Techno-economic comparison of next-generation access networks for the French market

Part 3: ManagementInternational audienceThe present paper compares, from a techno- economic point of view, two currently available access network solutions (Digital Subscriber Line and Passive Optical Network). It also considers a plausible future evolution of the Access and Metro networks, the so-called Long-Reach Optical Access, which augments the span of the access network. All potential solutions are evaluated on the basis of Payback Period, Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return. The market is segmented in different areas depending on their respective households density, and various business models are considered, in order to assess the impact of public funding. The French market is shown to be the most demanding in Europe, due to its low broadband access tariffs; it can thus be considered as a worst case for other European countries. The paper shows that, unless the take up rate for optical access significantly increases beyond its actual value, the profitability of deploying optical access for the network operators is low. This suggests that the evolution towards optical access in Europe shall depend on the amount of available public funding for its deployment

Hydrogen Energy Storage: New Techno-Economic Emergence Solution Analysis

International audienceThe integration of various renewable energy sources as well as the liberalization of electricity markets are established facts in modern electrical power systems. The increased share of renewable sources within power systems intensifies the supply variability and intermittency. Therefore, energy storage is deemed as one of the solutions for stabilizing the supply of electricity to maintain generation-demand balance and to guarantee uninterrupted supply of energy to users. In the context of sustainable development and energy resources depletion, the question of the growth of renewable energy electricity production is highly linked to the ability to propose new and adapted energy storage solutions. The purpose of this multidisciplinary paper is to highlight the new hydrogen production and storage technology, its efficiency and the impact of the policy context on its development. A comprehensive techno/socio/economic study of long term hydrogen based storage systems in electrical networks is addressed. The European policy concerning the different energy storage systems and hydrogen production is explicitly discussed. The state of the art of the techno-economic features of the hydrogen production and storage is introduced. Using Matlab-Simulink for a power system of rated 70 kW generator, the excess produced hydrogen during high generation periods or low demand can be sold either directly to the grid owners or as filled hydrogen bottles. The affordable use of Hydrogen-based technologies for long term electricity storage is verified

What do business models do? Narratives, calculation and market exploration

Building on a case study of an entrepreneurial venture, we investigate the role played by business models in the innovation process. Rather than debating their accuracy and efficiency, we adopt a pragmatic approach to business models -- we examine them as market devices, focusing on their materiality, use and dynamics. Taking into account the variety of its forms, which range from corporate presentations to business plans, we show that the business model is a narrative and calculative device that allows entrepreneurs to explore a market and plays a performative role by contributing to the construction of the techno-economic network of an innovation.WP abstract: Analyzes the uses and functions of business models through original, qualitative case studies focused on research-based spin-offs.Business models; spin-offs; innovation; commercialization; calculation; exploration; R&D; entrepreneurship