Building and interconnecting hydrogen networks : insights from the electricity and gas experience in Europe

This paper aims to investigate the transition to a new energy system based on hydrogen in the European liberalized framework. After analyzing the literature on the hydrogen infrastructure needs in Europe, we estimate the size and scope of the transition challenge. We take the theoretical framework of network economics to analyze early hydrogen infrastructure needs. Therefore, several concepts are applied to hydrogen economics such as demand club effects, scale economies on large infrastructures, scope economies, and positive socio-economical externalities. On the examples of the electricity and natural gas industry formation in Europe, we argue for public intervention in order to create conditions to reach more rapidly the critical size of the network and to prompt network externalities allowing for the market diffusion of and, thus, an effective transition to the new energy system.Network economics ; infrastructure ; hydrogen

Prospects for the hydrogen transition based on the network economic approach : Insights from the electricity and gas experience in Europe

This paper aims to investigate the transition to a new energy system based on hydrogen in the European liberalized framework. After analyzing the literature on the hydrogen infrastructure needs in Europe, we estimate the size and scope of the transition challenge.We take the theoretical framework of network economics to analyze early hydrogen infrastructure needs. Therefore, several concepts are applied to hydrogen economics such as demand club effects, scale economies on large infrastructures, scope economies, and positive socio-economical externalities. On the examples of the electric and natural gas industry formation in Europe, we argue for public intervention in order to create conditions to reach more rapidly the critical size of the network and to prompt network externalities allowing for the market diffusion of and, thus, an effective transition to the new energy system.Economics of regulation ; network economics ; technological change ; energy economics ; hydrogen ; electricity ; natural gas

La transition vers l'économie hydrogène : une approche d'économie de réseau : les enseignements de l'expérience des industries électrique et gazière en Europe

Cet article analyse la transition vers un nouveau système énergétique basé sur l'hydrogène dans le nouveau cadre concurrentiel en Europe. Une révision de la littérature sur les besoins en infrastructure de l'hydrogène en Europe est réalisée. Cela permet de saisir la portée réelle du défi de la transition. Nous nous inscrivons dans le cadre théorique des industries de réseau pour analyser la mise en place de l'infrastructure. Ainsi, plusieurs concepts sont appliqués à l'économie de l'hydrogène, tels que les effets de club, les économies d'échelle, les économies d'envergure, et les externalités socio-économiques de l'investissement en grandes infrastructures. L'analyse de l'évolution des industries de l'électricité et du gaz en Europe renforce l'argument que l'intervention des pouvoirs publics est nécessaire afin de créer les conditions pour que le réseau atteigne plus rapidement la taille critique et permette ainsi, par l'effet des externalités de réseau, que l'hydrogène puisse se diffuser dans le marché.Economie de la réglementation ; économie des réseaux ; changement technologique ; économie de l'énergie ; hydrogène ; électricité ; gaz naturel

Spatial diffusion and the formation of a technological innovation system in the receiving country: The case of wind energy in Portugal

This paper investigates how energy technologies diffuse spatiallythrough the examination of wind growth in Denmark (core) andPortugal (follower). The research draws on the empirical his-torical scaling dynamics to compare patterns of diffusion, andproposes an explanation for these patterns with the help of thetechnological innovation systems (TIS) theoretical framework. Theanalysis uncovered an acceleration of diffusion when the technol-ogy attained the new market. The mechanisms that allowed rapidadoption were found to be, among others, transnational linkagesand an improved absorptive capacity. The latter benefited frompast investments in knowledge development, imports of state-of-the-art technology and construction of a local industry assemblingavailable competencies. Targeted policies (e.g. tender-based feed-in scheme) were effective to stimulate technology transfer andboost diffusion. The linkages with the global TIS and the conceptof absorptive capacity improve the understanding of the processesinvolved in the formation of a TIS in receiving countries

The capacity for adopting energy innovations in Portugal: historical evidence and perspectives for the future

This paper investigates the speed of adoption of energy technologies in a traditionally innovation importing country, Portugal, as compared with countries where these technologies first started. Data were collected on the growth of eight energy-related technologies, both energy supply (e.g. natural gas plants, wind turbines) and end-use (e.g., motorcycles). The analysis is done in terms of the evolution of the number of units and installed capacity, indicating possible scale effects. The results show an average adoption lag of one to two decades relatively to “Core” countries. However, the growth rate increases when a technology arrives at Portugal, confirming the hypothesis that adoption accelerates when technology reaches new markets. Additionally, the duration of diffusion in Portugal is less constrained by the final scale of diffusion, contrasting with previous observations for the Core. The data also uncover the successful diffusion of wind energy in Portugal, showing that growth took off less than a decade after the diffusion in the Core, and achieving similar levels of intensity. The analysis suggests that this was supported by the improvement in the adoption capacity, associated with the development of a wind energy innovation system. These findings open new perspectives for the spatial diffusion of sustainable innovations

The construction of a new technological innovation system in a follower country: wind energy in Portugal

This article analyzes the process of construction of a new innovation system based on wind energy in a “follower” context. The technological innovation systems framework is used to analyze the process of technology diffusion as well as the emergence of a new wind sector in Portugal, where this renewable energy technology showed a spectacular development in the past decade. This framework highlights the main processes or functions that occur in the diffusion of a new technology. The evidence obtained demonstrates that the fulfillment of these functions, which were mostly studied in the context of pioneer countries, is still pertinent to explain the formation of a wind energy system in this follower country. Yet the type of resources and the nature of the activities needed to adopt the technology in the latter often differ. This case provides new insights into the importance of functions that enhance the follower's capacity to assimilate the new technology (e.g. local knowledge development, experimentation), thus creating the conditions for a fast move as soon as innovations become sufficiently mature in the core

Emergence of floating offshore wind energy: technology and industry

The paper investigates the construction of strategies aiming to up-scale low-carbon innovations from pilot to full commercial scale. This requires a systemic understanding of the evolution of the technology along with the organizations and infrastructures supporting its development. Technological innovation systems concepts operationalize system building processes, including the establishment of constituent elements and the performance of key innovation activities. The study surveys the national roadmaps published between 2009 and 2014 for offshore wind energy in deepwaters (more than 50 m deep) which inform on how actors expect the system to grow, including the innovation activities crucial to achieve it. The roadmaps point to the role of guidance and legitimacy as triggers of changes in other innovation processes (knowledge creation, experimentation and so on) needed for take-off. The analysis reveals that the growth plans conveyed in the roadmaps are overly optimistic when compared with the time taken to develop offshore wind energy in fixed structures for shallow waters. Several countries have adopted supporting policies following the publication of the roadmaps, but weaknesses in crucial innovation processes (e.g. specialized skills) and external factors (e.g. crisis, regulatory approval) resulted in a delay of the first large investments. Policy should be based on realistic expectations and adequate to the phase of innovation, such as the promotion of technology-specific institutions (standards, codes, regulations and so on) in technology up-scaling. New directions for research are also provided.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Legitimacy and guidance in upscaling energy technology innovations

The paper aims to improve the understanding about the role of expectations and key innovation processes, such as legitimation and guidance, in the upscaling of low-carbon innovations. We analyze roadmaps developed for floating offshore wind energy to investigate how actors prepare for system growth. We focus on how roadmaps contribute to the formation and sharing of expectations through their influence on system acceptability (legitimacy) and attractiveness (guidance), enabling access to crucial resources. The analysis reveals that institutional and technological context affect guidance, namely a higher external openness as technology matures and governments are involved. An actors’ survey finds that overpromising reduces roadmaps impact on expectations. Analyses of media coverage and Internet searches show that roadmaps affect public perceptions indirectly, through the promotion of experiments. Implications include new directions for conceptualizing legitimacy, guidance and expectations in technological innovation systems, as well as recommendations for managing key processes in systems’ upscaling

Dynamics of knowledge production and technology diffusion: Insights from the emergence of wind energy

The objective of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the relation between the dynamics of knowledge production and technology diffusion along the process of emergence of a new technology, as it unfolds in diverse spatial locations. For this purpose, the paper traces the process of knowledge production over time – expressed in the number of scientific publications - and assesses how its dynamics relate with those of technology up-scaling and diffusion, for the case of a new renewable energy technology: wind power. It also compares these processes in different spatial areas, looking at similarities and differences in the evolving patterns, in initial markets and follower regions. In order to trace the dynamics of knowledge production we conduct a bibliometric analysis, using data collected from the Thomson Reuters Web of Science database (for the period 1970-2012). In order to trace the diffusion dynamics we use data collected on both unit scale of turbines and installed capacity of wind power (starting in late 1970s), following the empirical scaling methodology. These analyses are conducted at global scale and, subsequently, at a regional scale, for a pioneer (Denmark) and a fast follower (Portugal). The comparison of the outcomes from the bibliometric and the technology growth analyses permits to understand the rhythm and order in which knowledge was created and applied in this particular innovation. It also provides a preliminary account of the interplay between pioneer and fast follower regions

La transition vers l'hydrogène est-elle bloquée par un verrouillage technologique au profit des énergies fossiles ?

La difficulté d'introduire l'hydrogène et les piles à combustible dans le marché découle du fait que ces technologies ne constituent pas une innovation évolutive, comme les biocarburants ou les voitures hybrides, mais plutôt une rupture technologique. La domination actuelle des technologies liées au pétrole crée un contexte socio-économique favorisant les acteurs impliqués dans le paradigme actuel, et donne moins de possibilités aux carburants alternatifs de se développer et de contester le statu quo. L'environnement institutionnel tend à reproduire les incitations économiques donnant lieu à un cycle vicieux, lequel rend la sortie du verrouillage au carbone difficile. Si cette hypothèse est correcte, les entreprises intéressées par l'économie de l'hydrogène peuvent se voir bloquées en l'absence d'un contexte stable ou en raison d'intérêts contradictoires. En passant en revue les actions et les annonces des principaux acteurs intéressés par l'hydrogène-énergie, nous cherchons les vrais verrous technologiques au carbone empêchant les entreprises de démarrer la transition. L'infrastructure, plus que la pile à combustible, semble être un facteur majeur de blocage au changement.HYDROGENE ; PILE A COMBUSTIBLE ; BARRIERE A L'ENTREE