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CenSES annual report 2013
37
2013 dissertation: Jens Hanson, UiO
Jens Hanson defended his PhD thesis in October 2013
at the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture,
University of Oslo. His thesis “Dynamics of innova-
tion systems for renewable energy technology: The
role of post-introduction improvements” deals with
the processes through which new renewable energy
technologies can become cost-efficient.
Many technologies are crude at their introduction,
but often become effective by means of sustained
programmes of incremental improvement, after their
initial introduction. Post-introduction improvements
constitute a key mechanism for technologies to attain
cost-efficiency, but how do they occur?
The perspective taken here is that this overall process
takes place in the interplay between diffusion and
innovation – between actors, networks and institu-
tions using and producing technologies. We can think
of these relationships as a technological innovation
system that shapes the extent and direction of innova-
tion.
The central argument of this thesis is that post-intro-
duction improvement of transition technologies is
determined by the dynamics of technological innova-
tion systems. For new RETs to improve and attain tran-
sition significance, a full-scale system needs to evolve
through processes of system building.
The thesis explores these issues empirically in three
ways: first via a discussion of the interactions between
innovation and diffusion; secondly via an exploration
of the case of how the Norwegian metallurgical indus-
try diversified to solar photovoltaics (PV) as a response
to international policy stimulated markets; and third
via the analysis of policy considerations involved in
RET development, focusing on research policy initia-
tives in Norway and feed-in tariffs in Germany.
Both the analysis of market deployment and science
policy illustrate that policy measures that in principle
can be linked to support either demand or supply
sides in fact depend on the technology to which they
are intrinsic. The thesis therefore analyses a set of
dynamics that occurred after the initial introduction
of solar PV, but which have important impacts on the
paths of efficiency and cost. Further improvement
however is not given, but relies on the continuous
dynamics of innovation systems.
A new technology is often
significantly improved after its
initial introduction, which implies
the interplay between use and
production of technology. In the
competition with well established
technologies, this may involve
the formation of markets for
new renewables. This creates new
learning arenas for businesses
and other actors involved, which in
turn create innovation, new know-
ledge and increased efficiency
.
Jens Hanson, PhD thesis
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Education