| 1. |
- Hellsmark, Hans, 1974, et al.
(författare)
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The Role of Pilot and Demonstration Plants in Technology Development and Innovation Policy
- 2016
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Ingår i: Research Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-7333 .- 1873-7625. ; 45:9, s. 1743-1761
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pilot- and demonstration plants (PDPs) represent bridges between generating basic knowledge and technological breakthroughs on the one hand, and industrial applications and commercial adoption on the other. This paper reports on a longitudinal study of how two technological fields that received significant public funding evolved—biochemical conversion of biomass and thermal conversion of black liquor. In doing so, this study makes two contributions. First, it provides a framework for analyzing the roles of various types of PDPs in developing new technology. The framework highlights the learning processes taking place at and around these plants and how they contribute to reducing different types of risks. It also elaborates on the importance of actor networks and institutional preconditions, and how both network performance and institutions can be influenced through various strategies. Second, the article contributes with new insights into the challenges of innovation policy in a PDP context. A policy mix is often required because policy cannot be considered meaningfully at a single level of government and will therefore be influenced heavily by limited foresight and politics (both nationally and locally). Therefore, policy must address both the need for parallel and iterative public funding of R&D and different types of plants, as well as attempts to directly influence collaborative processes in actor networks.
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| 2. |
- Ahlborg, Helene, 1980, et al.
(författare)
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Provision of electricity to African households : The importance of democracy and institutional quality
- 2015
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Ingår i: Energy Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0301-4215 .- 1873-6777. ; 87, s. 125-135
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- How can differences in per capita household electricity consumption across African countries be understood? Based on theories that highlight the importance of democracy and institutional quality for provision of public goods, the aim of the paper is to analyse the degree to which the level of per capita household electricity consumption in African countries can be attributed to the countries’ democratic status and their institutional quality. We rely on regression analysis employing a pooled data set for 44 African countries over the time period 1996–2009. The analysis shows that democracy and institutional quality both have significant positive effects on per capita household consumption of electricity. Our results have implications for how energy sector reforms are promoted in developing countries. At a more general level they illustrate that institution-building policy efforts are relevant also in areas where contemporary debates have tended to primarily centre on economic development, financial prerequisites and ownership issues.
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| 3. |
- Hedeler, Barbara, 1991, et al.
(författare)
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Policy mixes and policy feedback: Implications for green industrial growth in the Swedish biofuels industry
- 2023
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Ingår i: Renewable & sustainable energy reviews. - : Elsevier. - 1364-0321 .- 1879-0690. ; 173
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In recent years, innovation systems scholars have advanced the understanding of the evolution of industries around renewable energy technologies as well as the role of policy feedback (and indeed politics) surrounding the development of domestic green industrial development policies. To take a step towards combining these literature streams, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of policy mixes and policy feedback in the emergence of domestic green industries. This is achieved in the empirical case of biofuels in Sweden, and the findings show that policy feedback dynamics created difficulties in aligning the national policy mix with the technology and industrial developments in the country. The resulting political uncertainty predominantly hampered the scaling up of domestic production capacity, while R&D and import of biofuels instead could grow strong. Based on this empirical case, a process model is developed to explain the role of policy feedback in the development of domestic industries, thus demonstrating how the growth of domestic industries is driven by the interplay of policy effects and various feedback processes. The findings suggest that future research into the role of policies in “green” domestic industry growth should devote more attention to the dynamics driving the co-evolution of policy, technology and industry structures.
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| 4. |
- Hellsmark, Hans, 1974, et al.
(författare)
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Innovation System Strengths and Weaknesses in Progressing Sustainable Technology : The Case of Swedish Biorefinery Development
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Cleaner Production. - : Elsevier BV. - 0959-6526 .- 1879-1786. ; 131, s. 702-715
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Based on the combination of economic challenges and uncertain policy conditions in the United States, European Union, and elsewhere, the development of advanced biorefineries has progressed slower than anticipated. This has delayed the transition to a more sustainable and less carbon-intensive economy. In this article, we adopt the technological innovation system (TIS) approach to analyze advanced biorefinery development in Sweden, a front-runner country in current development. The analysis highlights a number of system strengths (e.g., long-term research funding; significant research infrastructure; strong actor networks) that have contributed to developing the Swedish TIS, but also important system weaknesses (e.g., weak coordination among ministries; lack of industrial absorptive capacity; unclear roles) inhibiting it. The article highlights a combination of four policy measures that build on the system strengths to address the system weaknesses: (a) the implementation of a deployment policy for creating domestic niche markets; (b) improved policy timing and more structured coordination among different governmental agencies; (c) the provision of stronger incentives for mature industries to invest in R&D and improve their absorptive capacity; and (d) improved organization and financing of existing research infrastructure. In addition to the empirical contribution, the article contributes with novel insights into the TIS framework by highlighting the dynamics between system strengths and weaknesses, and suggests that system strengths should be better emphasized in future TIS studies
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| 5. |
- Mossberg, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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Challenges of sustainable industrial transformation : Swedish biorefinery development and incumbents in the emerging biofuels industry
- 2021
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Ingår i: Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining. - : John Wiley and Sons Ltd. - 1932-104X .- 1932-1031. ; 15:5, s. 1264-1280
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper investigates the transformation challenges related to incumbent industries caused by technology development and industry convergence in the transition to a bioeconomy in the context of Swedish biorefinery development. It involves the emergence of new value chains and several incumbent industries such as the pulp and paper industry, the oil refinery sector, the chemical process industry, and the heat and power sector. In 2019, Sweden had Europe's largest share of biofuels in the transport sector, roughly 20% on an energy basis, and this share has increased by around 300% during the last decade. At the same time, domestic production has stalled, and even though Sweden has beneficial conditions for biofuel production, the share of biofuel that is imported or based on imported feedstock has recently ranged between 85% and 90%. We discuss three transformation challenges: (i) inertia and lack of absorptive capacity creating lock-in effects at the organizational level; (ii) weak and inefficient actor networks at the industry level; and (iii) contradictory policy instrument mixes and lack of coordination at the government level. The findings underscore the need for policy integration and alignment across various policy domains, and an increased focus on policy mixes that can stimulate the emergence of more disruptive innovations and value chains. There is also a need for industrial initiatives, such as improving absorptive capacity and strengthening actor networks, to help build the value chains needed to realize a sustainable bioeconomy.
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| 6. |
- Mossberg, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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Managerial and organizational challenges encountered in the development of sustainable technology : Analysis of Swedish biorefinery pilot and demonstration plants
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Cleaner Production. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 0959-6526 .- 1879-1786. ; 276
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pilot and demonstration plants (PDPs) perform critical tasks in the development of new sustainable technology by bridging basic knowledge generation and large-scale commercialization. Significant private and public funding has therefore been allocated to PDPs addressing climate change, pollution abatement technology and/or increased resource efficiency. After technology verification, PDPs typically struggle with evolving objectives, and reports of stalled or delayed development are common. Key problems may center on technical difficulties, but challenges of a non-technical nature are equally important, not least for the development of clean technology. This paper draws on a longitudinal case study of four PDPs used for advanced biorefinery technology development in Sweden and delineates the key managerial and organizational challenges that arise in and around such plants. By taking the actor networks around PDPs as the main unit of analysis, this paper gives a detailed description of various challenges, such as the division of responsibility for the operation and ownership of the PDPs, unclear roles and objectives, and the lack of specific competences and resources in the actor networks. One important conclusion is that improved knowledge about such challenges should increase the resilience of actor networks in and around PDPs, and also help shorten the formative phase of developing sustainable technology. © 2020 The Authors
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| 7. |
- Mousavi, Seyedesmaeil, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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How can pilot and demonstration plants drive market formation? Lessons from advanced biofuel development in Europe
- 2023
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Ingår i: Technological forecasting & social change. - : Elsevier. - 0040-1625 .- 1873-5509. ; 194
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper analyzes through what enabling mechanisms pilot and demonstration plants (PDPs) reduce supply and demand uncertainties, and thereby contributing to the market formation for novel sustainable technologies. The analysis builds on three case studies within the advanced biofuel development in Europe. For each case, we construct a narrative of the technology development and derive detailed insights into how technology actors use PDPs to drive market formation. We develop a comprehensive analytical framework, which highlights how PDPs contribute to supply uncertainty reduction through three main enabling mechanisms: building credibility for the technology, business ecosystem orchestration, and technology learning. The corresponding enabling mechanisms behind demand uncertainty reduction include technology standardization, constructing the narrative, and the creation of legitimacy for the technology. The paper also unfolds the composite activities of each mechanism, and outlines implications for technology developers, policymakers, as well as for the research community.
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| 8. |
- Söderholm, Patrik, et al.
(författare)
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Governing the transition to low-carbon futures: A critical survey of energy scenarios for 2050
- 2011
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Ingår i: Futures. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-3287 .- 1873-6378. ; 43:10, s. 1105-1116
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is a growing scientific consensus that limiting the increase in global average temperature to around 2 C above pre-industrial levels is necessary to avoid unacceptable impact on the climate system. This requires that the developed countries' emissions are radically reduced during the next 40 years. Energy scenario studies provide insights on the societal transitions that might be implied by such low-carbon futures, and in this paper we discuss how a greater attention to different governance and institutional issues can complement future scenario exercises. The analysis is based on a critical review of 20 quantitative and qualitative scenario studies, all of relevance for meeting long-term climate policy objectives. The paper: (a) analyzes some key differences in energy technology mixes and primary energy use patterns across these studies; (b) briefly explores the extent and the nature of the societal challenges and policy responses implied; and (c) discusses a number of important implications for the design and scope of future scenario studies. Our review shows that in previous scenario studies the main attention is typically paid to analyzing the impact of well-defined and uniform policy instruments, while fewer studies factor in the role of institutional change in achieving different energy futures. We therefore point towards a number of strategies of integrating issues of transition governance into future scenario analyses, and argue for a closer synthesis of qualitative and quantitative scenario building. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 9. |
- Söderholm, Patrik, 1968-, et al.
(författare)
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Metal markets and recycling policies : impacts and challenges
- 2020
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Ingår i: Mineral Economics. - : Springer. - 2191-2203 .- 2191-2211. ; 33:1-2, s. 257-272
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An increased understanding of the existing markets for recycled (secondary) metals, including interactions with virgin material production, is essential for public decision-making processes concerning the implementation and evaluation of different categories of recycling policies. In this paper, we review the existing literature with the purpose of discussing (1) the impacts of various recycling policies on metal markets in which aggregate demand can be met by both primary and secondary production, and (2) a number of challenges that policy-makers need to confront in choosing between various types of recycling policies and policy designs. A simple partial equilibrium model is used as a pedagogical tool for shedding light on the impacts of tradable recycling credits, virgin material taxes, and recycling subsidies. In a second step, the paper identifies and discusses a few key challenges that policy-makers will need to address in recycling policy-making. These challenges include improving the functioning of secondary material markets by addressing various non-environmental market inefficiencies; identifying and designing (second-best) policy mixes due to the presence of incomplete monitoring and enforcement of waste disposal behavior, and regulating environmental impacts through price- or quantity-based policies. Throughout the analysis, we consult the empirical literature on the functioning of scrap metal markets (e.g., steel, copper, and aluminum).
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| 10. |
- Söderholm, Patrik, 1968-, et al.
(författare)
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Technological development for sustainability : The role of network management in the innovation policy mix
- 2019
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Ingår i: Technological forecasting & social change. - : Elsevier. - 0040-1625 .- 1873-5509. ; 138, s. 309-323
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite the key role of actor networks in progressing new sustainable technologies, there is a shortage of conceptual knowledge on how policy can help strengthen collaborative practices in such networks. The objective of this paper is to analyze the roles of such policies – so-called network management – throughout the entire technological development processes. The analysis draws on the public management and sustainability transitions literatures, and discusses how various network characteristics could affect the development of sustainable technologies, including how different categories of network management strategies could be deployed to influence actor collaborations. The paper's main contribution is an analytical framework that addresses the changing roles of network management at the interface between various phases of the technological development process, illustrated with the empirical case of advanced biorefinery technology development in Sweden. Furthermore, the analysis also addresses some challenges that policy makers are likely to encounter when pursuing network management strategies, and identifies a number of negative consequences of ignoring such instruments in the innovation policy mix. The latter include inefficient actor role-taking, the emergence of small, ineffective and competing actor networks in similar technological fields, and a shortage of interpretative knowledge.
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