IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/pra/mprapa/31.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The R&D drop in European utilities. Should we care about it?

Author

Listed:
  • Sterlacchini, Alessandro

Abstract

By using accounting data from the largest utility companies of Europe, this note illustrates the recent R&D performance in energy and telecommunication. Although not all the companies under consideration behaved symmetrically, most of them reduced substantially their R&D investment. Over the period 2000-05, their total R&D expenditures at current prices decreased by 33%, while their R&D intensity (on sales) diminished from 1.1 to 0.7%. In discussing the above findings, it is argued that a drop of this size is hardly justifiable and weakens the EU economy in a non-negligible manner.

Suggested Citation

  • Sterlacchini, Alessandro, 2006. "The R&D drop in European utilities. Should we care about it?," MPRA Paper 31, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:31
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/31/1/MPRA_paper_31.pdf
    File Function: original version
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/556/1/MPRA_paper_556.pdf
    File Function: revised version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dooley, J J, 1998. "Unintended consequences: energy R&D in a deregulated energy market," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(7), pages 547-555, June.
    2. Alessandro Sterlacchini, 2004. "Ricerca e alta tecnologia in Italia: le basi per un rilancio," L'industria, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 4, pages 675-706.
    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. Agrell, Per J. & Bogetoft, Peter & Mikkers, Misja, 2013. "Smart-grid investments, regulation and organization," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 656-666.
    2. Sterlacchini, Alessandro, 2012. "Energy R&D in private and state-owned utilities: An analysis of the major world electric companies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 494-506.
    3. Meeus, Leonardo & Saguan, Marcelo, 2011. "Innovating grid regulation to regulate grid innovation: From the Orkney Isles to Kriegers Flak via Italy," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 1761-1765.
    4. Tsatsos, Aristidis, 2012. "Die Liberalisierung des russischen Gassektors: 3 Szenarios? [The liberalisation of the Russian gas sector: 3 scenarios?]," MPRA Paper 44623, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Sirin, Selahattin Murat & Erdogan, Fakir H., 2013. "R&D expenditures in liberalized electricity markets: The case of Turkey," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 491-498.
    6. 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.
    7. Emanuele BACCHIOCCHI & Massimo FLORIO & Marco GAMBARO, 2008. "Telecom prices, regulatory reforms, and consumers’ satisfaction: evidence for 15 EU countries," Departmental Working Papers 2008-10, Department of Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods at Università degli Studi di Milano, revised 20 Jun 2008.

    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. Frank, Alejandro Germán & Gerstlberger, Wolfgang & Paslauski, Carolline Amaral & Lerman, Laura Visintainer & Ayala, Néstor Fabián, 2018. "The contribution of innovation policy criteria to the development of local renewable energy systems," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 353-365.
    2. Agnolucci, Paolo, 2008. "Factors influencing the likelihood of regulatory changes in renewable electricity policies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 141-161, January.
    3. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/f6h8764enu2lskk9p4oq2cqb0 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Benedick, Richard Elliot, 1999. "Contrasting approaches: the ozone layer, climate change, and resolving the Kyoto dilemma," Discussion Papers, Research Professorship Environmental Policy FS II 99-404, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    5. Ragwitz, Mario & Miola, Apollonia, 2005. "Evidence from RD&D spending for renewable energy sources in the EU," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 30(11), pages 1635-1647.
    6. Nesta, Lionel & Vona, Francesco & Nicolli, Francesco, 2014. "Environmental policies, competition and innovation in renewable energy," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 67(3), pages 396-411.
    7. Caselles-Moncho, Antonio & Ferrandiz-Serrano, Liliana & Peris-Mora, Eduardo, 2006. "Dynamic simulation model of a coal thermoelectric plant with a flue gas desulphurisation system," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(18), pages 3812-3826, December.
    8. Sterlacchini, Alessandro, 2012. "Energy R&D in private and state-owned utilities: An analysis of the major world electric companies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 494-506.
    9. Brian Roach, "undated". "Policies for Funding a Response to Climate Change," GDAE Working Papers 08-03, GDAE, Tufts University.
    10. Francesco Vona & Francesco Nicolli & Lionel Nesta, 2012. "Determinants of renewable energy innovation: environmental policies vs. market regulation," Sciences Po publications 2012-05, Sciences Po.
    11. Yao, Lixia & Chang, Youngho, 2014. "Energy security in China: A quantitative analysis and policy implications," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 595-604.
    12. Marino, Marianna & Parrotta, Pierpaolo & Valletta, Giacomo, 2019. "Electricity (de)regulation and innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 748-758.
    13. Kim, Jihwan & Kim, Yeonbae & Flacher, David, 2012. "R&D investment of electricity-generating firms following industry restructuring," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 103-117.
    14. Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2008. "Replacing tedium with transformation: Why the US Department of Energy needs to change the way it conducts long-term R&D," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 923-928, March.
    15. Balsalobre, Daniel & Sinha, Avik & Driha, Oana M. & Shujaat Mubarik, Muhammad, 2021. "Assessing the Impacts of Ageing and Natural Resource Extraction on Carbon Emissions: A proposed Policy Framework for European Economies," MPRA Paper 108159, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2021.
    16. Inglesi-Lotz, R., 2019. "Energy research and R&D indicators: An LMDI decomposition analysis for the IEA Big 5 in energy research," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    17. Costa-Campi, M.T. & Duch-Brown, N. & García-Quevedo, J., 2014. "R&D drivers and obstacles to innovation in the energy industry," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 20-30.
    18. Schmitt, Stephan & Kucsera, Denes, 2013. "The Impact of the Regulatory Reform Process on R&D Investment of European Electricity Utilities," VfS Annual Conference 2013 (Duesseldorf): Competition Policy and Regulation in a Global Economic Order 80035, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    19. de Oliveira Matias, João Carlos & Devezas, Tessaleno Campos, 2009. "Consumption dynamics of primary-energy sources: The century of alternative energies," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 84(7-8), pages 763-770, July.
    20. Jamasb, Tooraj & Pollitt, Michael G., 2015. "Why and how to subsidise energy R+D: Lessons from the collapse and recovery of electricity innovation in the UK," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 197-205.
    21. Nemet, Gregory F. & Kammen, Daniel M., 2007. "U.S. energy research and development: Declining investment, increasing need, and the feasibility of expansion," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 746-755, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    R&D performance; energy and telecommunication utilities;

    JEL classification:

    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy
    • L97 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Utilities: General
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:pra:mprapa:31. 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: Joachim Winter (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/vfmunde.html .

    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.