity growth of firms adopting EET in varying time intervals through a metafrontier-based framework, while also decomposing that impact in terms of technical, efficiency and scale-efficiency changes. The analysis is complemented by examining the role of firm-specific characteristics on the productivity growth through linear regression.

Suggested Citation

  • Kounetas, Konstantinos & Mourtos, Ioannis & Tsekouras, Konstantinos, 2012. "Is energy intensity important for the productivity growth of EET adopters?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 930-941.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:34:y:2012:i:4:p:930-941
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2011.05.006
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    3. Sombat Singkharat & Aree Wiboonpongse & Yaovarate Chaovanapoonphol, 2012. "Efficiency of improved peeled longan drying technology in Thailand: A metafrontier approach," The Empirical Econometrics and Quantitative Economics Letters, Faculty of Economics, Chiang Mai University, vol. 1(3), pages 19-32, September.
    4. Tsurumi Tetsuya & Managi Shunsuke & Hibiki Akira, 2015. "Do Environmental Regulations Increase Bilateral Trade Flows?," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 15(4), pages 1549-1577, October.
    5. Stergiou, Eirini & Rigas, Nikos & Kounetas, Konstantinos, 2021. "Environmental Productivity and Convergence of European Manufacturing Industries. Are they Under Pressure?," MPRA Paper 110780, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Tugcu, Can Tansel & Tiwari, Aviral Kumar, 2016. "Does renewable and/or non-renewable energy consumption matter for total factor productivity (TFP) growth? Evidence from the BRICS," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 610-616.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Energy efficient technologies; Productivity growth; Metafrontier;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D2 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations
    • D8 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty
    • L2 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior
    • L6 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing
    • Q4 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy
    • Q5 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics

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