Radical and Incremental Innovation Preferences in Information Technology: An Empirical Study in an Emerging Economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tarun K. Sen

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Radical and Incremental Innovation Preferences in Information Technology: An Empirical Study in an Emerging Economy Abstract Innovation in information technology is a primary driver for growth in developed economies. Research indicates that countries go through three stages in the adoption of innovation strategies: buying innovation through global trade, incremental innovation from other countries by enhancing efficiency, and, at the most developed stage, radically innovating independently for competitive advantage. The first two stages of innovation maturity depend more on cross-border trade than the third stage. In this paper, we find that IT professionals in in an emerging economy such as India believe in radical innovation over incremental innovation (adaptation as a growth strategy, even though competitive advantage may rest in adaptation. The results of the study report the preference for innovation strategies among IT professionals in India and its implications for other rapidly growing emerging economies.

Evolutionary analysis of technological innovations: the example of solar photovoltaic and wind energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taillant, Pierre

2005-01-01

The objective of this research thesis is to study the building up and the development of technologies for renewable energies considered as environmental radical innovations. In a first part, the author discusses the systemic aspects of innovation and the environmental challenges associated with energy technologies. He examines the main evolutions of energy systems over a long period. In a second part, he addresses innovation incentives in the case of environmental technologies and within the frame of the neo-classical economic theory. The next parts aim at presenting the theoretical framework of the evolutionary analysis of innovation and technical change, and at applying it to the case of technological innovations for renewable energies (photovoltaic and wind energy). World PV market trends are discussed and the technological competition context of this sector is analysed. The evolution of the solar PV technological system in Germany is discussed, as well as the specific case of development of the wind energy technological system in Denmark

Improving learning competencies in the context of radical innovation: a team perspective

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brix, Jacob; Lauridsen, Ole

2014-01-01

) radical innovation method the ‘Creative Idea Solution (CIS) framework’. As part of the authors’ intervention, Lauridsen’s (2012) updated version of the Building Excellence (BE) learning styles model (Rundle and Dunn, 2007) was implemented in the five innovation teams. The results represent important...

Radical Innovation, Paradigm Shift and Incumbent’s Dilemma The Case of the Auto Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eden Yin

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Radical innovations often upend the incumbents firms and even render them obsolete (Ansari & Krop, 2012; Benner, 2010, as these firms often have great difficulties in addressing the challenge posed by these innovations due to inertia (Ghemawat, 1991, tendencies to exploit existing competences (Levinthal & March, 1993; O’Reilly & Tushman, 2008, organizational rigidity (Beonard-Barton, 1992, complacency and internal culture (Tellis, 2006, problems in the incentive system and resource allocation process (Christensen, 1997, and gap in the organizational capabilities required for embracing the new technology (Henderson, 2006; Tushman & Anderson, 1986. However, as radical innovations become increasingly frequent across industries, responding to this serious threat has become a strategic priority for many incumbent firms. Research shows that incumbents survive or even prosper in the face of radical innovations by forging effective partnerships with challenger firms (Ansari & Krop, 2012, establishing a separate entity to fend off the threat (Christensen, 1997; Christensen, Raynor & McDonald, 2015, better evaluation and investment approach (Hill & Rothaermel, 2003, appropriately configuring organizational form and structure (Ansari & Krop, 2012, coupling their basic research function with applied research functions (Hill & Rothaermel, 2003, possessing downstream complementary assets critical for the commercialization of the new technology (Ansari & Krop, 2012; Hill & Rothaermel, 2003, and more importantly by possessing a high willingness to cannibalize their core business (Chandy and Tellis, 1998. Incumbents can also thrive or overcome the so-called incumbent’s curse by pioneering radical innovations by themselves (Chandy and Tellis, 2000. Previous studies on radical innovations focus primarily on a single product (e.g., Chandy and Tellis, 1998, 2000, technological or business model innovation (Ansari & Krop, 2012; Christensen, 1997; Hill

The Role of IT in Radical Innovation (working paper)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wit, Camilla Kølsen de

Radical innovation projects like BPR are closely connected to the use of information technology. The research question posed in this paper is: what is critical for the successful carrying through of the work processes related to proactive IT-use? It is researched using the Critical Incident...... Technique (CIT)....

Determinants of Enterprises Radical Innovation and Performance: Insights into Strategic Orientation of Cultural and Creative Enterprises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tsui-Yii Shih

2018-06-01

Full Text Available A firm’s strategic orientation determine its business direction and scope of operation. Several researchers have tried to identify how strategic orientations affect business development. However, only a few scholars have explored how strategic orientations shape a firm’s organizational capability. In addition, the extent to which radical innovation contributes to a firm’s operations has not been well researched. Given these research shortcomings, this study explores the integration of firms’ strategic orientations, radical innovation, competitive advantages, and business performance within a conceptual framework. A sample of 86 cultural and creative firms was obtained. The results of the regression analysis and of the PLS SEM model are compared in this study. Our findings suggest that factors from either market orientation or entrepreneurial orientation add to a firm’s radical innovation capability and adoption. Lastly, the brand advantage is identified to be the most important factor in firms’ performance after a radical innovation capability and product advantage. This paper offers several contributions to the research. First, it advances knowledge of the strategic orientations of cultural and creative firms in a developing market. Second, it demonstrates the usefulness of radical innovation capability in profiling the development of competitive advantages. Lastly, it adds to our understanding of factors that facilitate the business performance of cultural and creative entrepreneurs.

A Critique of Radical Innovation as a Solution to Contemporary Problems of Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Baumrind, Diana

Without well-defined criteria for success, all radical innovations are doomed to failure. To facilitate successful experimentation the following are necessary: an outside agency to conduct evaluation; criteria of success acceptable to innovators and critics; and, in control and comparison groups, assessment and accounting of the initial versus…

How do Resource Structuring and Strategic Flexibility Interact to Shape Radical Innovation?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Yuan; Li, Peter Ping; Wang, Haifeng

2017-01-01

flexibility could be complementary or substitutive, and the effective utilization of these two organizational dimensions as a joint force should be well aligned to achieve scientific breakthroughs. Specifically, this study explores how two different types of strategic flexibility (i.e., resource flexibility......As high resource consumption and high uncertainty are two of the most critical challenges to radical innovation, it is imperative to adopt resource structuring for an active management of resource portfolios, and also to adopt strategic flexibility for active management of contextual uncertainties......, especially for firms in the emerging economies characterized by serious resource deficiency and high contextual uncertainty. Though firms engaging in resource structuring and strategic flexibility separately could foster radical innovation, the interaction effect of resource structuring and strategic...

Towards integration of methodologies for assessing and promoting the societal embedding of energy innovations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verbong, G.; Mourik, R.; Raven, R.P.J.M.

2006-10-01

The necessity for system innovation is well acknowledged, but inducing system change proves to be very difficult. Three approaches have been developed for analysing and supporting radical innovations: Socrobust, Create Acceptance and Strategic Niche Management. This paper gives an overview of these complementary approaches and their theoretical background. The paper also identifies several potential contributions for social scientists to contribute to energy research and the implementation of more sustainable alternatives.

Game-based teaching and examination of radical innovation in corporate entreprenurship

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rosenstand, Claus Andreas Foss; Gertsen, Frank; Tollestrup, Christian H. T.

. The suggestion is the prototype GamExam, simulating the complexity of radicality, uncertainty reduction, and cost of a real life corporate entrepreneurship innovation venture. The prototype is implemented with Microsoft Excel, and is with some success tested out in a class and at an examination; however further...

Innovative techniques for the production of energetic radicals for lunar materials processing including photogeneration via concentrated solar energy

Science.gov (United States)

Osborn, D. E.; Lynch, D. C.; Fozzolari, R.

1991-01-01

A technique for photo generation of radicals is discussed that can be used in the recovery of oxygen and metals from extraterrestrial resources. The concept behind this work was to examine methods whereby radicals can be generated and used in the processing of refractory materials. In that regard, the focus is on the use of sunlight. Sunlight provides useful energy for processing in the forms of both thermal and quantum energy. A number of experiments were conducted in the chlorination of metals with and without the aid of UV and near UV light. The results of some of those experiments are discussed.

Emergent Innovation—a Socio-Epistemological Innovation Technology. Creating Profound Change and Radically New Knowledge as Core Challenges in Knowledge Management

OpenAIRE

Peschl, Markus F.; Fundneider, Thomas

2008-01-01

This paper introduces an alternative approach to innovation: Emergent Innovation. As opposed to radical innovation Emergent Innovation finds a balance and integrates the demand both for radically new knowledge and at the same time for an organic development from within the organization. From a knowledge management perspective one can boil down this problem to the question of how to cope with the new and with profound change in knowledge. This question will be dealt with in the first part of t...

When 'national innovation system' meet 'varieties of capitalism' arguments on labour qualifications: On the skill types and scientific knowledge needed for radical and incremental product innovations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Herrmann, A.M.; Peine, A.

2011-01-01

The literatures on 'varieties of capitalism' (VoC) and 'national innovation systems' (NIS) propose very similar arguments about how firms require different types of labour qualifications to pursue strategies of radical product innovation (RPI), incremental product innovation (IPI), and product

Bio-energy. Innovators talking; Bio-energie. Innovators aan het woord

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-02-15

Qualitative studies have been conducted of the results of completed projects focused on energy innovation, spread over the seven themes of the top sector Energy: Energy saving in industry, Energy conservation in the built environment, Gas, Bio-energy, Smart grids, Offshore Wind, Solar PV. This provides insight into the follow-up activities and lessons of some EOS (Energy Research Subsidy) completed projects with the aim to inspire, connect and strengthen the TKIs (Topconsortia for Knowledge and Innovation) and individual companies and researchers working on energy innovation. This report concerns the research on bio-energy [Dutch] Er is een kwalitatief onderzoek uitgevoerd naar de resultaten van afgeronde projecten gericht op energie-innovatie, verdeeld over de zeven thema's van de topsector Energie: Energiebesparing in de industrie; Energiebesparing in de gebouwde omgeving; Gas; Bio-energie; Smart grids; Wind op zee; Zon-pv. Daarmee wordt inzicht gegeven in de vervolgactiviteiten en lessen van een aantal afgesloten EOS-projecten (Energie Onderzoek Subsidie) met het oog op het inspireren, verbinden en versterken van de TKI's (Topconsortia voor Kennis en Innovatie) en individuele bedrijven en onderzoekers die werken aan energie-innovatie. Dit rapport betreft het onderzoek naar bio-energie.

Bio-energy. Innovators talking; Bio-energie. Innovators aan het woord

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-02-15

Qualitative studies have been conducted of the results of completed projects focused on energy innovation, spread over the seven themes of the top sector Energy: Energy saving in industry, Energy conservation in the built environment, Gas, Bio-energy, Smart grids, Offshore Wind, Solar PV. This provides insight into the follow-up activities and lessons of some EOS (Energy Research Subsidy) completed projects with the aim to inspire, connect and strengthen the TKIs (Topconsortia for Knowledge and Innovation) and individual companies and researchers working on energy innovation. This report concerns the research on bio-energy [Dutch] Er is een kwalitatief onderzoek uitgevoerd naar de resultaten van afgeronde projecten gericht op energie-innovatie, verdeeld over de zeven thema's van de topsector Energie: Energiebesparing in de industrie; Energiebesparing in de gebouwde omgeving; Gas; Bio-energie; Smart grids; Wind op zee; Zon-pv. Daarmee wordt inzicht gegeven in de vervolgactiviteiten en lessen van een aantal afgesloten EOS-projecten (Energie Onderzoek Subsidie) met het oog op het inspireren, verbinden en versterken van de TKI's (Topconsortia voor Kennis en Innovatie) en individuele bedrijven en onderzoekers die werken aan energie-innovatie. Dit rapport betreft het onderzoek naar bio-energie.

Hybrid radical energy storage device and method of making

Science.gov (United States)

Gennett, Thomas; Ginley, David S; Braunecker, Wade; Ban, Chunmei; Owczarczyk, Zbyslaw

2015-01-27

Hybrid radical energy storage devices, such as batteries or electrochemical devices, and methods of use and making are disclosed. Also described herein are electrodes and electrolytes useful in energy storage devices, for example, radical polymer cathode materials and electrolytes for use in organic radical batteries.

New energy and innovation in Denmark; Ny energi og innovation i Danmark

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dannemand Andersen, P.; Borup, M.; Gregersen, B.; Nygaard Tanner, A.

2009-07-01

The objective of this project is to analyse the framework conditions for development of energy technologies in Denmark through an innovation perspective. The project is an analytical contribution to the discussion of development and possible improvements of the framework conditions and public-private interplay in the energy area. Moreover, the project provides new insight in Danish energy innovation in general and in development dynamics on individual technology areas. Main elements of the analysis are in-depth studies of innovation dynamics and framework conditions on five selected technology areas - all strategic priority areas within Danish energy research and development. The areas are: bio energy, hydrogen technology and fuel cells, wind power technology, solar cells, and energy efficient end-use technologies. Another main element is a broad questionnaire survey across the energy sector and its different actor groups. More than 300 organisations answered the questionnaire. The main results of the project are a.o. that 1) the Danish energy innovation system and the framework conditions for development of energy technologies on many points are well-developed and not immature in general. 2) The energy technology industry is one of the most important industries in Denmark with large export and an innovativeness that is higher than in the manufacturing industry in general. 3) Despite EU, internationalisation and globalisation and despite significant international connections, the energy innovation system is anchored primarily on the domestic level. Strengthening of the framework conditions and ambitious competences and goals on Danish level is therefore required to maintain a strong Danish energy technology development. 4) The technology areas differ significantly with respect to innovation dynamics, competence bases, actors, etc. and it is therefore needed that policy efforts to some extent are adjusted to the individual technology areas. Among the more detailed

Working Examples (WEx): A Vehicle for Building Radical Innovations to Change Education

Science.gov (United States)

Zywica, Jolene; Roberts, Anna; Davidson, Drew

2013-01-01

Working Examples (WEx) is described by the authors as a vehicle for ideating and building radical innovations to change education. It is a community of researchers, designers, and educators working at the intersection of education and technology. "Examples" (ideas, work, and projects) allow people to explore new ideas, learn from each…

Radical university-industry innovation – research design and preliminary findings from an on-going qualitative case study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gertsen, Frank; Nielsen, René Nesgaard

and it is arguing that there is a lack of in-depth understanding of such collaborative radical innovation processes. The paper then suggests an abductive research design for an explorative in-depth case study of collaborative radical innovation involving a university and an established Danish manufacturing firm....... Some preliminary findings are presented and briefly discussed, including the role of the university’s formal set-up to deal with IPR/commercialisation and the researchers’ personal networking with industry as well as challenges concerning the sharing of IPR/commercialisation outcomes....

When ‘national innovation system’ meet ‘varieties of capitalism’ arguments on labour qualifications: On the skill types and scientific knowledge needed for radical and incremental product innovations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Herrmann, A.M.; Peine, A.

2012-01-01

The literatures on ‘varieties of capitalism’ (VoC) and ‘national innovation systems’ (NIS) propose very similar arguments about how firms require different types of labour qualifications to pursue strategies of radical product innovation (RPI), incremental product innovation (IPI), and product

Inspired by design and driven by innovation. A conceptual model for radical design driven as a sustainable business model for Malaysian furniture design

Science.gov (United States)

Yusof, Wan Zaiyana Mohd; Fadzline Muhamad Tamyez, Puteri

2018-04-01

The definition of innovation does not help the entrepreneurs, business person or innovator to truly grasp what it means to innovate, hence we hear that government has spend millions of ringgit on “innovation” by doing R & D. However, the result has no avail in terms of commercial value. Innovation can be defined as the exploitation of commercialization of an idea or invention to create economic or social value. Most Entrepreneurs and business managers, regard innovation as creating economic value, while forgetting that innovation also create value for society or the environment. The ultimate goal as Entrepreneur, inventor or researcher is to exploit innovation to create value. As changes happen in society and economy, organizations and enterprises have to keep up and this requires innovation. This conceptual paper is to study the radical design driven innovation in the Malaysian furniture industry as a business model which the overall aim of the study is to examine the radical design driven innovation in Malaysia and how it compares with findings from Western studies. This paper will familiarize readers with the innovation and describe the radical design driven perspective that is adopted in its conceptual framework and design process.

Rescue US energy innovation

Science.gov (United States)

Anadon, Laura Diaz; Gallagher, Kelly Sims; Holdren, John P.

2017-10-01

President Trump has proposed severe cuts to US government spending on energy research, development and demonstration, but Congress has the `power of the purse' and can rescue US energy innovation. If serious cuts are enacted, the pace of innovation will slow, harming the economy, energy security and global environmental quality.

Engineering radical polymer electrodes for electrochemical energy storage

Science.gov (United States)

Nevers, Douglas R.; Brushett, Fikile R.; Wheeler, Dean R.

2017-06-01

In principle a wide range of organic materials can store energy in the form of reversible redox conversions of stable radicals. Such chemistry holds great promise for energy storage applications due to high theoretical capacities, high rate capabilities, intrinsic structural tunability, and the possibility of low-cost "green" syntheses from renewable sources. There have been steady improvements in the design of organic radical polymers, in which radicals are incorporated into the backbone and/or as pendant groups. This review highlights opportunities for improved redox molecule and polymer design along with the key challenges (e.g., transport phenomena, solubility, and reaction mechanisms) to transitioning known organic radicals into high-performance electrodes. Ultimately, organic-based batteries are still a nascent field with many open questions. Further advances in molecular design, electrode engineering, and device architecture will be required for these systems to reach their full potential and meet the diverse and increasing demands for energy storage.

Solar Energy Innovation Network | Solar Research | NREL

Science.gov (United States)

Energy Innovation Network Solar Energy Innovation Network The Solar Energy Innovation Network grid. Text version The Solar Energy Innovation Network is a collaborative research effort administered (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office to develop and demonstrate new ways for solar energy to improve

Innovation and energy use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berg, C.A.

1991-01-01

Energy conservation is back. War in the Middle East and environmental concerns are again responsible. Advocates of conservation cite engineering studies to show that improvements in energy efficiency are possible in almost all economic sectors and that the adoption of the cited measures will pay. In technical aspects, such studies correct, in as far as they go. However, conventional energy conservation studies, based on classical thermodynamics, are inherently biased toward refinement in execution of familiar techniques. The tell little of possibilities for profound conceptual change: innovation. Capital invested to refine execution of a technique becomes unavailable for innovation. However, it is innovation that brings the greatest gains in the efficiencies of use of all resources in production, including energy. The first object, in this paper is to explain limitations of conventional assessments; the second is to suggest the outlines of a dynamic theory that might reveal opportunities for innovation

Innovative nuclear energy systems roadmap

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-12-01

Developing nuclear energy that is sustainable, safe, has little waste by-product, and cannot be proliferated is an extremely vital and pressing issue. To resolve the four issues through free thinking and overall vision, research activities of 'innovative nuclear energy systems' and 'innovative separation and transmutation' started as a unique 21st Century COE Program for nuclear energy called the Innovative Nuclear Energy Systems for Sustainable Development of the World, COE-INES. 'Innovative nuclear energy systems' include research on CANDLE burn-up reactors, lead-cooled fast reactors and using nuclear energy in heat energy. 'Innovative separation and transmutation' include research on using chemical microchips to efficiently separate TRU waste to MA, burning or destroying waste products, or transmuting plutonium and other nuclear materials. Research on 'nuclear technology and society' and 'education' was also added in order for nuclear energy to be accepted into society. COE-INES was a five-year program ending in 2007. But some activities should be continued and this roadmap detailed them as a rough guide focusing inventions and discoveries. This technology roadmap was created for social acceptance and should be flexible to respond to changing times and conditions. (T. Tanaka)

Information bias condemning radical food innovators? The case of insect-based products in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pascucci, S.; Magistris, de T.

2013-01-01

In this paper we analyze whether information bias is affecting consumers' WTP for radical food innovations. We collect data in the Netherlands on consumers' WTP for insect-based products. We used product attributes directly affected by information and EU legislation such as the visualization of

Open innovation in urban energy systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arnold, M. [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, TUM School of Management, Freising (Germany); Barth, V. [Carl von Ossietzky Universitaet Oldenburg, Ecological Economics, Oldenburg (Germany)

2012-08-15

Despite recent efforts, existing urban energy systems still hardly meet the demands of sustainable development or climate change. Meeting these targets thus will require innovations that use energy much more efficiently and emit far less greenhouse gases. These innovations need to be made on the production as well as the consumption side, on all levels, and need to cover not only technical aspects, but even more service solutions. While many of these solutions still need to be developed, some are already invented but only exist in limited market segments. Opening closed urban planning processes and using open innovation tools can foster bottom-up urban energy system transformation by addressing the interactive ways of decision-making integrating company representatives and citizens. While open innovation tools like (open) innovation workshops or ideas competitions are already used by several companies to find and develop new designs and products, there is yet little experience with energy efficiency ideas and bottom-up changes. Therefore, we analyse energy-efficient ideas generated in three different ideas competitions. We discuss the findings for theory and research on open innovation approaches and bottom-up urban changes. Our results show that there are a vast number of ideas available in the public. Open innovation tools offer advanced possibilities to generate energy-efficient solutions.

Enabling innovations in energy access: An African perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agbemabiese, Lawrence; Nkomo, Jabavu; Sokona, Youba

2012-01-01

Conventional energy technologies and deployment approaches cannot be relied upon to eliminate energy poverty in Africa. Innovations in energy access are necessary. Previous attempts at introducing and scaling up innovative solutions do not sufficiently address dynamic and structural determinants of success. This limits their actual performance as scalable drivers of innovations in technology, policy and institutions. Using technological innovation systems theory, we demonstrate a practical approach to assess the sustainability of innovations in energy access, and develop a framework to guide energy policy makers, clean energy entrepreneurs and energy-development researchers. - Highlights: ► Innovative technologies and policies are needed to expand energy access. ► TIS approach can guide the formulation and deployment of sustainable energy innovations. ► Learning by exploring and doing are the keys to entrepreneurial success. ► Lack of infrastructure and institutional frameworks are major barriers to innovations. ► Government intervention is needed to eliminate barriers to innovations.

Energy Innovation Systems Indicator Report 2016

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borup, Mads; Klitkou, Antje; Iversen, Eric

This report collates a set of indicators, figures and tables for the energy innovation system in Denmark. Emphasis is on renewable energy and other technologies for moving towards sustainability. The purpose is to provide an overview of indicators available for illuminating dynamics and character...... in “EIS – Strategic research alliance for Energy Innovation Systems and their dynamics – Denmark in global competition”. EIS is funded by the Danish Council for Strategic Research (Innovation Fund Denmark) and by the involved research organisations.......This report collates a set of indicators, figures and tables for the energy innovation system in Denmark. Emphasis is on renewable energy and other technologies for moving towards sustainability. The purpose is to provide an overview of indicators available for illuminating dynamics...... and characteristics of energy innovation systems and to the extent possible offer figures of the developments in the individual indicators. The report is an update of a report published in 2012. Graphs and numbers are updated with the most recent data available. The text is updated where needed in connection...

Learning to Innovate

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mei, Maggie; Laursen, Keld; Atuahene-Gima, Kwaku

and balance) affect firms? incremental and radical innovation capabilities. Based on organizational learning theory and the dominant logic literature, we develop the theoretical arguments that the synergy of ambidexterity drives incremental innovation capability and the balance dimension of ambidexterity...... influences radical innovation capability. We conjecture that also there is an interaction effect between synergy and balance on both radical and incremental innovation capabilities. We base our empirical analysis on a survey of a wide range of high-tech firms in China. We find broad support for our...... theoretical arguments....

Blockchain as Radical Innovation: A Framework for Engaging with Distributed Ledgers as Incumbent Organization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beck, Roman; Müller-Bloch, Christoph

2017-01-01

Blockchain is an emerging technology that is perceived as groundbreaking. However, blockchain presents incumbent organizations with significant challenges. How should they respond to the advent of this innovative technology, and how can they build the capabilities that are necessary to successfully...... engage with blockchain? In this case study, we analyze how an incumbent bank deals with the radical innovation of blockchain. We find that blockchain as an innovation is unique, because its transaction cost-lowering nature requires cooperation not only on an intra-organizational, but also on an inter......-organizational level to fully leverage the technology. We develop a framework illustrating how the process of discovering, incubating, and accelerating with blockchain can look like. Our research is one of the first case studies in the area; shedding light on the organizational challenges of incumbents as they engage...

User-led innovation in civic energy communities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Vries, Gerben; Boon, Wouter; Peine, A.

2016-01-01

Building on user and grassroots innovation literature, we explore user innovations in five Dutch civic energy communities. Less attention has been paid to the interplay of social, symbolic and technological innovations that seems to be at the heart of many civic energy communities. In this paper, we

Constructing China’s wind energy innovation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klagge, Britta; Liu Zhigao; Campos Silva, Pedro

2012-01-01

The rapid rise of China as the largest wind energy market worldwide with several global leaders in turbine manufacturing received much attention from both scholarly and policy-analytical work. However, little attention has been given to the innovation activities of the Chinese wind industry. In our paper, we aim to address this gap, based on second-hand sources and over 50 personal interviews with wind energy-related experts. We argue that China’s wind industry has made great progress in terms of manufacturing and installing, but is confronted with various challenges and problems regarding the development of its indigenous innovation capabilities. Using innovation systems approaches as an analytical tool and focusing on institutions, actors, technology and their interaction in supporting innovation activities, we decompose the elements of China’s wind energy innovation system and their role in developing the domestic wind industry. Against this backdrop we identify and discuss challenges and obstacles in the development of an innovation-driven wind industry in China. The paper strongly argues that more attention should be paid to improve the coordination and cooperation among the various actors of the wind energy innovation system, to the build-up of a market-oriented education and training system as well as to intellectual property protection. - Highlights: ► Innovation systems concepts as analytical tool to understand wind energy in China. ► Focus on institutions, actor constellations and technology development in China. ► Analysis of success in manufacturing and the rapid rise of China’s wind industry. ► Identification of challenges and problems regarding innovation activities. ► Recommendation to (better) integrate innovation policy and wind industry policy.

Determinants of innovation in energy intensive industry and implications for energy policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, ChiUng; Oh, Wankeun

2015-01-01

Abstracts: The Korean government adopted “green growth” in 2008 as an environmentally friendly growth strategy. The energy efficiency of Korea, however, is still relatively low due to the large portion of energy intensive industry (EII) in its manufacturing sector. To improve energy efficiency in Korea, from an EII perspective a new approach has to be taken because restructuring entire industries would take too much time and be too costly. This study aims to emphasize the importance of innovation and analyze the effects of R&D on product and process innovations in EII in Korea. The Probit model is adopted to estimate the effects of eight determinants in the Korea Innovation Survey 2008 data. The results of this study demonstrate that one of the most important determinants, the R&D personnel ratio, has a strong positive effect on both product and process innovation, while another determinant, R&D intensity, only has a strong and positive effect on process innovation in EII. Because of the resulting innovation, energy policies should be enacted to enhance energy efficiency. Thus, the Korean government should keep providing incentives for firms in EII to invest more financial and human resources in their R&D activities. -- Highlights: •We analyze determinants on two innovations in energy intensive industry (EII). •The R&D personnel ratio is effective in product innovation in EII. •Both R&D intensity and R&D personnel are effective in process innovation in EII. •In less EII, R&D variables have positive effects on product and process innovations. •The Korean government should strongly support R&D to improve energy efficiency

Energy efficiency determinants: An empirical analysis of Spanish innovative firms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costa-Campi, María Teresa; García-Quevedo, José; Segarra, Agustí

2015-01-01

This paper examines the extent to which innovative Spanish firms pursue improvements in energy efficiency (EE) as an objective of innovation. The increase in energy consumption and its impact on greenhouse gas emissions justifies the greater attention being paid to energy efficiency and especially to industrial EE. The ability of manufacturing companies to innovate and improve their EE has a substantial influence on attaining objectives regarding climate change mitigation. Despite the effort to design more efficient energy policies, the EE determinants in manufacturing firms have been little studied in the empirical literature. From an exhaustive sample of Spanish manufacturing firms and using a logit model, we examine the energy efficiency determinants for those firms that have innovated. To carry out the econometric analysis, we use panel data from the Community Innovation Survey for the period 2008–2011. Our empirical results underline the role of size among the characteristics of firms that facilitate energy efficiency innovation. Regarding company behaviour, firms that consider the reduction of environmental impacts to be an important objective of innovation and that have introduced organisational innovations are more likely to innovate with the objective of increasing energy efficiency. -- Highlights: •Drivers of innovation in energy efficiency at firm-level are examined. •Tangible investments have a greater influence on energy efficiency than R&D. •Environmental and energy efficiency innovation objectives are complementary. •Organisational innovation favors energy efficiency innovation. •Public policies should be implemented to improve firms’ energy efficiency

Innovation management in renewable energy sector

Science.gov (United States)

Ignat, V.

2017-08-01

As a result of the globalization of knowledge, shortening of the innovation cycle and the aggravation of the price situation, the diffusion of innovation has accelerated. The protection of innovation has become even more important for companies in technologyintensive industries. Legal and actual patent right strategies complement one another, in order to amortize the investment in product development. Climate change is one of today’s truly global challenges, affecting all aspects of socio-economic development in every region of the world. Technology development and its rapid diffusion are considered crucial for tackling the climate change challenge. At the global level, the last decades have seen a continuous expansion of inventive activity in renewable energy technologies. The growth in Renewable Energy (RE) inventions has been much faster than in other technologies, and RE today represents nearly 6% of global invention activity, up from 1.5% in 1990. This paper discusses about global innovation activity in the last five years in the renewable energy sector and describes the Innovation and Technology Management process for supporting managerial decision making.

Energy innovation systems indicator report 2012

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borup, M. [Technical Univ. of Denmark. DTU Management Engineering, Kgs. Lyngby (Denmark); Klitkou, A.; Iversen, E. [Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education, Oslo (Norway)

2012-12-15

Knowledge about the innovation systems with respect to new energy solutions and technologies is of central importance for understanding the dynamics of change in the energy sector and assessment of opportunities for moving towards more climate-friendly and sustainable energy systems and for socio-economic development in the field, creation of new businesses, work places, etc.. This is the topic that in general is addressed in the research activities of the ''EIS - Strategic research alliance for Energy Innovation Systems and their dynamics - Denmark in global competition''. As part of this, the present report gives an overview of the available indicators of energy innovation systems and points out some of the limitations and potentials there currently are in this connection. Focus is on Denmark. Figures for other countries, primarily Nordic or European, are in some cases showed as well, offering a comparative perspective. (Author)

Solar energy innovation and Silicon Valley

Science.gov (United States)

Kammen, Daniel M.

2015-03-01

The growth of the U. S. and global solar energy industry depends on a strong relationship between science and engineering innovation, manufacturing, and cycles of policy design and advancement. The mixture of the academic and industrial engine of innovation that is Silicon Valley, and the strong suite of environmental policies for which California is a leader work together to both drive the solar energy industry, and keep Silicon Valley competitive as China, Europe and other area of solar energy strength continue to build their clean energy sectors.

Sustainable energy innovation: a new era for Australia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schuck, S.

2002-01-01

This book profiles Australian capability in sustainable energy innovations. Chapter 1 outlines the country's underlying drivers and support programs for sustainable energy development and gives an overview of Australia's sustainable energy industry. Renewable energy companies and their projects are covered in Chapter 2 while sustainable energy innovation in the fields of coal gas and cogeneration are highlighted in Chapter 3. This is followed by Chapter 4 which turns the spotlight on energy efficiency in the building and transport sectors. Chapter 5 focuses on the challenge of bringing sustainable Australian energy innovations to global markets highlighting interaction with government support programs and the transition from laboratory to commercial product. Chapter 6 peers into the future taking stock of the innovations waiting in the wings and predicting the technologies that are likely to emerge in coming years onto our energy landscape

Renewable energy-driven innovative energy-efficient desalination technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghaffour, Noreddine; Lattemann, Sabine; Missimer, Thomas; Ng, Kim Choon; Sinha, Shahnawaz; Amy, Gary

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Renewable energy-driven desalination technologies are highlighted. • Solar, geothermal, and wind energy sources were explored. • An innovative hybrid approach (combined solar–geothermal) has also been explored. • Innovative desalination technologies developed by our group are discussed. • Climate change and GHG emissions from desalination are also discussed. - Abstract: Globally, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) desalinates the largest capacity of seawater but through energy-intensive thermal processes such as multi-stage flash (MSF) distillation (>10 kW h per m 3 of desalinated water, including electrical and thermal energies). In other regions where fossil energy is more expensive and not subsidized, seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) is the most common desalination technology but it is still energy-intensive (3–4 kW h e /m 3 ). Both processes therefore lead to the emission of significant amounts of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Moreover, MSF and SWRO technologies are most often used for large desalination facilities serving urban centers with centralized water distribution systems and power grids. While renewable energy (RE) sources could be used to serve centralized systems in urban centers and thus provide an opportunity to make desalination greener, they are mostly used to serve rural communities off of the grid. In the KSA, solar and geothermal energy are of most relevance in terms of local conditions. Our group is focusing on developing new desalination processes, adsorption desalination (AD) and membrane distillation (MD), which can be driven by waste heat, geothermal or solar energy. A demonstration solar-powered AD facility has been constructed and a life cycle assessment showed that a specific energy consumption of <1.5 kW h e /m 3 is possible. An innovative hybrid approach has also been explored which would combine solar and geothermal energy using an alternating 12-h cycle to reduce the probability of depleting the heat source

Induced innovation, energy prices, and the environment

Science.gov (United States)

Popp, David Clifford

The process of developing new technologies is a central question for economic theory as well as for public policy in many areas. For example, the development of cleaner, more efficient energy technologies will play an important role in reducing the threat of global warming. To study how technology evolves over time, this dissertation uses patent data on energy innovations from 1970 to 1991 to examine the impact of energy prices on energy-efficient innovations. Before this can be done, however, information on supply-side factors which influence innovation is also needed. In the case of innovation, supply-side factors are the usefulness of the existing base of scientific knowledge. Patent citations are used for this purpose. Subsequent citations to patents granted each year since 1970 are used to show that the returns to research and development (R&D) fall over time for most of the technologies studied. These estimates are then combined with data on demand-side factors, such as energy prices, to estimate a model of induced innovation in energy technologies. Both energy prices and the supply of knowledge are found to have strongly significant positive effects on innovation. Next, the Yale Technology Concordance (YTC), which maps patents to the industries in which they are used, is employed to construct a stock of energy-related knowledge for 14 energy intensive industries. The effect of changes in this stock on energy consumption in these industries is estimated. On average, the present value of energy savings resulting from a new patent is eight million dollars, with the maximum savings coming about five years after the initial patent application. Finally, the results of each regression are combined to simulate the impact of a ten percent energy tax. Initially, simple factor substitution due to the price change has the largest effect. However, because of the cumulative nature of R&D, induced innovation has a much larger effect than factor substitution in the long run

Offshore wind energy. Innovators talking; Wind op zee. Innovators aan het woord

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-02-15

Qualitative studies have been conducted of the results of completed projects focused on energy innovation, spread over the seven themes of the top sector Energy: Energy saving in industry, Energy conservation in the built environment, Gas, Bio-energy, Smart grids, Offshore Wind, Solar PV. This provides insight into the follow-up activities and lessons of some EOS (Energy Research Subsidy) completed projects with the aim to inspire, connect and strengthen the TKIs (Topconsortia for Knowledge and Innovation) and individual companies and researchers working on energy innovation. This report concerns the research on offshore wind energy [Dutch] Er is een kwalitatief onderzoek uitgevoerd naar de resultaten van afgeronde projecten gericht op energie-innovatie, verdeeld over de zeven thema's van de topsector Energie: Energiebesparing in de industrie; Energiebesparing in de gebouwde omgeving; Gas; Bio-energie; Smart grids; Wind op zee; Zon-pv. Daarmee wordt inzicht gegeven in de vervolgactiviteiten en lessen van een aantal afgesloten EOS-projecten (Energie Onderzoek Subsidie) met het oog op het inspireren, verbinden en versterken van de TKI's (Topconsortia voor Kennis en Innovatie) en individuele bedrijven en onderzoekers die werken aan energie-innovatie. Dit rapport betreft het onderzoek naar wind op zee.

Offshore wind energy. Innovators talking; Wind op zee. Innovators aan het woord

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-02-15

Qualitative studies have been conducted of the results of completed projects focused on energy innovation, spread over the seven themes of the top sector Energy: Energy saving in industry, Energy conservation in the built environment, Gas, Bio-energy, Smart grids, Offshore Wind, Solar PV. This provides insight into the follow-up activities and lessons of some EOS (Energy Research Subsidy) completed projects with the aim to inspire, connect and strengthen the TKIs (Topconsortia for Knowledge and Innovation) and individual companies and researchers working on energy innovation. This report concerns the research on offshore wind energy [Dutch] Er is een kwalitatief onderzoek uitgevoerd naar de resultaten van afgeronde projecten gericht op energie-innovatie, verdeeld over de zeven thema's van de topsector Energie: Energiebesparing in de industrie; Energiebesparing in de gebouwde omgeving; Gas; Bio-energie; Smart grids; Wind op zee; Zon-pv. Daarmee wordt inzicht gegeven in de vervolgactiviteiten en lessen van een aantal afgesloten EOS-projecten (Energie Onderzoek Subsidie) met het oog op het inspireren, verbinden en versterken van de TKI's (Topconsortia voor Kennis en Innovatie) en individuele bedrijven en onderzoekers die werken aan energie-innovatie. Dit rapport betreft het onderzoek naar wind op zee.

Renewable Energy Innovation Policy. Success Criteria and Strategies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-03-15

Renewable energy technology (RET) innovation involves new, improved processes, as well as strategies to accelerate RET development, ranging from breakthroughs with basic technology inventions and improved research, development and deployment (RDD) systems, to improved market mechanisms and commercialisation. In order to achieve RET innovation, a country needs to put in place the right policy approaches, frameworks, governance and policy instruments. This working paper was compiled to assist countries with policy development in order to strengthen renewable energy innovation, primarily through a discussion of design criteria for innovation policy frameworks. The report identifies broad success criteria for innovation policy in the sector and suggests strategic policy approaches to advance RET innovation in the context of constrained options, competition for resources, and national economic development goals. For renewable energy innovation policy regimes to be succeed, they must satisfy two broad criteria: (a) promotion of sustained multi-stakeholder engagement around an achievable, shared vision; and (b) appropriate positioning of a country or region to anticipate and benefit from renewable energy technology flows.

Adding to The Innovation Taxonomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bengt-Arne Vedin

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Innovation might be described in a number of categories: radical, disruptive, incremental, or, by type, product, process, and service innovation. Social and conceptual innovations are decidedly more abstract. In recent years, open and also frugal innovation have been defined. This essay suggests and contemplates four additional concepts. Mesovation is in between radical and incremental innovation. Exovation stands for systematic ways to reduce barriers to innovation. Metovations are novel methods or systems affecting conditions for innovation. Lastly, ynnovation would be cultural innovation.

Energy storage deployment and innovation for the clean energy transition

Science.gov (United States)

Kittner, Noah; Lill, Felix; Kammen, Daniel M.

2017-09-01

The clean energy transition requires a co-evolution of innovation, investment, and deployment strategies for emerging energy storage technologies. A deeply decarbonized energy system research platform needs materials science advances in battery technology to overcome the intermittency challenges of wind and solar electricity. Simultaneously, policies designed to build market growth and innovation in battery storage may complement cost reductions across a suite of clean energy technologies. Further integration of R&D and deployment of new storage technologies paves a clear route toward cost-effective low-carbon electricity. Here we analyse deployment and innovation using a two-factor model that integrates the value of investment in materials innovation and technology deployment over time from an empirical dataset covering battery storage technology. Complementary advances in battery storage are of utmost importance to decarbonization alongside improvements in renewable electricity sources. We find and chart a viable path to dispatchable US$1 W-1 solar with US$100 kWh-1 battery storage that enables combinations of solar, wind, and storage to compete directly with fossil-based electricity options.

Energy Innovation Systems Indicator Report 2012

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klitkou, Antje; Borup, Mads; Iversen, Eric

This report is the first report in a series of reports on energy innovation system indicators produced as part of the activities in the “EIS Strategic research alliance for Energy Innovation Systems and their dynamics – Denmark in global competition”. The work is based on a number of existing......). The report received also valuable input from a project commissioned by IPTS. This project addressed co-operation patterns and knowledge flows in patent documents in the fields of wind energy, photovoltaic energy and concentrating solar power (Iversen and Patel, 2010). The results relevant for this project...

The contributions of interpreters to the development of radical innovations of meanings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jepsen, Lisbeth Brøde; Dell'Era, Claudio; Verganti, Roberto

2014-01-01

Studies of innovation management have often focused on two domains: technologies and markets. An ever-increasing standard of living is pushing companies to develop products and services that are not only profitable but also socially responsible. Sustainable housing offers an intriguing empirical...... setting that allows the investigation of new processes able to support innovations that must be both profitable and socially responsible. Energy-efficient houses not only require technological changes (new sustainable energy technologies) but also require behavioural changes in consumers’ attitudes......, decisions and practices about living in sustainable houses. Companies are not only innovative in regard to their own product but apply the entire system of application with which their specific technologies interact. The development of Pioneering Projects requires many skills and competencies that often...

Informing Early-Phase Technology Decisions in Paradigmatic Innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Ole Kjeldal; Ahmed-Kristensen, Saeema

2010-01-01

their knowledge-world in such a radical manner, they start facing problems with making efficient decisions as knowledge generated through experience is mainly useful when the future mimics the past, which is not the case for such radical changes. Therefore, a 3 year long research project within this industry has......The innovation activities of a company facing paradigmatic change with regard to both technology and business model includes taking many decisions, where the information available, as well as the decision makers’ ability to understand this information, is limited. Technology decisions in the very...... early phases of innovation have been explored in a Scandinavian energy-utilities company facing exactly these paradigmatic changes. In the company there are 5500 employees, with the major footprint in Denmark. The company has activities in the full energy value-chain including: production & trade of oil...

The Global Surge in Energy Innovation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aidan Rhodes

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Policymakers are seeking a transformation of the energy system driven by concerns about climate change, energy security and affordability. At the same time, emerging developments in underpinning science and engineering are opening up new possibilities across the whole technology spectrum covering renewables and other supply side technologies, energy demand and energy infrastructure. This paper reviews both the “policy pull” for energy innovation activities and the “science and technology push”. It explores the expectations of a variety of organisations in both the public and private sector regarding these pressures and possibilities by assessing various scenarios and outlook exercises that have been published since 2013. It reveals a wide range of beliefs about the future development of the energy system. The paper then moves on to analyse private sector expenditure on energy research and development (R&D and public sector budgets for energy R&D and demonstration (RD&D. This analysis demonstrates significant divergences in patterns of innovation between the private and public sectors and leads to the hypothesis that the private sector is, broadly, taking measures to reinforce the existing energy paradigm while the public sector is focusing on new energy technologies that support wider policy objectives. This pattern is consistent with past technological transitions, with innovation efforts that would transform the energy system being counteracted by countervailing efforts that reinforce the existing fossil fuel-based paradigm.

The Political Economy of Energy Innovation

OpenAIRE

Dasgupta, Shouro; De Cian, Enrica; Verdolini, Elena

2017-01-01

This paper empirically investigates the effects of environmental policy, institutions, political orientation, and lobbying on energy innovation and finds that they significantly affect the incentives to innovate and create cleaner energy efficient technologies. We conclude that political economy factors may act as barriers even in the presence of stringent environmental policy, implying that, to move towards a greener economy, countries should combine environmental policy with a general stren...

Global patterns of renewable energy innovation, 1990–2009

OpenAIRE

Bayer, Patrick; Dolan, Lindsay; Urpelainen, Johannes

2013-01-01

Cost-effective approaches to mitigating climate change depend on advances in clean energy technologies, such as solar and wind power. Given increased technology innovation in developing countries, led by China, we focus our attention on global patterns of renewable energy innovation. Utilizing highly valuable international patents as our indicator of innovation, we examine the economic and political determinants of energy innovation in 74 countries across the world, 1990–2009. We find that hi...

Energy prices, technological knowledge and green energy innovation. A dynamic panel analysis of patent counts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruse, Juergen; Wetzel, Heike; Koeln Univ.

2014-01-01

We examine the effect of energy prices and technological knowledge on innovation in green energy technologies. In doing so, we consider both demand-pull effects, which induce innovative activity by increasing the expected value of innovations, and technology-push effects, which drive innovative activity by extending the technological capability of an economy. Our analysis is conducted using patent data from the European Patent Office on a panel of 26 OECD countries over the period 1978-2009. Utilizing a dynamic count data model for panel data, we analyze 11 distinct green energy technologies. Our results indicate that the existing knowledge stock is a significant driver of green energy innovation for all technologies. Furthermore, the results suggest that energy prices have a positive impact on innovation for some but not all technologies and that the e.ect of energy prices and technological knowledge on green energy innovation becomes more pronounced after the Kyoto protocol agreement in 1997.

RIIHI. Radical innovations for combatting climate change. Results from Futures Clinique by the Ministry of the Environment; RIIHI. Radikaalit innovaatiot ilmastonmuutoksen hillitsemiseksi. RIIHI-tulevaisuusklinikan tulokset

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heinonen, S.; Keskinen, A.; Ruotsalainen, J.

2011-07-01

This report presents the starting poits, implementations and the results of the Futures Clinique commissioned by the Ministry of the Environment and conducted by Finland Futures Research Centre. The theme for the clinique was 'Radical innovations to constrain the climate change by the year 2050'. The focus was set on the households, since the attention has previously been on the industry and production. The time frame from the present to 2050 was chosen because achieving the goals set by EU's climate policy requires emission cuts of 80% by the year 2050. The carbon footprint of households was examined from the perspectives of energy, traffic, food and water and leisure, entertainment and communications. As desirable goals regarding these aspects the participants studied economic efficiency, sustainability and durability, safety and security, healthinesss and comfortable living. The groups discussed also on converging NBIC technologies (nano, bio, information and cognitive technologies) that could enable these goals. According to the concept of Futures Clinique the work was conducted in groups, in which topics attuned by pre-tasks done by the participants were worked on by the methods of the Futures Wheel and the Futures Table. From each group's working resulted various both technological and socio-cultural radical innovations. (orig.)

Energy, environment and technological innovation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando José Pereira da Costa

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The development problems can not be addressed without taking account of the environmental and energy issues, as well as the intimate relationship and the intense interaction between the two. In fact, the energy issue can not be analyzed separately from environmental issues, nor the advances in technological innovation, integrating dynamic-systemic way and so positioning address the issue of the development model to set the bulge the transition process experienced by the world since the seventies of the twentieth century. This transition, in turn, implies the passage of Paradigm of Fossil Fuels to Renewable Energy also called the Paradigm of renewable sources of energy, not just holding the energy problem, but towards to environmental and technological components. It is within this relatively slow and long process, instigator of high levels of volatility, turbulence inducing and motor of technological innovation, which is (re raises the question of the development model that defines how a new model/style development.

Understanding energy technology developments from an innovation system perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borup, M.; Nygaard Madsen, A. [Risoe National Lab., DTU, Systems Analysis Dept., Roskilde (Denmark); Gregersen, Birgitte [Aalborg Univ., Department of Business Studies (Denmark)

2007-05-15

With the increased market-orientation and privatisation of the energy area, the perspective of innovation is becoming more and more relevant for understanding the dynamics of change and technology development in the area. A better understanding of the systemic and complex processes of innovation is needed. This paper presents an innovation systems analysis of new and emerging energy technologies in Denmark. The study focuses on five technology areas: bio fuels, hydrogen technology, wind energy, solar cells and energy-efficient end-use technologies. The main result of the analysis is that the technology areas are quite diverse in a number of innovation-relevant issues like actor set-up, institutional structure, maturity, and connections between market and non-market aspects. The paper constitutes background for discussing the framework conditions for transition to sustainable energy technologies and strengths and weaknesses of the innovation systems. (au)

Implications of Frugal Innovations on Sustainable Development: Evaluating Water and Energy Innovations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jarkko Levänen

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Frugal innovations are often associated with sustainable development. These connections, however, are based on anecdotal assumptions rather than empirical evidence. This article evaluates the sustainability of four frugal innovations from water and energy sectors. For the purposes of the evaluation, a set of indicators was developed. Indicators are drawn from sustainable development goals by the United Nations and they encompass central dimensions of sustainability: ecological, social and economic. In this article, frugal innovations are compared to solutions that are currently used in similar low-income contexts. Studied frugal innovations were found more sustainable in terms of energy production and water purification capacity than the existing solutions. In terms of social sustainability, larger differences between innovations were found. For example, business models of frugal energy solutions focus on capacity building and the inclusion of marginalized low-income people, whereas business models of water purification solutions focus on more traditional corporate social responsibility activities, such as marketing awareness campaigns and cooperation with non-governmental organizations. Three major sustainability challenges for frugal innovators were identified: (1 the proper integration of material efficiency into product or service systems; (2 the patient promotion of inclusive employment; and (3 the promotion of inclusive and sustainable local industrialization. The article concludes that despite indisputable similarities between frugality and sustainability, it is problematic to equate the two conceptually.

Global architecture of innovative nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andreeva-Andrievskaya, L.N.; Kagramanyan, V.S.; Usanov, V.I.; )

2011-01-01

The study Global Architecture of Innovative Nuclear Energy Systems Based on Thermal and Fast Reactors including a Closed Fuel Cycle (GAINS), aimed at harmonization of tools used to assess various options for innovative development of nuclear energy, modeling of jointly defined scenarios and analysis of obtained results is presented in the paper. Objectives and methods of the study, issues of spent fuel and fissile materials management are discussed. Investment risks and economic indicators are also described [ru

ENERGY MANAGEMENT INNOVATION IN THE US SKI INDUSTRY

Science.gov (United States)

Ski areas represent a unique opportunity to develop innovative energy management practices in an industrial setting. Through a unique synergy of onsite generation, preferably by renewable sources and innovative technologies, and the energy storage potential of exis...

Socio-economic research for innovative energy technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ogawa, Yuichi [Tokyo Univ., High Temperature Plasma Center, Kashiwa, Chiba (Japan); Okano, Kunihiko [Central Research Inst. of Electric Power Industry, Tokyo (Japan)

2006-10-15

In the 21st century global environment and energy issues become very important, and this is characterized by the long-term (in the scale of a few tens years) and world-wide issue. In addition, future prospect of these issues might be quite uncertain, and scientific prediction could be very difficult. For these issues vigorous researches and various efforts have been carried out from various aspects; e.g., world-wide discussion such as COP3 in Kyoto, promotion of the energy-saving technology and so on. Development of environment-friendly energy has been promoted, and new innovative technologies are explored. Nuclear fusion is, of course, a promising candidate. While, there might be some criticism for nuclear fusion from the socio-economic aspect; e.g., it would take long time and huge cost for the fusion reactor development. In addition, other innovative energy technologies might have their own criticism, as well. Therefore, socio-economic research might be indispensable for future energy resources. At first we have selected six items as for the characteristics, which might be important for future energy resources; i.e., energy resource, environmental load, economics, reliability/stability, flexibility on operation and safety/security. Concerning to innovative energy technologies, we have nominated seven candidates; i.e., advanced coal technology with CO2 recovery system, SOFC top combined cycle, solar power, wind power, space solar power station, advanced fission and fusion. Based on questionnaires for ordinary people and fusion scientists, we have tried to assess the fusion energy development, comparing with other innovative energy technologies. (author)

A silent yet radical future revolution: Winnicott's innovative perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Fabozzi, Paolo

2012-07-01

The author begins with an examination of two unpublished notes by Melanie Klein, written in 1953 and tracked down by Hinshelwood (2008). In these notes, the role of the study of projective identification as a tool that can permit the analyst to master countertransferential difficulties is highlighted; in 1953, this is the most advanced point of psychoanalytic investigations into unconscious object relations. The author also considers Winnicott's essays "Primitive Emotional Development" (1945) and "Hate in the Countertransference" (1947). In the former, Winnicott begins to inquire into the relationship between subjectivity and objectivity, in relation both to the birth of the mind and to the analyst's psychic functioning. Ultimately, the author demonstrates that the origins of an extraordinary transformation of psychoanalytic theory are contained in Winnicott's essay on countertransference of 1947. In fact, the Winnicottian conception of psychic functioning is founded on the radical and absolutely innovative principle by which the object's unconscious functioning, as well as its transformations caused by the subject's unconscious, must be investigated and transformed in order for the subject to be capable of beginning a psychic transformation.

Everyday-Oriented Innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Munnecke, Max

The exploration of radical innovation has long been regarded as fundamental to business growth. In the 21st century, modern organisations increasingly seek to combine business innovation with the broader goal to confront social and environmental challenges. Vision projects are related phenomena...... which explore and map radical innovation opportunities within everyday activities. The aim of a vision project is to produce an innovation map that can empower an organisation to navigate between potential innovation opportunities and pro‐actively confront modern challenges for the benefit of people......, business, and society. The study addresses the concern that vision projects do not produce sufficient navigational innovation maps, and seeks to improve their quality by modelling a new methodological framework. The study was conducted as a series of four research cycles which modelled and experimented...

Radical prosumer innovations in the electricity sector and the impact on prosumer regulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lavrijssen, Saskia; Carrillo, Arturo

2017-01-01

The electricity sector is in a transition towards a Smart Energy System where the roles of private and institutional actors are evolving. This work deals with the influence of some technological innovations, enabling social innovations such as peer to peer trading and the participation in local

Policies and programs for sustainable energy innovations renewable energy and energy efficiency

CERN Document Server

Kim, Jisun; Iskin, Ibrahim; Taha, Rimal; Blommestein, Kevin

2015-01-01

This volume features research and case studies across a variety of industries to showcase technological innovations and policy initiatives designed to promote renewable energy and sustainable economic development. The first section focuses on policies for the adoption of renewable energy technologies, the second section covers the evaluation of energy efficiency programs, and the final section provides evaluations of energy technology innovations. Environmental concerns, energy availability, and political pressure have prompted governments to look for alternative energy resources that can minimize the undesirable effects for current energy systems.  For example, shifting away from conventional fuel resources and increasing the percentage of electricity generated from renewable resources, such as solar and wind power, is an opportunity to guarantee lower CO2 emissions and to create better economic opportunities for citizens in the long run.  Including discussions of such of timely topics and issues as global...

Free radical production by high energy shock waves--comparison with ionizing irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, T R; Laudone, V P; Heston, W D; Zeitz, L; Fair, W R

1988-01-01

Fricke chemical dosimetry is used as an indirect measure of the free radical production of ionizing irradiation. We adapted the Fricke ferrous sulfate radiation dosimeter to examine the chemical effects of high energy shock waves. Significant free radical production was documented. The reaction was dose dependent, predictably increased by acoustic impedance, but curvilinear. A thousand shocks at 18 kilovolts induced the same free radical oxidation as 1100 rad cobalt-60 gamma ionizing irradiation, increasing to 2900 rad in the presence of an air-fluid zone of acoustic impedance. The biological effect of these free radicals was compared to that of cobalt-60 ionizing irradiation by measuring the affect on Chinese hamster cells by clonogenic assay. While cobalt-60 irradiation produced a marked decrease in clonogenic survivors, little effect was noted with high energy shock waves. This suggested that the chemical effects produced by shock waves were either absent or attenuated in the cells, or were inherently less toxic than those of ionizing irradiation.

Innovation of Energy Technologies: the role of taxes

OpenAIRE

Copenhagen Economics

2011-01-01

The study deals with the links between energy taxation and innovation and presents also new empirical evidence on the impact of energy taxes on patenting activities related to energy technologies. The study suggests that while taxation is a very effective driver of innovation, it can be usefully complemented with other public policy tools, such as public research grants and other technology policies.

Innovation in nuclear energy technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dujardin, Th.; Bertel, E.; Kwang Seok, Lee; Foskolos, K.

2007-01-01

Innovation has been a driving force for the success of nuclear energy and remains essential for its sustainable future. Many research and development programmes focus on enhancing the performance of power plants in operation, current fuel design and characteristics, and fuel cycle processes used in existing facilities. Generally performed under the leadership of the industry. Some innovation programmes focus on evolutionary reactors and fuel cycles, derived from systems of the current generation. Such programmes aim at achieving significant improvements, in the field of economics or resource management for example, in the medium term. Often, they are undertaken by the industry with some governmental support as they require basic research together with technological development and adaptation. Finally, large programmes, often undertaken in an international, intergovernmental framework are devoted to design and development of a new generation of systems meeting the goals of sustainable development in the long term. Driving forces for nuclear innovation vary depending on the target technology, the national framework and the international context surrounding the research programme. However, all driving factors can be grouped in three categories: market drivers, political drivers and technology drivers. Globally, innovation in the nuclear energy sector is a success story but is a lengthy process that requires careful planning and adequate funding to produce successful outcomes

Market entry, power, pharmacokinetics: what makes a successful drug innovation?

Science.gov (United States)

Alt, Susanne; Helmstädter, Axel

2018-02-01

Depending on the timing of market entry, radical innovations can be distinguished from incremental innovations. Whereas a radical innovation typically is the first available derivative of a drug class, incremental innovations are launched later and show a certain benefit compared with the radical innovation. Here, we use historical market data relating to pharmacokinetic (PK), pharmacodynamic (PD), and other drug-related properties to investigate which derivatives within certain drug classes have been most successful on the market. Based on our investigations, we suggest naming the most successful drugs 'overtaking innovation', because they often exceed the market share of all the other derivatives. Seven drug classes showed that the overtaking innovation is never a radical innovation, but rather an early incremental innovation, with advantages in manageability and/or tolerance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Paying to see a bug on my food: how regulations and information can hamper radical innovations in the European Union

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Magistris, de T.; Pascucci, S.; Mitsopoulos, D.

2015-01-01

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of the European Novel Food Regulation (ENFR) on consumers’ acceptance of and willingness to pay (WTP) for radical food innovations. The research question is focussed on determining whether the ENFR is hampering the market potential of

Key differences and similarities in ways of managing and supporting radical pharmaceutical front end innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aagaard, Annabeth

2015-01-01

of the Danish and US based pharmaceutical company, H. Lundbeck A/S, and a comparative study including five European and American pharmaceutical companies. The findings from the study reveal a number of similarities and differences in innovation management and FEI support of radical projects and among...... pharmaceutical companies, which represent a growing market. The value added and the contribution of this paper to the existing FEI literature is therefore in the specificity of the empirical setting in which the issue is investigated. Read More: http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S1363919615500115...

Innovation hubs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

O´Hara, J.; Hansen, Poul H. Kyvsgård; Turner, N.

2008-01-01

"Whilst ‘incremental innovation' is an imperative for the short-to-medium term success of a company, there is also a need for companies to engage in innovation activity that goes beyond the incremental in order to guarantee long-term success. However, such ‘radical innovation' (RI) poses new chal...

Clean Energy Innovation: Sources of Technical and Commercial Breakthroughs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perry, T. D., IV; Miller, M.; Fleming, L.; Younge, K.; Newcomb, J.

2011-03-01

Low-carbon energy innovation is essential to combat climate change, promote economic competitiveness, and achieve energy security. Using U.S. patent data and additional patent-relevant data collected from the Internet, we map the landscape of low-carbon energy innovation in the United States since 1975. We isolate 10,603 renewable and 10,442 traditional energy patents and develop a database that characterizes proxy measures for technical and commercial impact, as measured by patent citations and Web presence, respectively. Regression models and multivariate simulations are used to compare the social, institutional, and geographic drivers of breakthrough clean energy innovation. Results indicate statistically significant effects of social, institutional, and geographic variables on technical and commercial impacts of patents and unique innovation trends between different energy technologies. We observe important differences between patent citations and Web presence of licensed and unlicensed patents, indicating the potential utility of using screened Web hits as a measure of commercial importance. We offer hypotheses for these revealed differences and suggest a research agenda with which to test these hypotheses. These preliminary findings indicate that leveraging empirical insights to better target research expenditures would augment the speed and scale of innovation and deployment of clean energy technologies.

The energy innovation network : fuelling an integrated energy future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Isaacs, E. [Alberta Energy Research Inst., Edmonton, AB (Canada)

2005-07-01

Global primary energy demand is expected to increase by 1.7 per cent annually from 2000 to 2030, reaching an annual level of 15.3 billion tonnes of oil equivalent. Fossil fuels are expected to supply over 90 per cent of global incremental energy demand through 2030, while gas consumption is estimated to double between 2000 and 2030 due to its cost competitiveness, high availability and environmental advantages. Oil will remain the largest fuel source with demand increasing by 1.6 per cent annually. In order to tap the vast Canadian resource potential, innovative new technologies are needed to unlock the remaining conventional oil and gas reserves. It was argued that no single source of energy will be sufficient to meet world or Canadian demand. Therefore, there is also a need for a collaborative initiative to facilitate a long-term effort to implement an integrated energy innovation strategy. The Energy Innovation Network (EnergyINet) was created help industry, governments, and the research community address the challenges of ensuring an abundant supply of environmentally responsible energy. Given the right technologies, bitumen, coal, and coalbed methane have hundreds of years of production remaining. Production of those reserves depends on finding effective solutions to production costs, cost and availability of feedstocks needed to produce higher valued products, market limitations, and land, water, air, and greenhouse gas issues. The main challenge is to finance the development of such technologies into reliable, large-scale commercial applications. It was concluded that Canada's ability to maintain competitive energy supplies from conventional and non-conventional energy systems will be severely limited as the need to protect the environment, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and conserve water moves higher on the public agenda. 13 refs.

Southwest Energy Innovation Forum: Summary Report

Science.gov (United States)

Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, 2010

2010-01-01

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Arizona State University (ASU), and U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) co-convened a conference on Energy Innovation in the Southwest region of the United States that included participation by entrepreneurs, state government officials, representatives of academia,…

Essays on Energy Technology Innovation Policy

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Gabriel Angelo Sherak

Motivated by global climate change, enhancing innovation systems for energy technologies is seen as one of the largest public policy challenges of the near future. The role of policy in enhancing energy innovation systems takes several forms: public provision of research and develop funding, facilitating the private sector's capability to develop new technologies, and creating incentives for private actors to adopt innovative and appropriate technologies. This dissertation explores research questions that span this range of policies to develop insights in how energy technology innovation policy can be reformed in the face of climate change. The first chapter of this dissertation explores how decision making to allocate public research and development funding could be improved through the integration of expert technology forecasts. I present a framework to evaluate and optimize the U.S. Department of Energy's research and development portfolio of applied energy projects, accounting for spillovers from technical complimentary and competition for the same market share. This project integrates one of the largest and most comprehensive sets of expert elicitations on energy technologies (Anadon et al., 2014b) in a benefit evaluation framework. This work entailed developing a new method for probability distribution sampling that accommodates the information that can be provided by expert elicitations. The results of this project show that public research and development in energy storage and solar photovoltaic technologies has the greatest marginal returns to economic surplus, but the methodology developed in this chapter is broadly applicable to other public and private R&D-sponsoring organizations. The second chapter of this dissertation explores how policies to transfer technologies from federally funded research laboratories to commercialization partners, largely private firms, create knowledge spillovers that lead to further innovation. In this chapter, I study the U

Energy Innovations-GHG Emissions Nexus: Fresh Empirical Evidence from OECD Countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Álvarez-Herránz, Agustín; Balsalobre, Daniel; Cantos, José María; Shahbaz, Muhammad

2017-01-01

This study explores the impact of improvements in energy research development (ERD) on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis for 28 OECD countries over the period of 1990–2014. In doing so, we have employed a panel data where public budget in energy research development and demonstration (ERD&D) has transformed into a finite inverted V-lag distribution model developed by De Leeuw (1962). This model considers that energy innovation accumulates in time and presents empirical evidence, how energy innovation contributes in reducing energy intensity and environmental pollution as well. Our results indicate that energy innovation measures require lapses of time to reach their full effect i.e. innovation applied to measures for environmental correction does not reach its whole effect immediately, requiring instead a certain amount of time to pass. Innovation policies have recommended for improving environmental quality. - Highlights: • This study analyses the impact of public budget in energy RD&D for 28 OECD countries on environmental quality. • Energy innovation contributes positively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. • Advances in energy technology seem to be the key of improved environmental quality.

Innovation information seeking and innovation adoption: Facilities and plant managers' energy outlook comparing linear to nonlinear models

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobsen, Joseph J.

One focal point of concern, policy and a new research will involve identifying individual and organizational facilitative and obstructive factors within the context of energy innovation diffusion in the U.S. This interdisciplinary intersection of people, technology and change is one of serious consequence and has broad implications that span national security, energy infrastructure, the economy, organizational change, education and the environment. This study investigates facilities and plant managers' energy innovation information seeking and energy adoption evolution. The participants are managers who consume more electrical energy than all other groups in the world and are among the top users of natural gas and oil in the United States. The research calls upon the Theory of Planned Behavior, the Diffusion of Innovations and nonlinear dynamics in a study of adoption patterns for 13 energy-related innovations. Cusp catastrophe models and power laws were compared to linear multiple regression to examine and characterize data. Findings reveal that innovation adoption and information seeking differences are slight between private and public sector facilities and plant managers and that the group as a whole may resist change. Of the 13 innovations, some exhibit very strong cusp catastrophe distributions while support for multiple linear regression and the power law were found.

Linking energy efficiency and innovation practices: Empirical evidence from the foundry sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cagno, Enrico; Ramirez-Portilla, Andres; Trianni, Andrea

2015-01-01

The Europe 2020 strategy currently promotes energy efficiency and innovation through disconnected targets focusing on either energy or R&D. Similar policies indicate that in practice, these two concepts are usually perceived as mutually exclusive. Furthermore, evidence in the literature regarding the relationship between R&D and energy efficiency is still highly limited. This exploratory study aims to address this gap by investigating the link between innovation practices and energy efficiency through a multiple case study of 30 foundries in Northern Italy. We analysed the firms' innovativeness, measured by internal R&D and Open Innovation practices (inbound and outbound), and energy efficiency, measured by specific energy consumption, level of adoption of energy-efficient technologies and barriers to energy efficiency. The results seem to show that those foundries complementing internal R&D with inbound practices have a higher level of energy efficiency, a higher level of adoption of available technologies, and a lower perception of barriers to efficiency improvements. This finding suggests that diversifying innovation practices could lead to better performance with respect to all three indicators of energy efficiency analysed. This study contributes to understanding how more innovative firms can be more energy efficient, providing interesting highlights for managers and policymakers. -- Highlights: •The relation between innovation practices and energy efficiency is articulated. •The link between innovation practices and energy efficiency is tested for foundries. •Energy efficiency is measured with three different indicators. •Analyses of the relations between these indicators support the link with innovation. •Concurrent adoption of internal R&D and inbound practices leads to higher efficiency

Energy conservation in the industry. Innovators talking; Energiebesparing in de industrie. Innovators aan het woord

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-02-15

Qualitative studies have been conducted of the results of completed projects focused on energy innovation, spread over the seven themes of the top sector Energy: Energy saving in industry, Energy conservation in the built environment, Gas, Bio-energy, Smart grids, Offshore Wind, Solar PV. This provides insight into the follow-up activities and lessons of some EOS (Energy Research Subsidy) completed projects with the aim to inspire, connect and strengthen the TKIs (Topconsortia for Knowledge and Innovation) and individual companies and researchers working on energy innovation. This report concerns the research on energy conservation in the industry [Dutch] Er is een kwalitatief onderzoek uitgevoerd naar de resultaten van afgeronde projecten gericht op energie-innovatie, verdeeld over de zeven thema's van de topsector Energie: Energiebesparing in de industrie; Energiebesparing in de gebouwde omgeving; Gas; Bio-energie; Smart grids; Wind op zee; Zon-pv. Daarmee wordt inzicht gegeven in de vervolgactiviteiten en lessen van een aantal afgesloten EOS-projecten (Energie Onderzoek Subsidie) met het oog op het inspireren, verbinden en versterken van de TKI's (Topconsortia voor Kennis en Innovatie) en individuele bedrijven en onderzoekers die werken aan energie-innovatie. Dit rapport betreft het onderzoek naar energiebesparing in de industrie.

User Innovators in the Smart Energy Transition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nyborg, Sophie; Borch, Kristian; Bentzen, Martin Mose

Notions of "smart energy systems" are pervasive in discussions of a low carbon transition and much work is devoted to developing "smart energy technologies" and analyzing their economic potential. However, users, i.e. civil society receive only little attention and are mainly described as "energy...... consumers". The aim of this research project is to explore how civil society can get a more active role in the transition towards a low carbon energy system. Through qualitative case-study methods and scenario work, we explore the role of "energy users" for the innovative design and development of large...... technological systems. We ask whether the envisioned smart energy systems have potential to support more active innovation roles for the individuals using energy systems than what have been described by previous studies. Moreover, we discuss whether and how such roles allow for a democratic as well as socially...

Development of linear free energy relationships for aqueous phase radical-involved chemical reactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Minakata, Daisuke; Mezyk, Stephen P; Jones, Jace W; Daws, Brittany R; Crittenden, John C

2014-12-02

Aqueous phase advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) produce hydroxyl radicals (HO•) which can completely oxidize electron rich organic compounds. The proper design and operation of AOPs require that we predict the formation and fate of the byproducts and their associated toxicity. Accordingly, there is a need to develop a first-principles kinetic model that can predict the dominant reaction pathways that potentially produce toxic byproducts. We have published some of our efforts on predicting the elementary reaction pathways and the HO• rate constants. Here we develop linear free energy relationships (LFERs) that predict the rate constants for aqueous phase radical reactions. The LFERs relate experimentally obtained kinetic rate constants to quantum mechanically calculated aqueous phase free energies of activation. The LFERs have been applied to 101 reactions, including (1) HO• addition to 15 aromatic compounds; (2) addition of molecular oxygen to 65 carbon-centered aliphatic and cyclohexadienyl radicals; (3) disproportionation of 10 peroxyl radicals, and (4) unimolecular decay of nine peroxyl radicals. The LFERs correlations predict the rate constants within a factor of 2 from the experimental values for HO• reactions and molecular oxygen addition, and a factor of 5 for peroxyl radical reactions. The LFERs and the elementary reaction pathways will enable us to predict the formation and initial fate of the byproducts in AOPs. Furthermore, our methodology can be applied to other environmental processes in which aqueous phase radical-involved reactions occur.

The power of design product innovation in sustainable energy technologies

CERN Document Server

Reinders, Angele H; Brezet, Han

2012-01-01

The Power of Design offers an introduction and a practical guide to product innovation, integrating the key topics that are necessary for the design of sustainable and energy-efficient products using sustainable energy technologies. Product innovation in sustainable energy technologies is an interdisciplinary field. In response to its growing importance and the need for an integrated view on the development of solutions, this text addresses the functional principles of various energy technologies next to the latest design processes and innovation methods. From the perspec

Energy-political stagnation or innovation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitschelt, H.

1982-01-01

The author discusses the enquete report 1980. He makes an inventory for a political and sociological interpretation of the interim report between meaningful innovation and political insignificance as well as intellectual stagnation. The report is considered as an indicator for the transformation of the energy-political arena in the Federal Republic of Germany over the last years. ''Stagnation'' or ''innovation'' of the argumentation patterns in the report of the enquete commission relate to the question whether the analyses in that document are rather a brake or a motor to a shift of political perspectives in energy policy. A progress can be seen in the report regarding political debate about energy-options in the semi-official political spectrum of the Federal Republic of Germany, in as far as differring options of energy-political development are being acknowledged for the first time. At the same time, debate inside the commission directs the attention to issues of institutional policy in the energy sector. Considering the fights within the commission before the report was agreed on, it seems doubtful if its proposals for compromise will prove a sound political basis. The tensions inside the commission are just a first sign of the power conflicts due above all if the recommendations for energy conservation are intransigently carried out. (orig./HSCH) [de

Fail forward: Mitigating failure in energy research and innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brix, Jacob

2015-01-01

Almost three quarters of all innovation projects disappoint or fail. Instead of 'wasting' human and financial resources on energy projects that end up being terminated or ineffectual, this study offers a potential antidote coined the 'Origins of Failure in Energy Innovation' (OFEI) model. Based o...

Excitation energies, photoionization cross sections, and asymmetry parameters of the methyl and silyl radicals.

Science.gov (United States)

Velasco, A M; Lavín, C; Dolgounitcheva, O; Ortiz, J V

2014-08-21

Vertical excitation energies of the methyl and silyl radicals were inferred from ab initio electron propagator calculations on the electron affinities of CH3(+) and SiH3(+). Photoionization cross sections and angular distribution of photoelectrons for the outermost orbitals of both CH3 and SiH3 radicals have been obtained with the Molecular Quantum Defect Orbital method. The individual ionization cross sections corresponding to the Rydberg channels to which the excitation of the ground state's outermost electron gives rise are reported. Despite the relevance of methyl radical in atmospheric chemistry and combustion processes, only data for the photon energy range of 10-11 eV seem to be available. Good agreement has been found with experiment for photoionization cross section of this radical. To our knowledge, predictions of the above mentioned photoionization parameters on silyl radical are made here for the first time, and we are not aware of any reported experimental measurements. An analysis of our results reveals the presence of a Cooper minimum in the photoionization of the silyl radical. The adequacy of the two theoretical procedures employed in the present work is discussed.

European Master in Innovation in Nuclear Energy (EMINE). Developed in the frame work of the European Institut of Innovation and Technology, KIC InnoEnergy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferrié, E.; Carreira, M.; Gudowski, W.; Garrido, F.; Reynier, B.; Dies, J.; Batet, Ll.; Otic, I.; Patte, C.; Darrigues, I.; Fernandez-Olano, P.; Leon, P.T.; Coste-Leconte, S.; Fanjas, Y.; Henriksson, H.

2014-01-01

KIC InnoEnergy SE is a European company fostering the integration of education, technology, business and entrepreneurship and strengthening the culture of innovation. The strategic objective is to become the leading engine of innovation in the field of sustainable energy. It has been designated as a one of the first three Knowledge and Innovation Communities by the EIT's Governing Board on 16 December 2009 in Budapest. KIC InnoEnergy addresses sustainable energy as its priority area. KIC InnoEnergy is a world class alliance of top European players with a proven track record. The Consortium consists of 30+ shareholders and additional 50+ partners - companies, research institutes, universities and business schools covering the whole energy mix. They are organised around six regional units, the Co-Location Centres (CC): France, Benelux, Germany, Iberia, Poland Plus and Sweden. On completion of the EMINE programme, a Master of Science degree will be awarded from the universities where studies were performed during year one and year two, i.e. a double-degree. A diploma from KIC InnoEnergy related to innovation and entrepreneurship will also be presented

Innovation and de facto standardization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brem, Alexander; Nylund, Petra; Schuster, Gerd

2016-01-01

investigate how the existence of a dominant design affects subsequent innovation in an industry. In particular, we study the influence on innovative performance, radical innovation, and process innovation. Analyzing longitudinal, cross-sectional patent data for more than 2.6 million patents filed from 1978...... to 2013, we find support for our hypotheses that an industry's innovative performance and degree of radical innovation are negatively influenced by dominant design in that industry, and that process innovation is fostered by the occurrence of a dominant design. We discuss the findings in the light...... of the increasing speed of technological development and standardization. Additionally, results from a sensitivity analysis for different threshold values of dominant design call for adjusting a binary definition of dominant design with different threshold values depending on the effects under study....

Energy conservation in the industry. Innovators talking; Energiebesparing in de industrie. Innovators aan het woord

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-02-15

Qualitative studies have been conducted of the results of completed projects focused on energy innovation, spread over the seven themes of the top sector Energy: Energy saving in industry, Energy conservation in the built environment, Gas, Bio-energy, Smart grids, Offshore Wind, Solar PV. This provides insight into the follow-up activities and lessons of some EOS (Energy Research Subsidy) completed projects with the aim to inspire, connect and strengthen the TKIs (Topconsortia for Knowledge and Innovation) and individual companies and researchers working on energy innovation. This report concerns the research on energy conservation in the industry [Dutch] Er is een kwalitatief onderzoek uitgevoerd naar de resultaten van afgeronde projecten gericht op energie-innovatie, verdeeld over de zeven thema's van de topsector Energie: Energiebesparing in de industrie; Energiebesparing in de gebouwde omgeving; Gas; Bio-energie; Smart grids; Wind op zee; Zon-pv. Daarmee wordt inzicht gegeven in de vervolgactiviteiten en lessen van een aantal afgesloten EOS-projecten (Energie Onderzoek Subsidie) met het oog op het inspireren, verbinden en versterken van de TKI's (Topconsortia voor Kennis en Innovatie) en individuele bedrijven en onderzoekers die werken aan energie-innovatie. Dit rapport betreft het onderzoek naar energiebesparing in de industrie.

Managing collaborative innovation networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stevens, Vidar; Agger, Annika

2017-01-01

Collaborative innovation networks are increasingly used as vehicles for fostering innovative policy solutions. However, scholars have noted that the extent to which collaborative networks can actually contribute to the development of innovative policy solutions depends on how they are managed...... a Flemish administrative network to develop a radical new Spatial Planning Policy Plan. This study shows that the best way to manage collaborative innovation networks is not to press directly for results, but take the time to invest in relationship-building and together agree on a planning and clear process...... steps. Such a management approach allows actors to get to know each other and from thereon expand, with more background and appreciation for the others’ goals, behaviors, and intentions, their group activities concerning the formulation of a radical and innovative policy plan....

Innovation on Smart Grids and energy storage. IA Special; Innovation on Smart Grids and energy storage. IA Special

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-11-15

In this special edition of the Innovation Network Attache a large number of short articles on aspects of ICT aspects of intellligent energy networks, the security and integrity of the use and control of those networks, and energy storage. In this special an overview is given of the most important developments in Israel, Russian Federation, Brazil, Netherlands, France, Germany, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, China, South Korea, India, United States and Canada [Dutch] In deze special van het Innovation Attache Netwerk een groot aantal korte artikelen over de ICT aspecten van intellligente energie netten, de veiligheid en integriteit van het gebruik en sturing ervan, en energie opslag. In de special een overzicht van in het oog springende ontwikkelingen in de landen Israel, Rusland, Brazilie, Nederland, Frankrijk, Duitsland, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, China, Zuid-Korea, India, Verenigde Staten en Canada.

Investigating issues and challenges for customer involvement in business services innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nicolajsen, Hanne Westh; Hugger, Ada Scupola

2011-01-01

innovation processes to different degrees. However, actively involving customers in radical services innovation require a relationship between the customer company and the service provider that might be described as a partnership in which ongoing learning takes place to develop new solutions. The findings......Purpose – The paper aims to investigate how customers may contribute to radical innovation in consultancy services and the conditions needed for customers to be involved in such radical service innovations. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a qualitative case study approach including...... rich descriptions based primarily on interviews to investigate an extreme example of successful customer involvement in the development of radical service innovations at Ramboll, a leading Scandinavian engineering consultancy. Findings – The study reveals that customers may be involved in radical...

Innovation and energy. ECRIN day; Innovation et energie. Journee ECRIN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-07-01

ECRIN is an association jointly created by the French atomic energy commission (CEA) and the French national center of scientific research (CNRS). It gathers experts from the research and industry worlds, representatives of institutions and decision making peoples in order to work on important topics like energy. This document gathers the working documents and transparencies presented at the ECRIN day on energy and innovation: opening talk of C. Birraux (head of the parliamentary office of evaluation of scientific and technological choices); the energy of seas (offshore wind power, wave energy, tide currents energy, thermal energy of seas, osmotic energy, tidal energy); synthetic fuels (stakes, possible options, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, GTL, CTL, BTL, production with CO{sub 2} recycling); capture and geological sequestration of CO{sub 2}: a general overview (stakes, solutions, capture and sequestration, transport, geologic disposal, present day situation and perspectives); geothermal energy: new prospects (enhanced geothermal systems, hot-dry-rocks and hot fractured rocks, advances, cost, advantages and drawbacks); heat pumps and valorization of low temperature heat sources (space heating, district heating networks, heat pumps, artificial geothermal energy, low temperature water transport, thermal potentiality); heat and coldness storage and transport (use of intermittent energy sources, cogeneration, optimisation of processes, recovery of heat losses, CO{sub 2} capture, present-day situation, problems to be solved, integration of systems and processes); plastic photovoltaic solar cells (market, stakes, potentialities of organic materials for photovoltaic conversion, state-of-the-art, research in Europe and France, perspectives); conclusion of the Ecrin day (challenges, diversification of energy sources, energy efficiency, abatement of CO{sub 2} emissions, role of ECRIN). (J.S.)

Renewable energy-driven innovative energy-efficient desalination technologies

KAUST Repository

Ghaffour, NorEddine; Lattemann, Sabine; Missimer, Thomas M.; Ng, Kim Choon; Sinha, Shahnawaz; Amy, Gary L.

2014-01-01

Globally, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) desalinates the largest capacity of seawater but through energy-intensive thermal processes such as multi-stage flash (MSF) distillation (>10 kW h per m3 of desalinated water, including electrical and thermal energies). In other regions where fossil energy is more expensive and not subsidized, seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) is the most common desalination technology but it is still energy-intensive (3-4 kW h_e/m3). Both processes therefore lead to the emission of significant amounts of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Moreover, MSF and SWRO technologies are most often used for large desalination facilities serving urban centers with centralized water distribution systems and power grids. While renewable energy (RE) sources could be used to serve centralized systems in urban centers and thus provide an opportunity to make desalination greener, they are mostly used to serve rural communities off of the grid. In the KSA, solar and geothermal energy are of most relevance in terms of local conditions. Our group is focusing on developing new desalination processes, adsorption desalination (AD) and membrane distillation (MD), which can be driven by waste heat, geothermal or solar energy. A demonstration solar-powered AD facility has been constructed and a life cycle assessment showed that a specific energy consumption of <1.5 kW h_e/m3 is possible. An innovative hybrid approach has also been explored which would combine solar and geothermal energy using an alternating 12-h cycle to reduce the probability of depleting the heat source within the geothermal reservoir and provide the most effective use of RE without the need for energy storage. This paper highlights the use of RE for desalination in KSA with a focus on our group's contribution in developing innovative low energy-driven desalination technologies. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Renewable energy-driven innovative energy-efficient desalination technologies

KAUST Repository

Ghaffour, Noreddine

2014-04-13

Globally, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) desalinates the largest capacity of seawater but through energy-intensive thermal processes such as multi-stage flash (MSF) distillation (>10 kW h per m3 of desalinated water, including electrical and thermal energies). In other regions where fossil energy is more expensive and not subsidized, seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) is the most common desalination technology but it is still energy-intensive (3-4 kW h_e/m3). Both processes therefore lead to the emission of significant amounts of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Moreover, MSF and SWRO technologies are most often used for large desalination facilities serving urban centers with centralized water distribution systems and power grids. While renewable energy (RE) sources could be used to serve centralized systems in urban centers and thus provide an opportunity to make desalination greener, they are mostly used to serve rural communities off of the grid. In the KSA, solar and geothermal energy are of most relevance in terms of local conditions. Our group is focusing on developing new desalination processes, adsorption desalination (AD) and membrane distillation (MD), which can be driven by waste heat, geothermal or solar energy. A demonstration solar-powered AD facility has been constructed and a life cycle assessment showed that a specific energy consumption of <1.5 kW h_e/m3 is possible. An innovative hybrid approach has also been explored which would combine solar and geothermal energy using an alternating 12-h cycle to reduce the probability of depleting the heat source within the geothermal reservoir and provide the most effective use of RE without the need for energy storage. This paper highlights the use of RE for desalination in KSA with a focus on our group\\'s contribution in developing innovative low energy-driven desalination technologies. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Techbelt Energy Innovation Center

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marie, Hazel [Youngstown State Univ., OH (United States); Nestic, Dave [TechBelt Energy Innovation Center, Warren, OH (United States); Hripko, Michael [Youngstown State Univ., OH (United States); Abraham, Martin [Youngstown State Univ., OH (United States)

2017-06-30

This project consisted of three main components 1) The primary goal of the project was to renovate and upgrade an existing commercial building to the highest possible environmentally sustainable level for the purpose of creating an energy incubator. This initiative was part of the Infrastructure Technologies Program, through which a sustainable energy demonstration facility was to be created and used as a research and community outreach base for sustainable energy product and process incubation; 2) In addition, fundamental energy related research on wind energy was performed; a shrouded wind turbine on the Youngstown State University campus was commissioned; and educational initiatives were implemented; and 3) The project also included an education and outreach component to inform and educate the public in sustainable energy production and career opportunities. Youngstown State University and the Tech Belt Energy Innovation Center (TBEIC) renovated a 37,000 square foot urban building which is now being used as a research and development hub for the region’s energy technology innovation industry. The building houses basic research facilities and business development in an incubator format. In addition, the TBEIC performs community outreach and education initiatives in advanced and sustainable energy. The building is linked to a back warehouse which will eventually be used as a build-out for energy laboratory facilities. The projects research component investigated shrouded wind turbines, and specifically the “Windcube” which was renamed the “Wind Sphere” during the course of the project. There was a specific focus on the development in the theory of shrouded wind turbines. The goal of this work was to increase the potential efficiency of wind turbines by improving the lift and drag characteristics. The work included computational modeling, scale models and full-sized design and construction of a test turbine. The full-sized turbine was built on the YSU

IFP Energies nouvelles. 2016 Activity Report - Innovating for energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-01-01

IFP Energies Nouvelles is a major research and training player in the fields of energy, transport and the environment. From research to industry, technological innovation is central to all its activities, structured around three strategic priorities: sustainable mobility, new energies and responsible oil and gas. As part of the public-interest mission with which it has been tasked by the public authorities, IFPEN focuses on: - providing solutions to take up the challenges facing society in terms of energy and the climate, promoting the transition towards sustainable mobility and the emergence of a more diversified energy mix; - creating wealth and jobs by supporting French and European economic activity, and the competitiveness of related industrial sectors. An integral part of IFPEN, its graduate engineering school - IFP School - prepares future generations to take up these challenges. IFPEN has proven expertise across the entire value chain, from fundamental research to innovation. It is funded both by a state budget and by its own resources provided by industrial partners. The latter account for over 50% of IFPEN's total budget, a configuration that is quasi unique in France. The aim of IFPEN's R and I programs is to overcome existing scientific and technological challenges in order to develop innovations that can be used by industry. IFPEN's fundamental research program aims to create a bedrock of knowledge essential for the development of innovations. The scientific expertise of IFPEN's researchers is internationally recognized and they are regularly consulted by the public authorities to provide their insight in their specific fields to inform the decision-making process. IFPEN's economic model is based on the transfer to industry of the technologies developed by its researchers. This technology transfer to industry generates jobs and business, fostering the economic development of fields and approaches related to the mobility, energy and eco-industry sectors

Quantitative data study on energy innovation; Kwantitatief data onderzoek Energie-innovaties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clocquet, R. [DHV, Eindhoven (Netherlands)

2012-05-15

NL Agency desires, on the basis of the study 'State of the Land energy innovation of the built environment', to gain insight in the market, in particular where it concerns the process approach towards innovation. The study consists of a quantitative and a qualitative part [Dutch] Agentschap NL wil aan de hand van het onderzoek Stand van het Land energie-innovaties gebouwde omgeving een beeld geven waar de markt staat op het gebied van met name de procesaanpak ten behoeve van innovatie. Het onderzoek bestaat uit een kwantitatief en een kwalitatief deel.

Energy conservation techniques as innovations, and their diffusion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Darley, J M

1978-04-01

Many effective products, procedures, and techniques for achieving energy conservation have been discovered by researchers. This paper focuses on the conditions under which these procedures and techniques will be adopted voluntarily. It is suggested, first, that an economic incentive for the utilization of those energy-conserving techniques is not a sufficient condition for their adoption, and second, that a psychologically-based theory of the diffusion of innovation will identify the critical variables for promoting the adoption of energy-conserving products and techniques. Based on preliminary, small-scale observations of homeowners' reactions to a complex, time-controlled thermostat, the initial parameters of a diffusion theory for energy innovation are suggested.

Supplier's involvement and success of radical new product development in new ventures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Song, Michael; Di Benedetto, Anthony

2008-01-01

Supplier involvement is essential to a new venture seeking to develop a radical innovation. Despite this, prior literature has not adequately addressed supplier involvement in radical innovation, nor what the antecedents to increased supplier involvement are. We build and test a conceptual model of

Conditions for the inauguration of a second nuclear era: chances of success of radical innovation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finon, D.

1999-01-01

Facing the stagnation of the world nuclear capacity, the commitments of Kyoto, the chances of re-mobilizing this technology in order to tackle the stakes of stabilisation of CO 2 emissions are assessed. The evolutionist economy of technical change offers a conceptual framework for the identification of factors of the incompatibility of nuclear technology with regard to the industrial, social and political environment in the majority of industrial economies. On the basis of this type of analysis, an examination of the conditions and chances for the re-launch of nuclear technology based on radical innovation designed to be in line with this environment is given. (author)

75 FR 32657 - Delegations to Office of Energy Policy and Innovation

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-09

...; Order No. 736] Delegations to Office of Energy Policy and Innovation May 28, 2010. AGENCY: Federal... regulations to delegate authority to the newly established Office of Energy Policy and Innovation to allow... Innovation (OEPI) to provide leadership in the development and formulation of policies and regulations to...

Innovative Commercialization Efforts Underway at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheesbrough, Kate; Bader, Meghan

2016-08-26

New clean energy and energy efficiency technology solutions hold the promise of significant reductions in energy consumption. However, proven barriers for these technologies, including the technological and commercialization valleys of death, result in promising technologies falling to the wayside. To address these gaps, NREL's Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center designs and manages advanced programs aimed at supporting the development and commercialization of early stage clean energy technologies with the goal of accelerating new technologies to market. These include: Innovation Incubator (IN2) in partnership with Wells Fargo: this technology incubator supports energy efficiency building-related startups to overcome market gaps by providing access to technical support at NREL; Small Business Voucher Pilot: this program offers paid vouchers for applicants to access a unique skill, capability, or facility at any of the 17 DOE National Laboratories to bring next-generation clean energy technologies to market; Energy Innovation Portal: NREL designed and developed the Energy Innovation Portal, providing access to EERE focused intellectual property available for licensing from all of the DOE National Laboratories; Lab-Corps: Lab-Corps aims to better train and empower national lab researchers to understand market drivers and successfully transition their discoveries into high-impact, real world technologies in the private sector; Incubatenergy Network: the Network provides nationwide coordination of clean energy business incubators, share best practices, support clean energy entrepreneurs, and help facilitate a smoother transition to a more sustainable clean energy economy; Industry Growth Forum: the Forum is the perfect venue for clean energy innovators to maximize their exposure to receptive capital and strategic partners. Since 2003, presenting companies have collectively raised more than $5 billion in growth financing.

Management Innovation Capabilities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harder, Mie

Management innovation is the implementation of a new management practice, process, technique or structure that significantly alters the way the work of management is performed. This paper presents a typology categorizing management innovation along two dimensions; radicalness and complexity. Then...

Foreign versus indigenous innovation and energy intensity: Further research across Chinese regions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herrerias, M.J.; Cuadros, A.; Luo, D.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • We analyze foreign and indigenous innovation on energy intensity. • We consider different types of investment ownership in China. • Our results suggest that both foreign and domestic innovation are important. • The interaction between foreign and domestic innovation still is modest. • Geographical location is important for energy policy purpose. - Abstract: The aim of this work is to analyze the role played by both foreign and indigenous innovation on energy intensity as well as the possible interactions between them across 30 Chinese regions. In addition, we consider different types of corporate ownership that operate in China. We control our estimates by energy price and the composition effect. We provide a complete picture of energy sector by examining all sources of energy. We use Beck and Katz estimator in order to take into account heterocedasticity and serial correlation over the period 2006–2010. Our results suggest that both foreign and domestic innovation efforts played a significant role in improving energy efficiency in China. However, the interaction between foreign and indigenous innovations is modest. We observe significant differences among investment ownership due to its geographical location. These findings have important policy implications for energy sector in China.

Energy geostructures innovation in underground engineering

CERN Document Server

Laloui, Lyesse

2013-01-01

Energy geostructures are a tremendous innovation in the field of foundation engineering and are spreading rapidly throughout the world. They allow the procurement of a renewable and clean source of energy which can be used for heating and cooling buildings. This technology couples the structural role of geostructures with the energy supply, using the principle of shallow geothermal energy. This book provides a sound basis in the challenging area of energy geostructures.The objective of this book is to supply the reader with an exhaustive overview on the most up-to-date and available knowledge

Business model innovation for sustainable energy: German utilities and renewable energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richter, Mario

2013-01-01

The electric power sector stands at the beginning of a fundamental transformation process towards a more sustainable production based on renewable energies. Consequently, electric utilities as incumbent actors face a massive challenge to find new ways of creating, delivering, and capturing value from renewable energy technologies. This study investigates utilities' business models for renewable energies by analyzing two generic business models based on a series of in-depth interviews with German utility managers. It is found that utilities have developed viable business models for large-scale utility-side renewable energy generation. At the same time, utilities lack adequate business models to commercialize small-scale customer-side renewable energy technologies. By combining the business model concept with innovation and organization theory practical recommendations for utility mangers and policy makers are derived. - Highlights: • The energy transition creates a fundamental business model challenge for utilities. • German utilities succeed in large-scale and fail in small-scale renewable generation. • Experiences from other industries are available to inform utility managers. • Business model innovation capabilities will be crucial to master the energy transition

Export orientation and domestic electricity generation: Effects on energy efficiency innovation in select sectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urpelainen, Johannes

2011-01-01

Why are some countries developing many energy efficiency innovations, while others are lagging behind? I argue that export orientation and electricity at low variable cost from nuclear and hydropower plants have an interactive effect on energy efficiency innovation. Export-oriented countries have strong incentives to invest in energy efficiency innovation, as they are in a position to export these technology innovations for global markets. But if inexpensive electricity is supplied in a country, the domestic demand for energy efficiency innovation is missing, and so the home market cannot serve as a springboard for international commercialization. I test this theory against international patent data on energy efficiency innovation in insulation, heating, and lighting for 22 OECD countries, 1991-2007. The statistical analysis indicates that export orientation has large positive effects on energy efficiency innovation in countries that do not rely on nuclear and hydroelectricity. - Highlights: → Export-oriented countries produce energy efficiency innovations. → Nuclear and hydropower reduce energy efficiency innovation. → Data on international patents from industrialized countries support the argument.

Government funded renewable energy innovation in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Cui; Su, Jun; Zhao, Xiaoyuan; Sui, Jigang; Ru, Peng; Zhang, Hanwei; Wang, Xin

2012-01-01

With the rapid development of the economy, China is facing pressures caused by traditional energy deficiency and environmental pollution in recent years, which has forced the Chinese government to start to pay attention to the development and utilization of renewable energy (RE). This article, based on data and statistics available up to 2008, studies features of China's RE technology innovation and problems thereof. It finds that national science and technology programs are the main aspect of China's RE technology innovation, and most of R and D funds for the RE technology come from China's three main national programs. Besides, the overall expenditures on RE technology innovation constitute only a small proportion of China's total domestic R and D funding and seem not enough. This paper also finds that, compared with research and development stages of RE technology, the demonstration and diffusion of RE technology in China are given less attention and thus are relatively less sufficient. Furthermore, influenced by China's traditional scientific research system, there appears lack of sufficient incentives and opportunities for private sectors to fully participate in RE technology innovation because most national programs are undertaken by universities or research institutes. - Highlights: ► We study statistically China's renewable energy technology innovation (RETI). ► National science and technology (S and T) programs are the main aspect of China's RETI. ► Most of R and D funds come from China's three main national (S and T) programs. ► The overall expenditure on RETI is small proportion of China's total domestic R and D funding. ► The demonstration and diffusion of RETI in China are relatively less sufficient.

Approaching Service Innovation Patterns

OpenAIRE

Andrea NAGY

2013-01-01

The present paper aims at analyzing the types of innovation in the field of services. First, the concept of innovation is defined and second, field literature is reviewed from the perspective of service innovation. The main types of innovation are identified based on several attempts at defining innovation, the most notable being Schumpeter’s. Thus, it is possible to approach concepts such as product and process innovation, incremental and radical innovation. Another aim has been to regard se...

NREL Spectrum of Clean Energy Innovation: Issue 3 (Book)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2012-11-01

This quarterly magazine is dedicated to stepping beyond the technical journals to reveal NREL's vital work in a real-world context for our stakeholders. Continuum provides insights into the latest and most impactful clean energy innovations, while spotlighting those talented researchers and unique facilities that make it all happen. This edition focuses on the NREL Spectrum of Clean Energy Innovation.

Energy innovation and renewable energy consumption in the correction of air pollution levels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alvarez-Herranz, Agustin; Balsalobre-Lorente, Daniel; Shahbaz, Muhammad; Cantos, José María

2017-01-01

This study analyses the relationship between economic growth and environmental pollution. Specifically, it investigates the presence of an environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) in 17 OECD countries over the period of 1990–2012. The results confirm the existence of an N-shaped EKC relationship between income and environmental degradation. The study offers a novel methodological contribution that makes it possible to explain the environmental pollution process through the analysis of low-carbon technologies. This demonstrates how income levels affect energy consumption and how higher energy demand leads to a larger share of fossil sources in the energy mix and, thus, increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The effect on per capita GHG emissions is explored in a model containing a dampening variable that moderates the relationship between energy consumption and income. This empirical evidence helps to explain the interaction between energy regulation, economic growth and carbon emissions. This study also confirms the positive effect that energy innovation process exerts on environmental pollution. Finally, it is noted that renewable energy sources help to improve air quality. - Highlights: • An inverted N-shaped relationship between economic growth and environmental degradation in OECD countries is validated. • Energy regulatory policies exert positive effect on environmental quality. • Energy innovation processes delays the technical obsolescence. • Energy innovation process requires a time lag to become fully efficient.

Energy conservation in the built environment. Innovators talking; Energiebesparing in de gebouwde omgeving. Innovators aan het woord

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-02-15

Qualitative studies have been conducted of the results of completed projects focused on energy innovation, spread over the seven themes of the top sector Energy: Energy saving in industry, Energy conservation in the built environment, Gas, Bio-energy, Smart grids, Offshore Wind, Solar PV. This provides insight into the follow-up activities and lessons of some EOS (Energy Research Subsidy) completed projects with the aim to inspire, connect and strengthen the TKIs (Topconsortia for Knowledge and Innovation) and individual companies and researchers working on energy innovation. This report concerns the research on energy conservation in the built environment [Dutch] Er is een kwalitatief onderzoek uitgevoerd naar de resultaten van afgeronde projecten gericht op energie-innovatie, verdeeld over de zeven thema's van de topsector Energie: Energiebesparing in de industrie; Energiebesparing in de gebouwde omgeving; Gas; Bio-energie; Smart grids; Wind op zee; Zon-pv. Daarmee wordt inzicht gegeven in de vervolgactiviteiten en lessen van een aantal afgesloten EOS-projecten (Energie Onderzoek Subsidie) met het oog op het inspireren, verbinden en versterken van de TKI's (Topconsortia voor Kennis en Innovatie) en individuele bedrijven en onderzoekers die werken aan energie-innovatie. Dit rapport betreft het onderzoek naar energiebesparing in de gebouwde omgeving.

Topsector Energy. Innovation Officers Network; Topsector Energie. Innovatie Attache Netwerk

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-06-15

The Top Sector policy of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation (ELI) has resulted in strongly worded plans with big ambitions for the various priority sectors. In this publication the Dutch Network of Innovation Officers gives an overview for the Top Sector Energy of developments taking place in the leading countries of the world in the field of Research, Development and Innovation. The information provides clues for the establishment and strengthening of international R and D strategy for the top sector and related options for cooperation with foreign parties [Dutch] Het topsectorenbeleid van onder meer het Ministerie van Economische zaken, Landbouw en Innovatie (ELI) heeft geresulteerd in scherp geformuleerde plannen met flinke ambities voor de diverse topsectoren. Het Netwerk van Innovatie Attachés geeft in deze publikatie een overzicht voor de Topsector Energie wat er in de meest toonaangevende landen van de wereld gebeurt op het terrein van Research and Development en Innovatie. De informatie biedt aanknopingspunten voor het opzetten en versterken van een internationale R and D strategie voor de topsector en daar toe behorende samenwerking met buitenlandse partijen.

Reflexivity, Knowledge and the Management of Potential Innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bordum, Anders

2005-01-01

In this article I will interpret John Deweys perspective on reflective thinking as if he were a philosopher of innovation management. From his pragmatist point of departure, the problems involved in knowledge-processes relevant to innovation are analysed and reconceptualised. On the basis...... of the analysis I attempt to identify some categories of general applicability when understanding, designing, and managing radical innovation processes. These categories are useful to conceptualise and talk about innovation, when knowledge is taken seriously, and when managing innovation is also understood...... as managing the production of new knowledge, that is of making the unjustified justified, and the unknown known. Keywords: Reflexivity, reflective thought, radical innovation, innovation management, potential innovation, Plato, John Dewey, epistemology, knowledge....

Green Energy-Industrial Innovation: A Comparative Study of Green Energy Transformations in Northern Europe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eikeland, Per Ove; Christiansen, Atle Christer; Koefoed, Anne Louise; Midttun, Atle; Tangen, Kristian

1999-07-01

Greening of industry is a prominent topic on the European agenda and has received a new impetus with the Kyoto process, where the European Union and its member states are facing new obligations. Due to its role as a major infrastructure sector and due to its extensive emissions, the electricity sector has become a focal industry in this context. These same factors, as well as the large public ownership has, in fact, traditionally placed energy in a central public political focus. The energy and electricity sector hence exemplify the intertwined nature of economics and politics in sector developments, where technology choices and capacity expansions have numerous motivations and diverse interests to please. This report discusses ''green'' innovation in the energy industry. By selecting some of the most advanced examples of breakthrough for new green technologies in Europe, it explores the basic elements of successful greening of industry. To account for the fact that product innovation- and diffusion-processes are embedded in a complex politico-economic setting, we have developed an analytical framework, incorporating both economic, political and societal elements and the interplay between them. More specifically, environmentally oriented innovation is seen as evolving out of the interplay between: 1) a technical-commercial core (major market agents, i.e. the renewable energy supply industry, associated complementary industries and consumers); 2) the political-administrative system; and 3) the societal basis, referring to existing societal customs, norms, and modes of social organisation. Drawing on Porter's (1990) analysis of business clusters, we have termed our focus ''green energy-industrial cluster'' emergence and growth. We have taken Porter's attempt to break out of a limited market analysis into a broader strategic focus one step further, where the political and institutional dimensions are more explicitly included. This implies that we see the emergence of

Green Energy-Industrial Innovation: A Comparative Study of Green Energy Transformations in Northern Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eikeland, Per Ove; Christiansen, Atle Christer; Koefoed, Anne Louise; Midttun, Atle; Tangen, Kristian

1999-01-01

Greening of industry is a prominent topic on the European agenda and has received a new impetus with the Kyoto process, where the European Union and its member states are facing new obligations. Due to its role as a major infrastructure sector and due to its extensive emissions, the electricity sector has become a focal industry in this context. These same factors, as well as the large public ownership has, in fact, traditionally placed energy in a central public political focus. The energy and electricity sector hence exemplify the intertwined nature of economics and politics in sector developments, where technology choices and capacity expansions have numerous motivations and diverse interests to please. This report discusses ''green'' innovation in the energy industry. By selecting some of the most advanced examples of breakthrough for new green technologies in Europe, it explores the basic elements of successful greening of industry. To account for the fact that product innovation- and diffusion-processes are embedded in a complex politico-economic setting, we have developed an analytical framework, incorporating both economic, political and societal elements and the interplay between them. More specifically, environmentally oriented innovation is seen as evolving out of the interplay between: 1) a technical-commercial core (major market agents, i.e. the renewable energy supply industry, associated complementary industries and consumers); 2) the political-administrative system; and 3) the societal basis, referring to existing societal customs, norms, and modes of social organisation. Drawing on Porter's (1990) analysis of business clusters, we have termed our focus ''green energy-industrial cluster'' emergence and growth. We have taken Porter's attempt to break out of a limited market analysis into a broader strategic focus one step further, where the political and institutional dimensions are more explicitly included. This implies that we see the emergence of

Economic Aspects of Innovations in Energy Storage

OpenAIRE

Strielkowski, Wadim; Lisin, Evgeny

2017-01-01

Energy storage is emerging as a potential method for addressing global energy system challenges across many different application areas. However, there are technical and non-technical barriers to the widespread deployment of energy storage devices. With regard to the above, it seems crucial to identify innovation processes, mechanisms and systems (in a broad sense) that can allow energy storage to help meet energy system challenges, and also deliver industrial growth from technology developme...

Measurement of the energy flow at large pseudorapidities for {radical}(s)=0.9 TeV and {radical}(s)=7 TeV at the large hadron collider using the compact muon solenoid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sen, Niladri

2011-11-15

Energy flow, dE/d{eta}, has been measured in proton-proton collisions at the lhc, for two centre-of-mass energies, {radical}(s)=0.9 TeV and 7 TeV, using an integrated luminosity of 239 {mu}b{sup -1} and 206 {mu}b{sup -1} respectively. The measurements were made in a previously unexplored phase space (3.15 < vertical stroke {eta} vertical stroke < 4.9) using the CMS detector for two separate event topologies: minimum bias events and events with a hard scale set by the transverse momentum of the jets in a di-jet system. Data from each of the measurements have been compared to leading order Monte Carlo pp-collision event generators that use k{sub T}{sup 2}-, Q{sup 2}- and angular-ordered parton showers. The forward energy ow measurements are shown to be sensitive to the models and tuning parameters in both their shape and magnitude. The necessity of underlying event models in order to describe data will be demonstrated. In addition, predictions from cosmic-ray event generators are shown to describe data consistently well for each of the measurements. (orig.)

Research, Education and Innovation Bundling Forces towards a Sustainable European Energy Future

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2013-01-01

New technologies and applied innovation in the field of sustainable energy are needed in order to achieve a competitive and climate neutral Europe. As one of the first three Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KIC) of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), KIC InnoEnergy invests in innovation projects and new educational programmes and provides business creation service with the purpose of delivering the disruptive technologies and innovations that Europe requires to meet this ambitious goal. Its stakeholders are top European players in the industry, research institutes, universities and business schools. Six regionally bundled European hubs – Barcelona/Lisbon, Grenoble, Eindhoven, Karlsruhe, Stockholm and Krakow - lead one thematic field each in sustainable energy. The thematic fields addressed range from Intelligent “Energy-efficient Residential Buildings and Cities” over “Energy from Chemical Fuels”, “Renewable Energies”, “Clean Coal Technologies” to “European Smar...

IFPEN Transports Energy Carnot Institute. Annual report 2016. Innovating mobility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-01-01

Under the authority of IFP Energies nouvelles, the IFPEN Transports Energie Carnot Institute develops efficient, clean and sustainable technological innovations in the fields of power-train and propulsion systems, energy sectors and industrial thermal processes with CO_2 capture. IFPEN Transports Energie Carnot Institute is a R and D center serving industry, leader in the fields of transport and energy: - Innovative solutions to address technological challenges and market needs (high-efficiency, low-emission power-trains, power-train electrification, energy optimization and onboard control, alternative fuels with low CO_2 emissions, energy generation based on chemical looping combustion); - High-performance experimental resources and digital tools resulting in innovations with reduced costs and development times; - A proactive industrial protection policy; - Support for industrial sectors, covering a very broad range of technological readiness levels; - Transfer of R and D results via joint product development with licensing out operations, strategic partnerships and collaborative research agreements; - An innovation support policy, aimed particularly at micro-companies, SMEs and intermediate-sized companies. IFPEN Transports Energie Carnot Institute has close ties with industry: from micro-companies, SMEs and intermediate-sized companies to major industrial groups; A strong commitment within competitiveness clusters (Mov'eo, LUTB, Systematic, Astech, etc.); A leadership of the automobile sector and the Transport Alliance within the Carnot Institutes; A synergy with networks of academic partners and R and D laboratories with an international influence

How HE (Hydrogen Energy) Knowledge and Innovativeness Affect Potential Innovators' Acceptance and Opinions Regarding HE An example from UNIDO-ICHET Web-site Users

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mavis Tsai; Scott Warren; Reide Song; JingYi Gao

2006-01-01

According to innovation diffusion research, the innovators, opinion leaders, and diffusion agents play vital roles in promoting the acceptance of innovation. The purpose of this research is to investigate how HE innovators' knowledge affects their acceptance and opinions about HE and related products. The research method is an on-line survey and the sample is a voluntary sample. This survey successfully collected 1126 HE innovators' information. The researchers used SPSS statistics software to analyze the data and found the relationship between HE innovators' demographics, their knowledge about hydrogen energy, their innovativeness, and their familiarity with new energy technology with their acceptance and opinions about HE, and how they use the UNIDO-ICHET web-site. The researchers found HE knowledge could be used to predict new energy innovators' information resource usage, innovativeness, new energy product adoption and their opinions about HE. (authors)

Harnessing social innovation for energy justice: a business model perspective

OpenAIRE

Hiteva, Ralitsa; Sovacool, Benjamin

2017-01-01

This paper uses a business model framework to discuss how principles of energy justice - in particular, equitable distribution of costs and benefits, affordability, due process and greater participation in decision-making - can be embedded in business model innovations for energy, through social innovation. The paper discusses four cases at different scales (local, subnational, regional and global) to highlight opportunities for introducing principles of energy justice into the core of busine...

2012 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit Keynote Presentation (Arun Majumdar)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Majumdar, Arun

2012-02-28

The third annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit was held in Washington D.C. in February, 2012. The event brought together key players from across the energy ecosystem - researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, corporate executives, and government officials - to share ideas for developing and deploying the next generation of energy technologies. Director of ARPA-E, Arun Majumdar, gave the final keynote address for Tuesday, February 28th. He discussed APRA-E's role in meeting 21st century energy needs with American innovation.

Marginalization of end-use technologies in energy innovation for climate protection

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Charlie; Grubler, Arnulf; Gallagher, Kelly S.; Nemet, Gregory F.

2012-11-01

Mitigating climate change requires directed innovation efforts to develop and deploy energy technologies. Innovation activities are directed towards the outcome of climate protection by public institutions, policies and resources that in turn shape market behaviour. We analyse diverse indicators of activity throughout the innovation system to assess these efforts. We find efficient end-use technologies contribute large potential emission reductions and provide higher social returns on investment than energy-supply technologies. Yet public institutions, policies and financial resources pervasively privilege energy-supply technologies. Directed innovation efforts are strikingly misaligned with the needs of an emissions-constrained world. Significantly greater effort is needed to develop the full potential of efficient end-use technologies.

IFP Energies nouvelles - 2013 Activity Report. 2013 financial report. Innovating for energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN) is a public research and training player. It has an international scope, covering the fields of energy, transport and the environment. From research to industry, technological innovation is central to all its activities. As part of the public-interest mission with which it has been tasked by the public authorities, IFPEN focuses on: - providing solutions to take up the challenges facing society in terms of energy and the climate, promoting the emergence of a sustainable energy mix; - creating wealth and jobs by supporting French and European economic activity, and the competitiveness of related industrial sectors. IFPEN has proven expertise across the entire value chain, from fundamental research to industrial research and innovation. It is funded both by a state budget and by resources provided by French and foreign international partners. The aim of IFPEN's R and D programs is to overcome existing scientific and technological barriers in order to develop innovations that can be used by industry. Through its research and resulting innovations, IFPEN fosters the economic development of fields related to the energy, transport and eco-industry sectors. In so doing, it also contributes to creating wealth and jobs. IFPEN's innovations are developed industrially through close partnerships with industrial players and IFP Group subsidiaries. In both emerging and mature markets, IFPEN creates companies or acquires stakeholdings in companies of significant potential, either directly or via capital funds. In addition, IFPEN supports the development of SMEs and SMIs as part of collaboration agreements, contributing its technical and legal expertise. Representing over 50 professions, from geological engineers to power-train engineers, IFPEN's employees form a unique body of globally recognized scientific specialists and an unparalleled network of expertise. In order to carry out their research work at the cutting edge of innovation, they have

Energy conservation in the built environment. Innovators talking; Energiebesparing in de gebouwde omgeving. Innovators aan het woord

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-02-15

Qualitative studies have been conducted of the results of completed projects focused on energy innovation, spread over the seven themes of the top sector Energy: Energy saving in industry, Energy conservation in the built environment, Gas, Bio-energy, Smart grids, Offshore Wind, Solar PV. This provides insight into the follow-up activities and lessons of some EOS (Energy Research Subsidy) completed projects with the aim to inspire, connect and strengthen the TKIs (Topconsortia for Knowledge and Innovation) and individual companies and researchers working on energy innovation. This report concerns the research on energy conservation in the built environment [Dutch] Er is een kwalitatief onderzoek uitgevoerd naar de resultaten van afgeronde projecten gericht op energie-innovatie, verdeeld over de zeven thema's van de topsector Energie: Energiebesparing in de industrie; Energiebesparing in de gebouwde omgeving; Gas; Bio-energie; Smart grids; Wind op zee; Zon-pv. Daarmee wordt inzicht gegeven in de vervolgactiviteiten en lessen van een aantal afgesloten EOS-projecten (Energie Onderzoek Subsidie) met het oog op het inspireren, verbinden en versterken van de TKI's (Topconsortia voor Kennis en Innovatie) en individuele bedrijven en onderzoekers die werken aan energie-innovatie. Dit rapport betreft het onderzoek naar energiebesparing in de gebouwde omgeving.

Cellulosic ethanol: status and innovation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lynd, Lee R.; Liang, Xiaoyu; Biddy, Mary J.; Allee, Andrew; Cai, Hao; Foust, Thomas; Himmel, Michael E.; Laser, Mark S.; Wang, Michael; Wyman, Charles E.

2017-06-01

Although the purchase price of cellulosic feedstocks is competitive with petroleum on an energy basis, the cost of lignocellulose conversion to ethanol using today’s technology is high. Cost reductions can be pursued via either in-paradigm or new-paradigm innovation. As an example of new-paradigm innovation, consolidated bioprocessing using thermophilic bacteria combined with milling during fermentation (cotreatment) is analyzed. Acknowledging the nascent state of this approach, our analysis indicates potential for radically improved cost competitiveness and feasibility at smaller scale compared to current technology, arising from (a) R&D-driven advances (consolidated bioprocessing with cotreatment in lieu of thermochemical pretreatment and added fungal cellulase), and (b) configurational changes (fuel pellet coproduction instead of electricity, gas boiler(s) in lieu of a solid fuel boiler).

A Roadmap of Innovative Nuclear Energy System

Science.gov (United States)

Sekimoto, Hiroshi

2017-01-01

Nuclear is a dense energy without CO2 emission. It can be used for more than 100,000 years using fast breeder reactors with uranium from the sea. However, it raises difficult problems associated with severe accidents, spent fuel waste and nuclear threats, which should be solved with acceptable costs. Some innovative reactors have attracted interest, and many designs have been proposed for small reactors. These reactors are considered much safer than conventional large reactors and have fewer technical obstructions. Breed-and-burn reactors have high potential to solve all inherent problems for peaceful use of nuclear energy. However, they have some technical problems with materials. A roadmap for innovative reactors is presented herein.

Energy Innovation Portal Brings DOE Technologies to the Market (Fact Sheet)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2011-10-01

For venture capitalists, energy entrepreneurs, and industry veterans, finding the right renewable energy or energy efficiency solution used to be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Now, a searchable treasure trove of innovative U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) technologies is available. Created by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the online Energy Innovation Portal helps businesses and entrepreneurs access the intellectual property of DOE's 17 national laboratories and other research partners.

Innovative energy education in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Scheepens Hasek, Jarry; van Spijk, Alex

2013-01-01

This paper describes innovation in existing and future Master’s degree education in renewable energy at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen (Hanze UAS). Interrelationships between research and industry are significant within this education. Clearly illustrated by development of the

Business model innovation for Local Energy Management: a perspective from Swiss utilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emanuele Facchinetti

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The successful deployment of the energy transition relies on a deep reorganization of the energy market. Business model innovation is recognized as a key driver of this process. This work contributes to this topic by providing to potential Local Energy Management stakeholders and policy makers a conceptual framework guiding the Local Energy Management business model innovation. The main determinants characterizing Local Energy Management concepts and impacting its business model innovation are identified through literature reviews on distributed generation typologies and customer/investor preferences related to new business opportunities emerging with the energy transition. Afterwards, the relation between the identified determinants and the Local Energy Management business model solution space is analyzed based on semi-structured interviews with managers of Swiss utilities companies. The collected managers’ preferences serve as explorative indicators supporting the business model innovation process and provide insights to policy makers on challenges and opportunities related to Local Energy Management.

Clean energy storage technology in the making: An innovation systems perspective on flywheel energy storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Wicki, Samuel; Hansen, Erik G

2017-09-20

The emergence and diffusion of green and sustainable technologies is full of obstacles and has therefore become an important area of research. We are interested in further understanding the dynamics between entrepreneurial experimentation, market formation, and institutional contexts, together playing a decisive role for successful diffusion of such technologies. Accordingly, we study these processes by adopting a technological innovation system perspective focusing on actors, networks, and institutions as well as the functions provided by them. Using a qualitative case study research design, we focus on the high-speed flywheel energy storage technology. As flywheels are based on a rotating mass allowing short-term storage of energy in kinetic form, they represent an environmentally-friendly alternative to electrochemical batteries and therefore can play an important role in sustainable energy transitions. Our contribution is threefold: First , regarding the flywheel energy storage technology, our findings reveal two subsystems and related markets in which development took different courses. In the automotive sector, flywheels are developing well as a braking energy recovery technology under the influence of two motors of innovation. In the electricity sector, they are stagnating at the stage of demonstration projects because of two important system weaknesses that counteract demand for storage. Second , we contribute to the theory of technological innovation systems by better understanding the internal dynamics between different functions of an innovation system as well as between the innovation system and its (external) contextual structures. Our third contribution is methodological. According to our best knowledge, we are the first to use system dynamics to (qualitatively) analyze and visualize dynamics between the diverse functions of innovation systems with the aim of enabling a better understanding of complex and iterative system processes. The paper also

Triple-loop learning as foundation for profound change, individual cultivation, and radical innovation. Construction processes beyond scientific and rational knowledge.

OpenAIRE

Peschl, Markus F.

2007-01-01

Purpose: Ernst von Glasersfeld’s question concerning the relationship between scientific/ rational knowledge and the domain of wisdom and how these forms of knowledge come about is the starting point. This article aims at developing an epistemological as well as methodological framework that is capable of explaining how profound change can be brought about in various contexts, such as in individual cultivation, in organizations, in processes of radical innovation, etc. This fra...

75 FR 7464 - Energy Efficient Building Systems Regional Innovation Cluster Initiative-Joint Federal Funding...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-19

... a regional innovation cluster focused on innovation in energy efficient building technologies and... technology challenges through approaches that span basic research to engineering development to... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Energy Efficient Building Systems Regional Innovation Cluster Initiative...

Innovation in top management teams: minority dissent, transformational leadership, and radical innovations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nijstad, B.A.; Berger-Selman, F.; de Dreu, C.K.W.

2014-01-01

Research among lower level teams suggests that minority dissent stimulates team innovation. We consider the role of CEO transformational leadership in the dissent-innovation relation and study this in Top Management Teams (TMTs). We propose that transformational leaders create a psychologically safe

Innovation in top management teams : Minority dissent, transformational leadership, and radical innovations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nijstad, Bernard A.; Berger-Selman, Floor; De Dreu, Carsten K. W.

2014-01-01

Research among lower level teams suggests that minority dissent stimulates team innovation. We consider the role of CEO transformational leadership in the dissent-innovation relation and study this in Top Management Teams (TMTs). We propose that transformational leaders create a psychologically safe

Competing explanations for adopting energy innovations for new office buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vermeulen, Walter J.V.; Hovens, Jeroen

2006-01-01

An integrative model to explain potential adopters' decisions to adopt energy innovations was adapted and applied in the field of new office building construction. We tested the relative effects of competing theoretical explanations (derived from economics, innovation science and policy science) on the decision to adopt. The research covered 35 projects representing 9% of the total volume of new office construction in the Netherlands between 2000 and mid-2002. Two levels of explanations for adopting innovations were derived: (a) the potential adopter's weighed assessments of the innovations and his or her nature of decision making and (b) explanation of those first-level variables. Using multiple regression techniques, we determined the relative influence on innovation-adoption of variables covering economy and technology, government intervention, company characteristics, and influences from market and society. The decision to adopt 'mature' innovations, in contrast to 'young' innovations, is based more on routine procedures than project-specific considerations. Policies need to take this difference into consideration. We also show evidence that in promoting adoption of E-innovations for new office buildings the Dutch system of applying Energy Performance Standards and subsidies proofs to be effective

What drives innovation in renewable energy technology? Evidence based on patent counts

Science.gov (United States)

McCormick, Jesse

America's future economic growth and international competitiveness depend on our capacity to innovate, particularly in emerging global markets. This paper analyzes the forces that drive innovation in one such market, renewable energy technologies, utilizing the theory of induced technological innovation. Specifically, this paper operationalizes the determinants of innovation to consist of: 1) private market forces, 2) public policy that influences price and market size, and 3) public policy that catalyzes R&D investment. Analysis is conducted using a negative binomial regression to determine which of the three foundational determinants has the greatest impact on renewable energy innovation. In so doing this paper builds off of work conducted by Johnstone et al. (2010). Innovation is measured using European Patent Office data on a panel of 24 countries spanning the period from 1978-2005. The implications of this study are straightforward; policies, not market forces, are responsible for driving innovation in renewable energy technologies. Market-oriented policies are effective for mature technologies, particularly hydro, and to a lesser extent wind and solar power. R&D-oriented policy is effective for a broader technology set. In short, the United States needs a comprehensive policy environment to support renewable energy innovation; market forces alone will not provide the pace and breadth of innovations needed. That environment can and should be strategically targeted, however, to effectively allocate scare resources.

A Systemic Perspective on Innovation from Energy Efficiency Policy efforts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ruby, Tobias Møller

In order to reduce climate change, resource scarcity and other global environmental issues major increases in energy efficiency are necessary throughout our energy system. Despite this daunting outlook and the fact that energy efficiency in most instances makes economic and environmental sense...... efficiency innovation activities where market demand and policy efforts appear to have the most impact. The thesis also goes in depth with a single sector to describe the complexities of innovation processes in energy efficiency and the noticeable role of policy. Overall the doctoral thesis provides...

Energy Security, Innovation & Sustainability Initiative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2010-04-30

More than a dozen energy experts convened in Houston, Texas, on February 13, 2009, for the first in a series of four regionally-based energy summits being held by the Council on Competitiveness. The Southern Energy Summit was hosted by Marathon Oil Corporation, and participants explored the public policy, business and technological challenges to increasing the diversity and sustainability of U.S. energy supplies. There was strong consensus that no single form of energy can satisfy the projected doubling, if not tripling, of demand by the year 2050 while also meeting pressing environmental challenges, including climate change. Innovative technology such as carbon capture and storage, new mitigation techniques and alternative forms of energy must all be brought to bear. However, unlike breakthroughs in information technology, advancing broad-based energy innovation requires an enormous scale that must be factored into any equation that represents an energy solution. Further, the time frame for developing alternative forms of energy is much longer than many believe and is not understood by the general public, whose support for sustainability is critical. Some panelists estimated that it will take more than 50 years to achieve the vision of an energy system that is locally tailored and has tremendous diversity in generation. A long-term commitment to energy sustainability may also require some game-changing strategies that calm volatile energy markets and avoid political cycles. Taking a page from U.S. economic history, one panelist suggested the creation of an independent Federal Energy Reserve Board not unlike the Federal Reserve. The board would be independent and influence national decisions on energy supply, technology, infrastructure and the nation's carbon footprint to better calm the volatile energy market. Public-private efforts are critical. Energy sustainability will require partnerships with the federal government, such as the U.S. Department of Energy

Standard Gibbs free energies of reactions of ozone with free radicals in aqueous solution: quantum-chemical calculations.

Science.gov (United States)

Naumov, Sergej; von Sonntag, Clemens

2011-11-01

Free radicals are common intermediates in the chemistry of ozone in aqueous solution. Their reactions with ozone have been probed by calculating the standard Gibbs free energies of such reactions using density functional theory (Jaguar 7.6 program). O(2) reacts fast and irreversibly only with simple carbon-centered radicals. In contrast, ozone also reacts irreversibly with conjugated carbon-centered radicals such as bisallylic (hydroxycylohexadienyl) radicals, with conjugated carbon/oxygen-centered radicals such as phenoxyl radicals, and even with nitrogen- oxygen-, sulfur-, and halogen-centered radicals. In these reactions, further ozone-reactive radicals are generated. Chain reactions may destroy ozone without giving rise to products other than O(2). This may be of importance when ozonation is used in pollution control, and reactions of free radicals with ozone have to be taken into account in modeling such processes.

IFP Energies Nouvelles. 2014 Activity report - Innovating for energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-01-01

As part of the public-interest mission with which it has been tasked by the public authorities, IFP Energies Nouvelles (IFPEN) focuses on: - providing solutions to take up the challenges facing society in terms of energy and the climate, promoting the emergence of a sustainable energy mix, - creating wealth and jobs by supporting French and European economic activity, and the competitiveness of related industrial sectors. Despite the current economic environment, 2014 was a good year for IFPEN. In the field of renewable energies, major milestones were reached in two significant projects dedicated to the production of second generation biofuels in which IFPEN is very actively involved: processes developed in Futurol TM are already in the pre-marketing phase, while the construction of the two pilot units for the BioTfueL project has just been launched. In the field of ocean energies, IFPEN research has led to the first partnership agreements relating to floating wind turbines anchor technologies and command control systems for wind energy and wave energy conversion. In the transport sector, game-changing concepts are beginning to emerge, such as smart battery charging and a Rankine cycle system for an internal combustion engine transforming combustion heat into energy. In addition, IFPEN have joined forces with innovative SMEs to boost their research in the fields of electric power-trains and power electronics. Finally, IFPEN launched an eco-driving application that has proved extremely popular with the public. Turning now to oil and gas, IFPEN continued to expand its range of basin and reservoir simulation, modeling and characterization software, and it signed several contracts in the field of chemical enhanced recovery solutions with its EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery) Alliance TM partners. IFPEN also developed new generations of high-performance catalysts and improved the conversion rate of its processes to enable refiners to convert increasingly heavy crudes and

Building Energy Efficiency through Innovative Thermodevices (BEEIT)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ju, Y. Sungtaek [Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Dunn, Bruce [Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Pei, Qibing [Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Kim, C. -J. [Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

2012-12-14

This is the final scientific/technical report for the project "Compact MEMS Electrocaloric Cooling Module" sponsored by ARAPA-E as part of its Building Energy Efficiency through Innovative Thermodevices (BEEIT) program.

Determinants of the pace of global innovation in energy technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Bettencourt, Luís M A; Trancik, Jessika E; Kaur, Jasleen

2013-01-01

Understanding the factors driving innovation in energy technologies is of critical importance to mitigating climate change and addressing other energy-related global challenges. Low levels of innovation, measured in terms of energy patent filings, were noted in the 1980s and 90s as an issue of concern and were attributed to limited investment in public and private research and development (R&D). Here we build a comprehensive global database of energy patents covering the period 1970-2009, which is unique in its temporal and geographical scope. Analysis of the data reveals a recent, marked departure from historical trends. A sharp increase in rates of patenting has occurred over the last decade, particularly in renewable technologies, despite continued low levels of R&D funding. To solve the puzzle of fast innovation despite modest R&D increases, we develop a model that explains the nonlinear response observed in the empirical data of technological innovation to various types of investment. The model reveals a regular relationship between patents, R&D funding, and growing markets across technologies, and accurately predicts patenting rates at different stages of technological maturity and market development. We show quantitatively how growing markets have formed a vital complement to public R&D in driving innovative activity. These two forms of investment have each leveraged the effect of the other in driving patenting trends over long periods of time.

Innovations in Multi-Level Governance for Energy Efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-07-01

Recent IEA analysis highlights member countries' significant progress with developing energy efficiency policy (International Energy Agency 2009). The 28 member countries of the IEA are engaged in promoting innovative financial instruments, energy efficiency strategies and action plans. They are designing policies to promote energy efficiency in buildings, the adoption of standby power, the phase out of inefficient lighting, proper tyre-inflation and related policies, and energy efficiency in utilities.

Innovations in Multi-Level Governance for Energy Efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-07-01

Recent IEA analysis highlights member countries' significant progress with developing energy efficiency policy (International Energy Agency 2009). The 28 member countries of the IEA are engaged in promoting innovative financial instruments, energy efficiency strategies and action plans. They are designing policies to promote energy efficiency in buildings, the adoption of standby power, the phase out of inefficient lighting, proper tyre-inflation and related policies, and energy efficiency in utilities.

Energy Innovation Acceleration Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wolfson, Johanna [Fraunhofer USA Inc., Center for Sustainable Energy Systems, Boston, MA (United States)

2015-06-15

The Energy Innovation Acceleration Program (IAP) – also called U-Launch – has had a significant impact on early stage clean energy companies in the Northeast and on the clean energy economy in the Northeast, not only during program execution (2010-2014), but continuing into the future. Key results include: Leverage ratio of 105:1; $105M in follow-on funding (upon $1M investment by EERE); At least 19 commercial products launched; At least 17 new industry partnerships formed; At least $6.5M in revenue generated; >140 jobs created; 60% of assisted companies received follow-on funding within 1 year of program completion; In addition to the direct measurable program results summarized above, two primary lessons emerged from our work executing Energy IAP:; Validation and demonstration awards have an outsized, ‘tipping-point’ effect for startups looking to secure investments and strategic partnerships. An ecosystem approach is valuable, but an approach that evaluates the needs of individual companies and then draws from diverse ecosystem resources to fill them, is most valuable of all.

How energy technology innovation affects transition of coal resource-based economy in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Pibin; Wang, Ting; Li, Dan; Zhou, Xijun

2016-01-01

The aim of this research paper is to investigate factors and mechanisms that may facilitate the transition from coal resource-based economy to sustainability. Based on the energy technology innovation theory, factors that may influence the transition of coal resource-based economy were categorized into four types, including: innovation policy, innovation input, innovation ability, and innovation organization. Hypotheses were proposed regarding the mechanisms of these factors. Data were collected from surveys administered to 314 Chinese energy firms, and a structural equation model (SEM) was employed to test the hypotheses. Ten of fifteen hypotheses were retained based on the reliability tests, validity tests, and SEM. The results show that the four proposed factors are crucial in transforming the coal resource-based economy, and the effects become statistically significant through three intermediate variables, namely, transition of energy consumption structure, correction of resource wealth investment, and improvement of transition environment. - Highlights: •Approximately, 66% of energy relies on coal in China. •Serious environment problems have occurred in many coal-based regions. •Energy technology innovation can promote the transition of coal-based economy. •China should accelerate the development of clean energy.

Political Connections, Government Subsidies and Technical Innovation of Wind Energy Companies in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiaan Qu

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Developing wind energy is one of the win win measures in response to climate changes and energy security. In order to promote technical innovation in the wind-energy industry, the government grants various fiscal subsidies to wind-energy companies every year. To acquire these subsidies, enterprises often employ those with political backgrounds as members of the board of directors and board of supervisors. On the one hand, the acquisition of subsidies may indeed promote the technical innovation capacity of enterprises, but, on the other hand, due to the existence of “the grabbing hand”, the technical innovation capacity of enterprises may be weakened. We selected 35 Chinese wind-energy listed companies to analyze the relationship between political connections, subsidies and the technical innovation capacity. Results indicate that, political connections to an enterprise weaken its innovative potential and achievement. Moreover, the higher the strength of political connections is, the stronger the negative impact it will bring to the innovative capacity of the enterprise. Modulation of government subsidies, however, can alleviate the negative effects of political connections.

Energy security and climate change: How oil endowment influences alternative vehicle innovation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jung Eun

2014-01-01

Fast growing global energy needs raise concerns on energy supply security and climate change. Although policies addressing the two issues sometimes benefit one at the expense of the other, technology innovation, especially in alternative energy, provides a win–win solution to tackle both issues. This paper examines the effect of oil endowment on the patterns of technology innovation in the transportation sector, attempting to identify drivers of technology innovation in alternative energy. The analysis employs panel data constructed from patent data on five different types of automobile-related technologies from 1990 to 2002: oil extraction, petroleum refining, fuel cells, electric and hybrid vehicles (EHV) and vehicle energy efficiency. I find that countries with larger oil endowments perform less innovation on refining and alternative technologies. Conversely, higher gasoline prices positively impact the patent counts of alternative technologies and energy efficiency technology. The findings highlight the challenges and importance of policy designs in international climate change agreements. - Highlights: • I examine the effect of oil endowment on technology innovation in the transportation sector. • An empirical model was developed for a cross-country analysis of oil endowments. • A country's oil endowment is a negative driver of alternative technologies. • Energy price is a positive driver of alternative technologies and energy efficiency technology. • Implications for domestic and international climate policy are discussed

Patterns of technological innovation and evolution in the energy sector: A patent-based approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Kyungpyo; Lee, Sungjoo

2013-01-01

Given the ever-increasing pace and complexity of technological innovation in the energy sector, monitoring technological changes has become of strategic importance. One of the most common techniques for technology monitoring is patent analysis, which enables the identification of technological trends over time. However, few previous studies have carried out patent analysis in the energy sector. This study aims to explore patterns of innovation and of evolution in energy technologies, particularly focusing on similarities and differences across technologies. For this purpose, we first defined the relevant energy technologies and extracted the associated patent data from the United States Patents and Trademark Office (USPTO) and then adopted six patent indices and developed six patent maps to analyze their innovation characteristics. We then clustered energy technologies with similar characteristics, so defining innovation categories, and analyzed the changes in these characteristics over time to define their evolution categories. As one of the few attempts to investigate the overall trends in the energy sector's innovation and evolution, this study is expected to help develop an in-depth understanding of the energy industry, which will be useful in establishing technology strategies and policy in this rapidly changing sector. - Highlights: • We examined the patterns of innovation and evolution of energy technologies. • Six types of innovation patterns such as “competitive” or “mature” were identified. • Six types of evolution patterns such as “towards closed innovation” were identified. • The patterns of evolution were related to the patterns of innovation

Determinants of the Pace of Global Innovation in Energy Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Kaur, Jasleen

2013-01-01

Understanding the factors driving innovation in energy technologies is of critical importance to mitigating climate change and addressing other energy-related global challenges. Low levels of innovation, measured in terms of energy patent filings, were noted in the 1980s and 90s as an issue of concern and were attributed to limited investment in public and private research and development (R&D). Here we build a comprehensive global database of energy patents covering the period 1970–2009, which is unique in its temporal and geographical scope. Analysis of the data reveals a recent, marked departure from historical trends. A sharp increase in rates of patenting has occurred over the last decade, particularly in renewable technologies, despite continued low levels of R&D funding. To solve the puzzle of fast innovation despite modest R&D increases, we develop a model that explains the nonlinear response observed in the empirical data of technological innovation to various types of investment. The model reveals a regular relationship between patents, R&D funding, and growing markets across technologies, and accurately predicts patenting rates at different stages of technological maturity and market development. We show quantitatively how growing markets have formed a vital complement to public R&D in driving innovative activity. These two forms of investment have each leveraged the effect of the other in driving patenting trends over long periods of time. PMID:24155867

Innovative technologies for removing toxic compounds from groundwater and air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosocha, L.A.; Allen, G.R.; Anderson, G.K.; Bechtold, L.A.; Coogan, J.J.; Heck, H.G.; Kang, M.; McCulla, W.H.; Secker, D.A.; Smith, J.D.; Tennant, R.A.; Wantuck, P.J.

1992-01-01

Innovative waste treatment technologies are being developed to remove hazardous organic wastes from water and air. These technologies involve the generation of highly reactive free radicals and their reaction with organic compounds. Two efficient methods of producing these reactive free radicals are radiolysis and electrical-discharge plasmas. Radiolytic technology involves the irradiation of contaminated media with high-energy electron beams or x rays generated from the beams (megavolt energies, hundreds of kilorad doses). This process is best understood in aqueous solutions, in which sizable quantities of the free radicals e aq - , OH*, and H*, as well as the more stable oxidant H 2 0 2 , are produced. These highly reactive species react with organic contaminants to produce C0 2 , H 2 0, and salts, which are no longer hazardous. Nonequilibrium electrical-discharge plasmas involve the generation of copious quantities of reactive free radicals from the dissociation of molecular oxygen by energetic electrons in the gas-based discharge. One of the most promising technologies for plasma processing is based upon the ''silent electrical discharge'' that has proven to be industrially dependable for the generation of large quantities of ozone

Environmental Policies, Product Market Regulation and Innovation in Renewable Energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nesta, Lionel; Vona, Francesco; Nicolli, Francesco

2012-10-01

We investigate the effectiveness of policies in favor of innovation in renew- able energy under different levels of competition. Using information regarding renewable energy policies, product market regulation and high-quality green patents for OECD countries since the late 1970's, we develop a pre-sample mean count-data econometric specification that also accounts for the endogeneity of policies. We find that renewable energy policies are significantly more effective in fostering green innovation in countries with deregulated energy markets. We also find that public support for renewable energy is crucial only in the generation of high-quality green patents, whereas competition enhances the generation of green patents irrespective of their quality. (authors)

Innovative energy production in fusion reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iiyoshi, A.; Momota, H.; Motojima, O.

1994-01-01

Concepts of innovative energy production in neutron-lean fusion reactors without having the conventional turbine-type generator are proposed for improving the plant efficiency. These concepts are (a) traveling wave direct energy conversion of 14.7 MeV protons, (b) cusp type direct energy conversion of charged particles, (c) efficient use of radiation with semiconductor and supplying clean fuel in a form of hydrogen gas, and (d) direct energy conversion from deposited heat to electric power with semiconductor utilizing Nernst effect. The candidates of reactors such as a toroidal system and an open system are also studied for application of the new concepts. The study shows the above concepts for a commercial reactor are promising. (author)

Innovative energy production in fusion reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iiyoshi, A.; Momota, H.; Motojima, O.; Okamoto, M.; Sudo, S.; Tomita, Y.; Yamaguchi, S.; Ohnishi, M.; Onozuka, M.; Uenosono, C.

1993-10-01

Concepts of innovative energy production in neutron-lean fusion reactors without having the conventional turbine-type generator are proposed for improving the plant efficiency. These concepts are (a) traveling wave direct energy conversion of 14.7 MeV protons, (b) cusp type direct energy conversion of charged particles, (c) efficient use of radiation with semiconductor and supplying clean fuel in a form of hydrogen gas, and (d) direct energy conversion from deposited heat to electric power with semiconductor utilizing Nernst effect. The candidates of reactors such as a toroidal system and an open system are also studied for application of the new concepts. The study shows the above concepts for a commercial reactor are promising. (author)

Innovative energy production in fusion reactors

Science.gov (United States)

Iiyoshi, A.; Momota, H.; Motojima, O.; Okamoto, M.; Sudo, S.; Tomita, Y.; Yamaguchi, S.; Ohnishi, M.; Onozuka, M.; Uenosono, C.

1993-10-01

Concepts of innovative energy production in neutron-lean fusion reactors without having the conventional turbine-type generator are proposed for improving the plant efficiency. These concepts are: (1) traveling wave direct energy conversion of 14.7 MeV protons; (2) cusp type direct energy conversion of charged particles; (3) efficient use of radiation with semiconductor and supplying clean fuel in a form of hydrogen gas; and (4) direct energy conversion from deposited heat to electric power with semiconductor utilizing Nernst effect. The candidates of reactors such as a toroidal system and an open system are also studied for application of the new concepts. The study shows the above concepts for a commercial reactor are promising.

Innovative energy production in fusion reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iiyoshi, A.; Momota, H.; Motojima, O.; Okamoto, M.; Sudo, S.; Tomita, Y.; Yamaguchi, S.; Ohnishi, M.; Onozuka, M.; Uenosono, C.

1993-10-01

Concepts of innovative energy production in neutron-lean fusion reactors without having the conventional turbine-type generator are proposed for improving the plant efficiency. These concepts are (a) traveling wave direct energy conversion of 14.7 MeV protons, (b) cusp type direct energy conversion of charged particles, (c) efficient use of radiation with semiconductor and supplying clean fuel in a form of hydrogen gas, and (d) direct energy conversion from deposited heat to electric power with semiconductor utilizing Nernst effect. The candidates of reactors such as a toroidal system and an open system are also studied for application of the new concepts. The study shows the above concepts for a commercial reactor are promising. (author).

How do policies for efficient energy use in the household sector induce energy-efficiency innovation? An evaluation of European countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Girod, Bastien; Stucki, Tobias; Woerter, Martin

2017-01-01

Research on innovation induced by climate-mitigation policy has been focused predominantly on the supply side of the energy system. Despite considerable climate-mitigation potential on the demand side, less attention is given to the innovation effect of policies addressing the household sector. Based on a comprehensive data set, including 550 policy measures over 30 years (1980–2009) and covering 21 European countries, we find—based on econometric estimations—that policies targeting efficient energy use in the household sector significantly increase the number of patented energy-efficiency inventions. A comparison of the different policy types reveals a particularly strong influence from financial subsidies and energy labels. The results indicate that policies supporting early market adoption of energy-efficient technologies are effective in fostering innovation. - Highlights: • We evaluate the impact of energy-efficiency policy on energy-efficiency innovation. • The dataset covers patents and policies for 1980–2009 in 21 European countries. • Household policies show a positive influence on innovation activity (patented inventions). • The influence is most pronounced for financial subsidies and energy labels.

THE ROLE OF ECO-INNOVATION IN THE ENERGY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksandra Kokić Arsić

2009-09-01

Full Text Available The immediate effect of energy consumption on environment quality is its deterioration. Gas and dust emissions, as products of coal, mazut (heavy fuel oil or natural gas combustion, continually pollute the atmosphere and have a global effect on climate changes, ozone damage, acid rains, disappearing of sensitive ecosystems, etc. This, directly or indirectly, brings about pollution of soil and fresh water, since energy life cycle begins with mines, oil and gas deposits, and ends with mechanical operations, heating and cooling with the restoration of thermal energy back into the atmosphere. In order to anticipate these negative processes, it is necessary to conduct an array of eco innovations in the entire life cycle of final energy. What this paper will show, on the example of communally-industrial energetics, is methodology of research and realization of eco innovations, as well as assessment of effects on improvement of energetic efficiency, quality of the environment and human life.

The pressing energy innovation challenge of the US National Laboratories

Science.gov (United States)

Anadon, Laura Diaz; Chan, Gabriel; Bin-Nun, Amitai Y.; Narayanamurti, Venkatesh

2016-10-01

Accelerating the development and deployment of energy technologies is a pressing challenge. Doing so will require policy reform that improves the efficacy of public research organizations and strengthens the links between public and private innovators. With their US$14 billion annual budget and unique mandates, the US National Laboratories have the potential to critically advance energy innovation, yet reviews of their performance find several areas of weak organizational design. Here, we discuss the challenges the National Laboratories face in engaging the private sector, increasing their contributions to transformative research, and developing culture and management practices to better support innovation. We also offer recommendations for how policymakers can address these challenges.

Innovation, renewable energy, and state investment: Case studies of leading clean energy funds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiser, Ryan; Bolinger, Mark; Milford, Lewis; Porter, Kevin; Clark, Roger

2002-09-01

Over the last several years, many U.S. states have established clean energy funds to help support the growth of renewable energy markets. Most often funded by system-benefits charges (SBC), the 15 states that have established such funds are slated to collect nearly $3.5 billion from 1998 to 2012 for renewable energy investments. These clean energy funds are expected to have a sizable impact on the energy future of the states in which the funds are being collected and used. For many of the organizations tapped to administer these funds, however, this is a relatively new role that presents the challenge of using public funds in the most effective and innovative fashion possible. Fortunately, each state is not alone in its efforts; many other U.S. states and a number of countries are undertaking similar efforts. Early lessons are beginning to be learned by clean energy funds about how to effectively target public funds towards creating and building renewable energy markets. A number of innovative programs have already been developed that show significant leadership by U.S. states in supporting renewable energy. It is important that clean energy fund administrators learn from this emerging experience.

Technological change of the energy innovation system: From oil-based to bio-based energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wonglimpiyarat, Jarunee

2010-01-01

This paper concerns the structural developments and the direction of technological change of the energy innovation system, based on the studies of Kuhn's model of scientific change and Schumpeter's model of technological change. The paper uses the case study of Thai government agencies for understanding the way governments can facilitate technological innovation. The analyses are based on a pre-foresight exercise to examine the potential of the bio-based energy and investigate a set of development policies necessary for the direction of energy system development. The results have shown that bio-based energy is seen as the next new wave for future businesses and one of the solutions to the problem of high oil prices to improve the world's economic security and sustainable development. (author)

Strategic niche management of social innovations : the case of social entrepreneurship

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Witkamp, M.J.; Raven, R.P.J.M.; Royakkers, L.M.M.

2011-01-01

Strategic niche management (SNM), a tool to understand and manage radical socio-technical innovations and facilitate their diffusion, has always departed from a technical artefact. Many radical innovations, however, do not revolve around such an artefact. Social entrepreneurship is a new business

Strategic niche management of social innovation : the case of social entrepreneurship

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Witkamp, M.J.; Raven, R.P.J.M.; Royakkers, L.M.M.

2010-01-01

Strategic niche management (SNM), a tool to understand and manage radical socio-technical innovations and facilitate their diffusion, has always departed from a technical artefact. Many radical innovations, however, do not revolve around such an artefact. Social entrepreneurship is a new business

Business Model Innovation for Local Energy Management: A Perspective from Swiss Utilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Facchinetti, Emanuele, E-mail: emanuele.facchinetti@hslu.ch [Lucerne Competence Center for Energy Research, Lucerne University of Applied Science and Arts, Horw (Switzerland); Eid, Cherrelle [Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology, Delft (Netherlands); Bollinger, Andrew [Urban Energy Systems Laboratory, EMPA, Dübendorf (Switzerland); Sulzer, Sabine [Lucerne Competence Center for Energy Research, Lucerne University of Applied Science and Arts, Horw (Switzerland)

2016-08-04

The successful deployment of the energy transition relies on a deep reorganization of the energy market. Business model innovation is recognized as a key driver of this process. This work contributes to this topic by providing to potential local energy management (LEM) stakeholders and policy makers a conceptual framework guiding the LEM business model innovation. The main determinants characterizing LEM concepts and impacting its business model innovation are identified through literature reviews on distributed generation typologies and customer/investor preferences related to new business opportunities emerging with the energy transition. Afterwards, the relation between the identified determinants and the LEM business model solution space is analyzed based on semi-structured interviews with managers of Swiss utilities companies. The collected managers’ preferences serve as explorative indicators supporting the business model innovation process and provide insights into policy makers on challenges and opportunities related to LEM.

Business Model Innovation for Local Energy Management: A Perspective from Swiss Utilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Facchinetti, Emanuele; Eid, Cherrelle; Bollinger, Andrew; Sulzer, Sabine

2016-01-01

The successful deployment of the energy transition relies on a deep reorganization of the energy market. Business model innovation is recognized as a key driver of this process. This work contributes to this topic by providing to potential local energy management (LEM) stakeholders and policy makers a conceptual framework guiding the LEM business model innovation. The main determinants characterizing LEM concepts and impacting its business model innovation are identified through literature reviews on distributed generation typologies and customer/investor preferences related to new business opportunities emerging with the energy transition. Afterwards, the relation between the identified determinants and the LEM business model solution space is analyzed based on semi-structured interviews with managers of Swiss utilities companies. The collected managers’ preferences serve as explorative indicators supporting the business model innovation process and provide insights into policy makers on challenges and opportunities related to LEM.

Muoniated acyl and thioacyl radicals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKenzie, Iain; Brodovitch, Jean-Claude; Ghandi, Khashayar; Percival, Paul W.

2006-01-01

The product of the reaction of muonium with tert-butylisocyanate was previously assigned as the muoniated tert-butylaminyl radical (I. McKenzie, J.-C. Brodovitch, K. Ghandi, S. Kecman, P. W. Percival, Physica B 326 (2003) 76). This assignment is incorrect since the muon and 14 N hyperfine-coupling constants (hfcc) of this radical would have the opposite sign, which is in conflict with the experimental results. The radical is now reassigned as the muoniated N-tert-butylcarbamoyl radical, based on the similarities between the experimental muon and 14 N hfcc and hfcc calculated at the UB3LYP/6-311G(d,p)//UB3LYP/EPR-III level. The large zero-point energy in the N-Mu bond results in the dissociation barrier of the muoniated N-tert-butylcarbamoyl radical being above the combined energy of the reactants, in contrast to the N-tert-butylcarbamoyl radical where the dissociation barrier lies below the combined energy of the reactants. The reaction of muonium with tert-butylisothiocyanate produced both conformers of the muoniated N-tert-butylthiocarbamoyl radical and their assignment was based on the similarities between the experimental and calculated muon hfcc. These are the first acyl and thioacyl radicals to be directly detected by muon spin spectroscopy

Muoniated acyl and thioacyl radicals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McKenzie, Iain [TRIUMF and Department of Chemistry, 8888 University Drive, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby B.C., V5A 1S6 (Canada); Brodovitch, Jean-Claude [TRIUMF and Department of Chemistry, 8888 University Drive, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby B.C., V5A 1S6 (Canada); Ghandi, Khashayar [TRIUMF and Department of Chemistry, 8888 University Drive, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby B.C., V5A 1S6 (Canada); Percival, Paul W. [TRIUMF and Department of Chemistry, 8888 University Drive, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby B.C., V5A 1S6 (Canada)]. E-mail: percival@sfu.ca

2006-03-31

The product of the reaction of muonium with tert-butylisocyanate was previously assigned as the muoniated tert-butylaminyl radical (I. McKenzie, J.-C. Brodovitch, K. Ghandi, S. Kecman, P. W. Percival, Physica B 326 (2003) 76). This assignment is incorrect since the muon and {sup 14}N hyperfine-coupling constants (hfcc) of this radical would have the opposite sign, which is in conflict with the experimental results. The radical is now reassigned as the muoniated N-tert-butylcarbamoyl radical, based on the similarities between the experimental muon and {sup 14}N hfcc and hfcc calculated at the UB3LYP/6-311G(d,p)//UB3LYP/EPR-III level. The large zero-point energy in the N-Mu bond results in the dissociation barrier of the muoniated N-tert-butylcarbamoyl radical being above the combined energy of the reactants, in contrast to the N-tert-butylcarbamoyl radical where the dissociation barrier lies below the combined energy of the reactants. The reaction of muonium with tert-butylisothiocyanate produced both conformers of the muoniated N-tert-butylthiocarbamoyl radical and their assignment was based on the similarities between the experimental and calculated muon hfcc. These are the first acyl and thioacyl radicals to be directly detected by muon spin spectroscopy.

Innovative Phase Change Approach for Significant Energy Savings

Science.gov (United States)

2016-09-01

related to the production, use, transmission , storage, control, or conservation of energy that will – (A) reduce the need for additional energy supplies...Conditions set for operation were: a. The computer with the broadband wireless card is to be used for data collection, transmission and...FINAL REPORT Innovative Phase Change Approach for Significant Energy Savings ESTCP Project EW-201138 SEPTEMBER 2016 Dr. Aly H Shaaban Applied

Electric power and its significance as the energy for innovation and progress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klinger, H.; Boehmer, T.

1999-01-01

The significance of electric power as the essential form of energy to support innovation and progress well into the future is explained with respect to four major domains of application: 1. Innovative activities in microelectronics and semiconductor technology, for applications such as automation and computer technology, instrumentation and control technology, facility and systems management and control. 2. Energy efficiency programmes and schemes for increasing the penetration of energiy from renewable sources in the market. Example: Heat pump technology. 3. Electric power as an energy boosting innovation in industrial production processes. Examples are given from the transportation sector. (orig./CB) [de

The games radicals play : special issue on free radicals and radical ions

OpenAIRE

Walton, J.C.; Williams, F.

2015-01-01

Chemistry and Physics have aptly been described as “most excellent children of Intellect and Art” [1]. Both these “children” engage with many playthings, and molecules rank as one of their first favorites, especially radicals, which are amongst the most lively and exciting. Checking out radicals dancing to the music of entropy round their potential energy ballrooms is surely both entertaining and enlightening. Radicals’ old favorite convolutions are noteworthy, but the new styles, modes and a...

75 FR 17700 - Energy Efficient Building Systems Regional Innovation Cluster Initiative-Joint Federal Funding...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-07

... economically dynamic regional innovation cluster focused on energy efficient buildings technologies and systems...-risk, high-reward research that overcomes technology challenges through approaches that span basic... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Energy Efficient Building Systems Regional Innovation Cluster Initiative...

R and D and Innovation, Drivers of Energy Transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eudes Moncomble, J.

2016-01-01

After a brief review of the decisive contribution of the R and D and the innovation (RDI) to the economic growth and thus to the employment and also as a main driver of energy transition in Europe, a focus will be brought in how RDI choices are made, especially in companies, with the consequences on the business organization. Focusing on the conditions of the deployment and the dissemination of innovations, the key role of the demonstration will be examined as well as the learnings to promote the emergence of new technologies, particularly those serving the energy transition. In conclusion, we will discuss how the research and innovation policies are being addressed, in particular their connection with corporate strategies and industrial policies? All along the presentation, several examples of different technologies will be given, in order to provide illustrations of the potential developments, the possible breakthroughs, bottlenecks and cost etc.(author).

Building a wave energy policy focusing on innovation, manufacturing and deployment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalton, G.; Gallachoir, B.P.O.

2010-01-01

The Irish Government has set a goal to make Ireland a world leader for research, development and deployment of ocean energy technologies. Ireland has a wave energy resource of 21 TWh and an ambition is to achieve at least 500 MW installed generating capacity from ocean energy by 2020. This paper investigates what is required to move from ambition to delivery. A successful wave energy strategy will require focused policies that will stimulate innovation to develop the technologies, manufacturing to produce the devices and deployment to build the required wave power plants. The paper draws on the successful policies in Ireland that have stimulated each of these dimensions, albeit for different sectors. From 2004 to 2008, successful policies in (ICT and biotech) innovation led to an increase in Ireland's Innovation Index score from 0.48 to 0.53. The policy focus on (food and pharmaceuticals) manufacturing in Ireland resulted in high levels of economic growth over the period 1998-2002, reaching >10% GDP growth levels per annum, and full employment. Successful wind energy policies deployment has accelerated rapidly since 2003 and reached 1.2 GW installed capacity in 2009 representing 15% of Ireland's total installed capacity. The paper draws on appropriate elements of these policies to build a successful wave energy policy for Ireland. It also draws on the successful policies adopted in Denmark for innovation, manufacturing and deployment of wind energy. The Danish wind turbine manufacturers hold a world market share of approximately 40%. The paper proposes establishing a wave energy strategy group to develop an action plan to deliver the 500 MW. It also proposes a novel extension of corporate tax specifically for wave energy companies, an initial 30% capital grant scheme for wave energy developers, a grid code for wave energy devices and fast tracking of planning decisions through an amended approach to strategic infrastructure. (author)

Innovations in managing demand and supply of energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loughborough, K. [Enwave District Energy, Toronto, ON (Canada)

2004-07-01

Enwave District Energy Ltd. is one of North America's largest district energy system manufacturers which provides outsourced heating and cooling to more than 130 major buildings in downtown Toronto. This presentation described innovations in managing the supply and demand of energy, and provided several viewgraphs depicting service heating, district cooling, and the district energy distribution network in Toronto. One of Enwave's greatest innovations is the deep lake water cooling (DLWC) district cooling system. The $175 million capital joint infrastructure project which began in June 2002 will be on line in 2004. The district cooling system represents the largest renewable energy project in Canada with a total cooling capacity of 52,000 tons. The system relies on DLWC and conventional chillers. DLWC uses naturally cold water from Lake Ontario. The coldness from the water is used to provide air conditioning to the buildings in Toronto. The benefits include 75 per cent reduced energy use, the elimination of ozone depleting refrigerants, and the use of a renewable resource for providing a stable cooling supply. Emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and oxides of sulphur are also reduced. The benefits to the city include a reduced strain on the electricity infrastructure, cleaner air and improved health. tabs., figs.

Innovative Nuclear Reactors Implementation in the Armenian Energy Sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gevorgyan, A.

2006-01-01

The purpose of the present paper is to demonstrate the importance of nuclear energy development in Armenia with the use of innovative nuclear reactors when considering the long-term energy planning, taking into account the specific conditions and tendencies, which are formed and developed in economy of Armenia and, in particular, in fuel-energy complex of the country. When developing the long-term program, the main factors among others considered were assumed to be the energy independence and energy security of a country, and not only the least 'cost factor', as it was usually done before. When that program was under development, such social aspects as application of the infrastructure existing within the relevant sphere, and financing of decommissioning of existing units of the Armenian NNP were also took into consideration. The studies performed have shown that implementation of innovative medium size reactors would enable the energy sector of Armenia to meet all those requirements. The issues of environmental protection were also taken into consideration when developing that program. (authors)

Motors of Change for R&D and Innovation towards Sustainable Energy in Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Şiir Kılkış

2014-04-01

Full Text Available There is a revival of mission-oriented R&D and innovation programs in prioritized areas that serve the aim of decoupling economic growth from environmental pressures. This paper analyzes the governance process in activating the innovation actors in the area of energy technologies in Turkey. This process that was coordinated by TÜBİTAK led to the National Energy R&D and Innovation Strategy for 2011-2016. The three main phases of this process are mapped to be strategy-building, prioritization, and implementation involving six different participatory approaches. The Strategy is based on the strategic aims of mission-oriented R&D projects, capacity advancement, commercialization, and governance. Two new, call-based grant programs launched with eleven energy calls in the first year are overviewed. These programs were key to activating a phase known as “motors of change” for the innovation system. The second year led to the selection of the topic of “Energy Efficiency” for a pilot technology roadmap process, which involved a separate, multi-actor governance process. The paper concludes with the key role of R&D and innovation in allowing energy to contribute to the sustainable development of Turkey by utilizing energy resources effectively and efficiently.

What is Radical Behaviorism? A Review of Jay Moore's Conceptual Foundations of Radical Behaviorism

Science.gov (United States)

Baum, William M

2011-01-01

B. F. Skinner founded both radical behaviorism and behavior analysis. His founding innovations included: a versatile preparation for studying behavior; explicating the generic nature of stimulus and response; a pragmatic criterion for defining behavioral units; response rate as a datum; the concept of stimulus control; the concept of verbal behavior; and explicating the explanatory power of contingencies. Besides these achievements, however, Skinner also made some mistakes. Subsequent developments in radical behaviorist thought have attempted to remedy these mistakes. Moore's book presents a “party line” version of radical behaviorism. It focuses narrowly on a few of Skinner's concepts (mostly mentalism and verbal behavior) and contains no criticism of his mistakes. In fact, Moore adds a few mistakes of his own manufacture; for example, he insists that the mental realm does not exist—an unprovable and distracting assertion. The book's portrayal of behavior analysis would have been current around 1960; it mentions almost none of the developments since then. It also includes almost no developments in radical behaviorism since Skinner. Moore's book would give an unwary reader a highly distorted picture of contemporary behavior analysis and radical behaviorism.

A boom in energy technology innovation despite decades of stagnant investment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bettencourt, Luis M [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Trancik, Jessika A [SANTA FE INSTITUTE; Kaur, Jasleen [INDIANA UNIV

2009-01-01

Rates of patenting in energy technologies in the United States stagnated during a period of low federal investment in the sector from the mid-1980's through 2000. To analyze the current state of the field, we built a new comprehensive database of energy patents in the USA and worldwide aggregated by nation and technology. We show that innovation in energy technologies, as measured by numbers of new patents, has grown dramatically over the last decade both for renewable and fossil fuel-based technologies, but that traditional investment -government and private support for research and development (R&D) -has not risen commensurately. We also show that while venture capital investment in the sector has increased significantly in the last few years it lags the observed uptick in patenting. We find increasing patenting rates in nations worldwide but also differences in regional priorities, as well as a marked divergence in innovation rates across technologies. Renewable energy technologies - especially solar and wind - currently show the fastest rates of innovation, while patenting levels in nuclear fission have remained low despite relatively high levels of sustained investment. While this sharp increase of innovative activity bodes well for change in the energy sector, the future of emerging technologies may hinge on sustained investment in R&D and favorable incentives for market entry.

Fragmentation characteristics of the unstable [CH3 CO][radical sign] radicals generated by neutralization of [CH3CO]+ cations

Science.gov (United States)

Hop, C. E. C. A.; Holmes, J. L.

1991-03-01

The stability and fragmentation characteristics of [CH3 CO][radical sign] radicals, generated by vertical charge exchange between acetyl cations and permanent gases or metal vapours (He, Xe, NO, Cd, Na and K), were examined mass spectrometrically. Two dissociation reactions were observed, the losses of CH[radical sign]3 and H[radical sign]. The H[radical sign] loss reaction, the higher energy dissociation, became of greater importance as the exothermicity of the charge exchange was increased. Based on the analysis of the kinetic energy releases it was concluded that these decompositions arose from the population of two excited states of the [CH3 CO][radical sign] radical.

Leadership-driven innovation & evolution of societies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Coccia, M.

2014-01-01

The fundamental problem in the field of the economics of innovation is which economic subjects are the sources of radical innovations and high technological performances. The study here confronts this problem by developing a theoretical framework underpinned in the concept of purposeful system

Innovation excellence. Creating market success in the energy and natural resources sector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scholtissek, Stephan

2011-07-01

In this book, author Stephan Scholtissek examines innovations as they relate to companies in the energy and natural resources sector, which contrary to popular opinion are indeed innovative. These companies are undergoing massive change as the balance of power shifts towards emerging economies and as the world looks to a range of low carbon technologies. Scholtissek sheds light on different forms of innovation and argues that R and D resources must be extended across all these forms. He includes a number of detailed case studies from the energy and natural resources industries that have shown a remarkable capacity to innovate: BP, Dow Corning, Evonik Industries, Iberdrola, Marathon Oil, Perrier, Schott and Siemens. (orig.)

Innovation and energy. ECRIN day

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

ECRIN is an association jointly created by the French atomic energy commission (CEA) and the French national center of scientific research (CNRS). It gathers experts from the research and industry worlds, representatives of institutions and decision making peoples in order to work on important topics like energy. This document gathers the working documents and transparencies presented at the ECRIN day on energy and innovation: opening talk of C. Birraux (head of the parliamentary office of evaluation of scientific and technological choices); the energy of seas (offshore wind power, wave energy, tide currents energy, thermal energy of seas, osmotic energy, tidal energy); synthetic fuels (stakes, possible options, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, GTL, CTL, BTL, production with CO 2 recycling); capture and geological sequestration of CO 2 : a general overview (stakes, solutions, capture and sequestration, transport, geologic disposal, present day situation and perspectives); geothermal energy: new prospects (enhanced geothermal systems, hot-dry-rocks and hot fractured rocks, advances, cost, advantages and drawbacks); heat pumps and valorization of low temperature heat sources (space heating, district heating networks, heat pumps, artificial geothermal energy, low temperature water transport, thermal potentiality); heat and coldness storage and transport (use of intermittent energy sources, cogeneration, optimisation of processes, recovery of heat losses, CO 2 capture, present-day situation, problems to be solved, integration of systems and processes); plastic photovoltaic solar cells (market, stakes, potentialities of organic materials for photovoltaic conversion, state-of-the-art, research in Europe and France, perspectives); conclusion of the Ecrin day (challenges, diversification of energy sources, energy efficiency, abatement of CO 2 emissions, role of ECRIN). (J.S.)

Supporting radical front end innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aagaard, Annabeth; Gertsen, Frank

2011-01-01

). Pharmaceutical innovation is unique, as it opposed to most other industries’ product development is science-driven and not customer-driven. In addition, the pharmaceutical FEI, as represented by research, lasts up to 5 years and the entire R&D process constitutes a period of 10-12 years, which is highly...... regulated by external authorities, e.g. The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The research aim of this paper is: to contribute to the field of FEI by studying how FEI can be actively supported within the industry specific context of the pharmaceutical industry, and through a conceptual discussion...

Eco-innovation dynamics and sustainability – new perspectives in innovation studies illuminated through the case of lighting and its energy consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Franceschini, Simone

There is an increasing consensus about the need to reduce the environmental burden of economic activities. The concept of sustainable development has led to increased efficiency of the economic process through innovation, which is now the main strategy applied both to preserve environmental capital...... and to achieve economic growth. Consequently, many innovations have been given the label of “eco” due to their ability to improve the efficiency of the economic process. The history of energy consumption is a paradigmatic example of diffusion of this type of eco-innovations. The efficiency of converting energy...... of energy during the provision of light. Researchers have already investigated the dynamics of production and consumption associated with the most recent light “revolutions”. Interestingly, these revolutions resulted in increased energy consumption for the provision of light, even if energy efficiency...

Syndicate Innovation Venturing: Translating Academic Innovations into Commercial Successes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alain A. Vertès

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Innovations that initiate new technology cycles, i.e., radical innovations, bring tremendous value to Society and build for the companies that deploy them sustainable competitive advantages. However, large firms have typically been relatively inefficient at accessing from academia or technology start-ups such technological leaps. Indeed, most multiyear and multimillion dollar academia-industry partnerships have historically not resulted in any acceleration of the rate of deployment of game-changing innovations, which empirically proceeds in 25 year cycles, such as for example the expansion of the scope of the pharmaceutical industry from small molecules to biologics, or, projecting into the future, to siRNA or therapeutic stem cell technologies. Syndicated innovation venturing is a new strategic partnering concept described here that brings together actors from different economic segments in a non zero-sum game as a means to facilitate seed-funding, with the aim to de-risk technologies while reducing initial financial exposures. A case study in the pharmaceutical industry suggests that alleviating this hurdle may provide an appropriate environment to improve the dynamics of academic technology transfer to the commercial phase. By contributing to the de-risking of the creation of novel biotechnology businesses, this novel mechanism could help speed up the commercialization of emerging technologies on a large scale. At a time when knowledge-based firms such as pharmaceutical companies attempt to revisit their innovation models to advance science, in spite of an environment of increasing risk-aversion, such responses could tilt the balance in favor of disruptive products and sustained corporate financial performance by removing common barriers to radical innovation deployment.

Glutathione--hydroxyl radical interaction: a theoretical study on radical recognition process.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Béla Fiser

Full Text Available Non-reactive, comparative (2 × 1.2 μs molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to characterize the interactions between glutathione (GSH, host molecule and hydroxyl radical (OH(•, guest molecule. From this analysis, two distinct steps were identified in the recognition process of hydroxyl radical by glutathione: catching and steering, based on the interactions between the host-guest molecules. Over 78% of all interactions are related to the catching mechanism via complex formation between anionic carboxyl groups and the OH radical, hence both terminal residues of GSH serve as recognition sites. The glycine residue has an additional role in the recognition of OH radical, namely the steering. The flexibility of the Gly residue enables the formation of further interactions of other parts of glutathione (e.g. thiol, α- and β-carbons with the lone electron pair of the hydroxyl radical. Moreover, quantum chemical calculations were carried out on selected GSH/OH(• complexes and on appropriate GSH conformers to describe the energy profile of the recognition process. The relative enthalpy and the free energy changes of the radical recognition of the strongest complexes varied from -42.4 to -27.8 kJ/mol and from -21.3 to 9.8 kJ/mol, respectively. These complexes, containing two or more intermolecular interactions, would be the starting configurations for the hydrogen atom migration to quench the hydroxyl radical via different reaction channels.

Electrochemical energy engineering: a new frontier of chemical engineering innovation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Shuang; Xu, Bingjun; Yan, Yushan

2014-01-01

One of the grand challenges facing humanity today is a safe, clean, and sustainable energy system where combustion no longer dominates. This review proposes that electrochemical energy conversion could set the foundation for such an energy system. It further suggests that a simple switch from an acid to a base membrane coupled with innovative cell designs may lead to a new era of affordable electrochemical devices, including fuel cells, electrolyzers, solar hydrogen generators, and redox flow batteries, for which recent progress is discussed using the authors' work as examples. It also notes that electrochemical energy engineering will likely become a vibrant subdiscipline of chemical engineering and a fertile ground for chemical engineering innovation. To realize this vision, it is necessary to incorporate fundamental electrochemistry and electrochemical engineering principles into the chemical engineering curriculum.

Indicators of collaboration in energy innovation systems – what is needed and what is possible?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borup, Mads

2013-01-01

Indicator schemes for assessing the performance and dynamics of innovation systems have until now only to a small extent contained indicators of collaboration and interaction in the innovation systems. This is striking, as one of the main points of innovation system research in general...... is that the patterns of interaction constitute a key factor for the resulting innovative performance and strength of an innovation system. Also studies of innovation networks and transition processes towards sustainable energy systems and studies of energy technology development have pointed out the patterns...

The Challenge of Managing Knowledge in Innovative Organisations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Deverell, Andrea; Lassen, Astrid Heidemann

2006-01-01

different knowledge acquisition strategies utilised by firms during the innovation process. It suggests that there is a relationship between the kind of innovative activity (cumulative or radical) and the sourcing of knowledge i.e. the internal and/or external environment. Two hypotheses are derived from...... on a dual ability to focus on both cumulative and radical innovation aligned with the most appropriate knowledge acquisition strategy....... are continually pushing out the boundaries of knowledge and replacing existing core competencies with new ideas and knowledge and are therefore predisposed towards utilising external knowledge. The research findings confirm the hypotheses and enable the authors to develop a third dimension which is based...

Users as innovators:exploring the limitations of user-driven innovation

OpenAIRE

Trott, Paul; Duin, Patrick Van Der; Hartmann, Dap

2013-01-01

Considering users as innovators has gained considerable support over the past 30 years. Eric von Hippel’s work in this area forms a significant part of the theoretical underpinning and evidence behind this concept. Many further studies have been undertaken to support it. It has contributed to our understanding of innovation management in general and new product development in particular. Even so, Lüthje and Herstatt emphasise that empirical findings are scarce and that the most radical innova...

Sustainable innovation, business models and economic performance: an overview

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Montalvo Corral, C.

2013-01-01

Sustainable development requires radical and systemic innovations. Such innovations can be more effectively created and studied when building on the concept of business models. This concept provides firms with a holistic framework to envision and implement sustainable innovations. For researchers,

Nuclear Energy Innovation Workshops. Executive Summary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Allen, Todd [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Jackson, John [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Hildebrandt, Phil [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Baker, Suzy [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2015-06-01

The nuclear energy innovation workshops were organized and conducted by INL on March 2-4, 2015 at the five NUC universities and Boise State University. The output from these workshops is summarized with particular attention to final summaries that were provided by technical leads at each of the workshops. The current revision includes 3-4 punctuation corrections and a correction of the month of release from May to June.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory: 35 Years of Innovation (Brochure)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2012-04-01

This brochure is an overview of NREL's innovations over the last 35 years. It includes the lab's history and a description of the laboratory of the future. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency. NREL's work focuses on advancing renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies from concept to the commercial marketplace through industry partnerships. The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, a partnership between Battelle and MRIGlobal, manages NREL for DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

The value of social networks in the diffusion of energy-efficiency innovations in UK households

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McMichael, Megan; Shipworth, David

2013-01-01

The UK Government has policy goals for increasing energy efficiency in existing homes. However, there are doubts that standard technology and behavioural innovations will be adopted widely enough in time to achieve the targets. Diffusion of innovation theory states that the communication of information on innovations through a social system encourages adoption. Social capital theory states that interpersonal communication is a key means of gaining resources, such as information on energy-efficiency innovations, for attaining certain goals. Case study research of three British communities was conducted in 2009 in order to understand the influence of social capital on information diffusion regarding the adoption of household energy-efficiency measures. The findings show that while standard campaigns may account for two-thirds of information-seeking behaviour, they may not be addressing up to one-third of information-seekers who would prefer to speak to people they know. Findings also indicate that seeking information amongst personal contacts is often associated with adoption of energy-efficiency innovations, increasing the likelihood of adoption by up to four times, but that there are important differences between types of innovations and communities. Tailoring campaigns to communities' communication channels is therefore imperative. These findings have important implications for informing community-based energy-efficiency programmes. - Highlights: ► Case study research suggests social capital is important for home energy innovations. ► One-third of respondents indicated a preference for speaking to people they know. ► Those who sought information were up to four times more likely to adopt innovations. ► Results varied by innovation and by each community case study. ► Tailoring campaigns to communities' communication channels is imperative.

Innovative energy technologies in energy-economy models: assessing economic, energy and environmental impacts of climate policy and technological change in Germany.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schumacher, K.

2007-04-18

Energy technologies and innovation are considered to play a crucial role in climate change mitigation. Yet, the representation of technologies in energy-economy models, which are used extensively to analyze the economic, energy and environmental impacts of alternative energy and climate policies, is rather limited. This dissertation presents advanced techniques of including technological innovations in energy-economy computable general equilibrium (CGE) models. New methods are explored and applied for improving the realism of energy production and consumption in such top-down models. The dissertation addresses some of the main criticism of general equilibrium models in the field of energy and climate policy analysis: The lack of detailed sectoral and technical disaggregation, the restricted view on innovation and technological change, and the lack of extended greenhouse gas mitigation options. The dissertation reflects on the questions of (1) how to introduce innovation and technological change in a computable general equilibrium model as well as (2) what additional and policy relevant information is gained from using these methodologies. Employing a new hybrid approach of incorporating technology-specific information for electricity generation and iron and steel production in a dynamic multi-sector computable equilibrium model it can be concluded that technology-specific effects are crucial for the economic assessment of climate policy, in particular the effects relating to process shifts and fuel input structure. Additionally, the dissertation shows that learning-by-doing in renewable energy takes place in the renewable electricity sector but is equally important in upstream sectors that produce technologies, i.e. machinery and equipment, for renewable electricity generation. The differentiation of learning effects in export sectors, such as renewable energy technologies, matters for the economic assessment of climate policies because of effects on international

Radical covalent organic frameworks: a general strategy to immobilize open-accessible polyradicals for high-performance capacitive energy storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Fei; Xu, Hong; Chen, Xiong; Wu, Dingcai; Wu, Yang; Liu, Hao; Gu, Cheng; Fu, Ruowen; Jiang, Donglin

2015-06-01

Ordered π-columns and open nanochannels found in covalent organic frameworks (COFs) could render them able to store electric energy. However, the synthetic difficulty in achieving redox-active skeletons has thus far restricted their potential for energy storage. A general strategy is presented for converting a conventional COF into an outstanding platform for energy storage through post-synthetic functionalization with organic radicals. The radical frameworks with openly accessible polyradicals immobilized on the pore walls undergo rapid and reversible redox reactions, leading to capacitive energy storage with high capacitance, high-rate kinetics, and robust cycle stability. The results suggest that channel-wall functional engineering with redox-active species will be a facile and versatile strategy to explore COFs for energy storage. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

ISABEL Triggering Sustainable Biogas Energy Communities through Social Innovation

Science.gov (United States)

Baumgarten, Wibke; Piedra Garcia, Diego

2017-04-01

The Horizon 2020 funding project ISABEL (Triggering Sustainable Biogas Energy Communities through Social Innovation) is all about promoting, supporting and developing community biogas in Europe. The project is set on providing all the framework conditions for biogas communities to shape, develop and thrive. It works on all angles to pave the way for the transition from traditional supply chains to community ownership and take full advantage of the ample societal benefits of regional community-driven biogas systems, fuelled and inspired by Social Innovation principles. The biogas communities emerge in three targeted ISABEL regions, Baden-Württemberg in Germany, Central and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace in Greece and Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the Humber in UK. To realize this vision ISABEL is employing its "5E strategy" with the following objectives: Educate: Re-position biogas energy by re-branding it as a "public good". Engage: Enable the development of regional Biogas Communities. Empower: Utilize the created momentum through Social Innovation and Public Participation Evaluate: Assess the local interventions and drafting lessons and guidelines Expand: Maximise impact through transfer and replication

Governance of Public Benefit Funds to Promote Innovation in Energy by Addressing Early Adopter Risks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paterson, Andrew; Oppenheim, Jerrold; Dubravka Pineda, Maria

2010-09-15

Building a better energy future will be expensive, in part, because it will require modernizing energy infrastructure and bringing more innovative technologies to deliver energy more efficiently to consumers with less environmental impact. With the extended recession and turmoil in credit markets in 2008, some states have turned to public benefit funds to address critical risks in adopting innovative energy technologies and systems. This paper updates valuable observations for governing PBFs to promote wider adoption of innovative energy technologies enabling a better balance of risk and return in concert with other policy tools by negotiating mitigation of early adopter risks.

Energy Levels and Co-evolution of Product Innovation in Supply Chain Clusters

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Guojun

In the last decade supply chain clusters phenomenon has emerged as a new approach in product innovation studies. This article makes three contributions to the approach by addressing some open issues. The first contribution is to explicitly incorporate the energy levels in the analysis. Hence, the unit of analysis is widened from sectoral systems of innovation to socio-technical systems. Hence, the unit of analysis is widened from sectoral systems of innovation to socio-technical systems. The second contribution is to suggest an analytical distinction between different evolution method, actors involved in them, and the institutions which guide actor's perceptions and activities. Thirdly, the article opens up the black box of institutions, making them an integral part of supply chain. The article provides a coherent conceptual multi-level perspective, using insights from sociology, institutional theory and innovation studies. The perspective is particularly useful to analyze long-term dynamics supply chain clusters phenomenon, shifts from one energy level to another and the co-evolution of product innovation.

Linear free energy relationships between aqueous phase hydroxyl radical reaction rate constants and free energy of activation.

Science.gov (United States)

Minakata, Daisuke; Crittenden, John

2011-04-15

The hydroxyl radical (HO(•)) is a strong oxidant that reacts with electron-rich sites on organic compounds and initiates complex radical chain reactions in aqueous phase advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Computer based kinetic modeling requires a reaction pathway generator and predictions of associated reaction rate constants. Previously, we reported a reaction pathway generator that can enumerate the most important elementary reactions for aliphatic compounds. For the reaction rate constant predictor, we develop linear free energy relationships (LFERs) between aqueous phase literature-reported HO(•) reaction rate constants and theoretically calculated free energies of activation for H-atom abstraction from a C-H bond and HO(•) addition to alkenes. The theoretical method uses ab initio quantum mechanical calculations, Gaussian 1-3, for gas phase reactions and a solvation method, COSMO-RS theory, to estimate the impact of water. Theoretically calculated free energies of activation are found to be within approximately ±3 kcal/mol of experimental values. Considering errors that arise from quantum mechanical calculations and experiments, this should be within the acceptable errors. The established LFERs are used to predict the HO(•) reaction rate constants within a factor of 5 from the experimental values. This approach may be applied to other reaction mechanisms to establish a library of rate constant predictions for kinetic modeling of AOPs.

Coordination of innovation, energy and environmental policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rave, Tilmann; Triebswetter, Ursula; Wackerbauer, Johann

2013-01-01

The present study is dedicated to an investigation of the interplay of innovation, energy and environmental policy and the policy instruments used in each of these fields. A substantial amount of coordination is required in order to bring about the envisaged transformation of Germany's energy supply system and the political goals associated with this, especially given the altered political environment and framework conditions. Failure to act on this need could lead to political goals being missed or frustrated, unnecessary costs or other undesirable side-effects such as unfavourable distribution effects. [de

Radical production in biological systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, J.R.; Akabani, G.

1994-10-01

This paper describes our effort to develop a metric for radiation exposure that is more fundamental than adsorbed dose and upon which a metric for exposure to chemicals could be based. This metric is based on the production of radicals by the two agents. Radicals produced by radiation in biological systems commonly assumed to be the same as those produced in water despite the presence of a variety of complex molecules. This may explain why the extensive efforts to describe the relationship between energy deposition (track structure) and molecular damage to DNA, based on the spectrum of radicals produced, have not been successful in explaining simple biological effects such as cell killing. Current models assume that DNA and its basic elements are immersed in water-like media and only model the production and diffusion of water-based radicals and their interaction with DNA structures; these models lack the cross sections associated with each macro-component of DNA and only treat water-based radicals. It has been found that such models are not realistic because DNA is not immersed in pure water. A computer code capable of simulating electron tracks, low-energy electrons, energy deposition in small molecules, and radical production and diffusion in water like media has been developed. This code is still in at a primitive stage and development is continuing. It is being used to study radical production by radiation, and radical diffusion and interactions in simple molecular systems following their production. We are extending the code to radical production by chemicals to complement our PBPK modeling efforts. It therefore has been developed primarily for use with radionuclides that are in biological materials, and not for radiation fields

Energy autonomy in Le Mené: A French case of grassroots innovation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yalçın-Riollet, Melike; Garabuau-Moussaoui, Isabelle; Szuba, Mathilde

2014-01-01

Local citizen-led initiatives relating to energy are developing strongly in Anglo-Saxon countries and a growing body of research is examining their innovative potential. In France, similar grassroots initiatives – albeit with certain specificities – only began to emerge recently and so far, very few studies have dealt with them. The purpose of this article is to propose an exploratory and in-depth analysis of one advanced French case: Le Mene', a pioneer in local energy autonomy. We examine the conditions under which the initiative emerged and the processes through which a grassroots innovation is formed. In studying this case (interviews, analysis of documents), comparing it with other sources of data (expert interviews, comparative observation of other initiatives) and taking stock of various social sciences studies, we show that a social innovation was produced in Le Mene' through the hybridisation of actors, sociotechniques and discourses. This initiative was innovative not only in terms of the scope of the mechanisms implemented, but also in terms of the social organisation behind the development of the projects and the capacity to use energy production as a social resource. Finally, we reflect on the possible diffusion of these grassroots initiatives and their policy implications in France. - Highlights: • The case study is the Le Mené, a pioneer case for local energy autonomy. • This case is an emerging grassroots innovation in France. • Hybridisation (combining diversity and frames) is at the centre of the innovation. • This study focuses on the hybridisation of actors, sociotechniques and discourses. • Examines the potential diffusion of grassroots initiatives in France

City of Tallahassee Innovative Energy Initiatives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wilder, Todd; Moragne, Corliss L.

2014-06-25

The City of Tallahassee's Innovative Energy Initiatives program sought, first, to evaluate customer response and acceptance to in-home Smart Meter-enabled technologies that allow customers intelligent control of their energy usage. Additionally, this project is in furtherance of the City of Tallahassee's ongoing efforts to expand and enhance the City's Smart Grid capacity and give consumers more tools with which to effectively manage their energy consumption. This enhancement would become possible by establishing an "operations or command center" environment that would be designed as a dual use facility for the City's employees - field and network staff - and systems responsible for a Smart Grid network. A command center would also support the City's Office of Electric Delivery and Energy Reliability's objective to overcome barriers to the deployment of new technologies that will ensure a truly modern and robust grid capable of meeting the demands of the 2151 century.

Government regulation as an impetus for innovation: Evidence from energy performance regulation in the Dutch residential building sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beerepoot, Milou; Beerepoot, Niels

2007-01-01

The recent implementation of energy performance policy as a way to tackle energy consumption in the building sector in Europe draws attention to the effect it has on the development and diffusion of energy-saving innovations. According to innovation system literature, government regulation through norms and standards is one of the factors stimulating innovation. This paper concentrates on the role of stricter government regulation as an incentive to innovation in the Dutch residential building sector. Innovation in this sector is predominantly a process of applying incremental modifications to comply with new and stricter government regulations and standards. Energy performance policy in its current shape will therefore not contribute to the diffusion of really new innovation in energy techniques for residential buildings in the Netherlands. If diffusion of really new innovation is an explicit aim of energy performance policy then the European wide introduction of this scheme needs reconsideration

Innovation in the European energy sector and regulatory responses to it : Guest editorial note

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoppe, Thomas; Butenko, Anna; Heldeweg, Michiel

2018-01-01

The European energy sector is an important economic sector that is also traditionally highly regulated. With the increasing tempo in which innovations in technology and markets occur, catalysed inter alia by the energy transition and accompanied by new formats of innovation (disruptive and

Innovation in the European energy sector and regulatory responses to it : Guest editorial note

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoppe, T.; Butenko, Anna; Heldeweg, Michiel

2018-01-01

The European energy sector is an important economic sector that is also traditionally highly regulated. With the increasing tempo in which innovations in technology and markets occur, catalysed inter alia by the energy transition and accompanied by new formats of innovation (disruptive and

Energy Innovation Clusters and their Influence on Manufacturing: A Case Study Perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Engel-Cox, Jill [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Hill, Derek [National Science Foundation (NSF), Washington, DC (United States)

2017-09-12

Innovation clusters have been important for recent development of clean energy technologies and their emergence as mature, globally competitive industries. However, the factors that influence the co-location of manufacturing activities with innovation clusters are less clear. A central question for government agencies seeking to grow manufacturing as part of economic development in their location is how innovation clusters influence manufacturing. Thus, this paper examines case studies of innovation clusters for three different clean energy technologies that have developed in at least two locations: solar PV clusters in California and the province of Jiangsu in China, wind turbine clusters in Germany and the U.S. Great Lakes region, and ethanol clusters in the U.S. Midwest and the state of Sao Paulo in Brazil. These case studies provide initial insight into factors and conditions that contribute to technology manufacturing facility location decisions.

Spatio-temporal bio-radical processes: the state of the art and new challenges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gauduel, Y.A.

2013-01-01

The course of ultrafast elementary bio-molecular damage governed by low energy electrons can be carefully investigated in the pre-thermal regime. During this specific regime, the energy of partially localized electron is still higher than the thermal energy kT (0.025 eV) but its interaction potential with molecules is directly dependent on the state density fluctuations of the environment. In presence of water molecules two well-defined non-equilibrium low-energy electron configurations, 2p-like excited pre-hydrated electron and electron-radical pair, represent very interesting quantum entities for the real-time investigation of their interactions with bio-molecular environments. In the framework of nonadiabatic trajectories, quantum branching ratios of low energy electron pathways are highly influenced by time-dependent water caging effects. The investigation of ultrafast concerted processes with low energy localized electrons contributes to the concept of tenuous borderline between direct and indirect molecular damage at the local order. The quantum character of very-short lived low-energy electron in a pre-hydrated configuration (infrared 2p-like excited electron) provides a unique sub-nano-metric probe to spatially explore early radiation damage on biologically relevant molecules. For the first time, femto-bio-radical investigations performed in aqueous environments give correlated spatial and temporal information on bio-molecular damage triggered by ultrafast low energy electron attachments. In the future, this innovative approach would be applied to more complex bio-molecular architectures such as DNA or protein complexes

Determinants of Renewable Energy Innovation: Environmental Policies vs. Market Regulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vona, Francesco; Nesta, Lionel; Nicolli, Francesco

2012-02-01

This paper carries out a comprehensive analysis of renewable energy innovations considering four mechanisms suggested by innovation models: 1. policy-inducement; 2. market structure; 3. demand and social cohesion- mainly proxied by income inequality; 4. characteristics of country knowledge base. For OECD countries and years 1970-2005, we build a unique dataset containing time-varying information on quality-adjusted patent production in renewable energy, the latter being a function of environmental policies, green R and D, entry barriers, knowledge stock, knowledge diversity and income inequality. We develop count data models using the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) to account for endogeneity of policy support. Our synthetic policy index positively affects innovations especially in countries with deregulated energy markets and low entry barriers. The effect of entry barriers and inequality is negative and of similar magnitude as that of policy. Product market liberalization positively affects green patent generation, especially so when ambitious policies are adopted, when the initial level of public R and D expenditures and when the initial share of distributed energy generation is high. Our results are robust to alternative specifications, to the inclusion of technology-specific effects and to the use of quality-adjusted patents as dependent variables. In the latter case, the estimated effect of lowering entry barriers and of knowledge diversity almost double on citation count relatively to patent count. (authors)

A preliminary assessment of the potential for 'team science' in DOE Energy Innovation Hubs and Energy Frontier Research Centers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boardman, Craig; Ponomariov, Branco

2011-01-01

President Obama has called for the development of new energy technologies to address our national energy needs and restore US economic competitiveness. In response, the Department of Energy has established new R and D modalities for energy research and development designed to facilitate collaboration across disciplinary, institutional, and sectoral boundaries. In this research note, we provide a preliminary assessment of the potential for essential mechanisms for coordinated problem solving among diverse actors within two new modalities at the DOE: Energy Innovation Hubs and Energy Frontier Research Centers. - Highlights: → Energy Frontier Research Centers may lack the basic mechanisms for coordinating diverse actors. → Divergent goals across diverse actors may hinder coordination in Energy Innovation Hubs. → The implementation of these and similar energy policies require further investigation.

Formation of the priority directions of innovative strategic energy management

Science.gov (United States)

Mottaeva, Asiiat; Minnullina, Anna

2017-10-01

Article is devoted to the matter of the ensuring long-term potential of dynamic growth of the Russian economy, its sustainable development in which the special role is assigned to the energy industry. Inclusion of the stage of management of the human capital, which becomes one of priority levers in the field of management of the industrial enterprises, into the in structure of strategy of planning subsequently represents one of innovative steps at the heart of power management. In work the algorithm of the development of the key performance indicators of the human capital on the basis of stage-by-stage problem definition of energy saving, search of the centers of responsibility in energy consumption and quality control of the involved productions is offered in the article. The application of the offered innovative algorithm might promote the formation of high culture of energy saving and the decrease in the level of resistance to organizational changes.

Competitive policies in the Nordic energy research and innovation area - eNERGIA : Synthesis report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klitkou, Antje; Pedersen, Trond Einar; Scordato, Lisa; Mariussen, Aage

2008-07-01

This report outlines the energy research and innovation policy in the Nordic and Baltic countries - Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The report is the result of the research project Competitive policies in the Nordic Energy Research and Innovation Area (eNERGIA). The project was co-funded by Nordic Energy Research and NIFU STEP. The objective of the project was to determine possible policy interventions targeted at the development and commercial promotion of promising renewable energy production technologies in the Nordic countries. The report is based on an analysis of the framework conditions for the sector innovation systems for energy production, with a focus on research and innovation policy in the Nordic and Baltic countries. We identified the key actors and institutions in all the eight countries studied. In addition, we conducted a performance assessment based on the quantitative indicators of publishing and patenting, international collaboration and funding data. Using these indicators as a basis, we conducted an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis) of the Nordic sector innovation systems for energy production. This analysis identified common or diverging characteristics, challenges, framework conditions, energy-technology specialisation and, most important of all, cases of good practice in key technologies. The project included two workshops, and the results of these are also reported here. The outcomes of the workshops have been used in several parts of the project: A Nordic workshop on the environmental consequences of deployment at scale of these technologies to replace existing energy systems, with a focus on wind energy and photovoltaic energy, carbon dioxide capture and storage, and second-generation bioenergy. A Nordic workshop on policy implications for Nordic Energy Research. The report comprises three parts: Part 1: Country reports Part 2: Technology reports

R&D transfer from Europe to Asia: Towards global R&D complementarity benefiting innovation performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søberg, Peder Veng

2010-01-01

Purpose – The paper investigates foreign invested radical innovations, and related impediments, in China and India, in order to better understand impediments and requirements for radical innovation in China. Design/methodology/approach - The paper presents a framework based on theories on knowledge...

Open Innovation and Technology Maturity Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

2007-09-11

INFOLOGIC Inc. All rights reserved. Innovation Management Model  Product: Technology-heavy (e.g: Airplane, iPod) OR Service-heavy (e.g: Starbucks ...System, eBay)  Process: Any critical business process to ensure the success of product (e.g: iTune for iPod, Marketing and Supply Chain Management...Integration and Voice of the Customer Voice of the Customer Integration M A T U R I T Y VALUE Radical Innovation Evolutionary Innovation INCREMENTAL

RADICAL INNOVATION AND EARLY STAGE FINANCING GAPS: EQUITY-BASED CROWDFUNDING CHALLENGES

OpenAIRE

Deffains-Crapsky, Catherine; Sudolska, Agata

2014-01-01

Innovations and innovativeness in a business context is considered as one of the key determinants of competitive advantage due to its productive role in driving new markets and revenue growth as well as other value propositions. The success of this economic transition will pass by a context favorable to the innovation in general and to the entrepreneurial innovation in particular. Earlystage start-ups financing face particular difficulties. We focus on current challenges concerning entreprene...

Technology innovation in an integrated energy economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isaacs, E.

2006-01-01

A discussion on technology innovation in an integrated energy economy was presented. The mission, mandate and strategy of the Alberta Research Institute was first presented, followed by a discussion on oil supply needs based on historic demand. The presentation then addressed what might happen as oil demand and supply peak. A comparison of conventional versus unconventional resources was included along with a chart illustrating Alberta's contribution to total global reserves. Other topics addressed in the presentation in chart format included: natural gas requirements and natural gas use in oil sands; marketable gas production and the number of producing gas wells; Alberta's natural gas situation; and net United States imports of natural gas. Options for reducing natural gas consumption in oil sand production processes were also identified. These included steam assisted gravity drainage; solvent processes, electrical heating, combustion, nuclear, geothermal, and gasification processes. Advantages and disadvantages of replacing natural gas through gasification were presented. Last, the presentation provided an unconventional gas technology roadmap and discussed an innovative energy technology program. It was concluded that there are no clear cut options for replacing the huge amount of natural gas needed in the expanding oil sands sector. tabs., figs

Financing Innovations for the Renewable Energy Transition in Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raphael Bointner

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Renewable energy sources are vital to achieving Europe’s 2030 energy transition goals. Technological innovation, driven by public expenditures on research and development, is a major driver for this change. Thus, an extensive dataset on these expenditures of the European Member States and the European Commission, dating back to the early 1970s, was created. This paper creates predictive scenarios of public investment in renewable energy research and development in Europe based on this historical dataset and current trends. Funding from both, European Member States and the European Commission, between today and 2030 are used in the analysis. The impact on the cumulative knowledge stock is also estimated. Two projection scenarios are presented: (1 business as usual; and (2 an advanced scenario, based on the assumption that the Mission Innovation initiative causes public expenditures to increase in the coming years. Both scenarios are compared to the European 2030 climate and energy framework target sets. Results indicate that Member States in Europe currently tend to fund renewables more than the European Commission, but funding from both sources is expected to increase in the future. Furthermore, the European Commission distributes its funding more equally across the various renewable energy sources than Member States.

The promise of innovation: Nuclear energy horizons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mourogov, V.

2003-01-01

The 21st century promises the most open, competitive, and globalized markets in human history, as well as the most rapid pace of technological change ever. For nuclear energy, as any other, that presents challenges. Though the atom now supplies a good share of world electricity, its share of total energy is relatively small, anywhere from four to six per cent depending on how it is calculated. And, while energy is most needed in the developing world, four of every five nuclear plants are in industrialized countries. Critical problems that need to be overcome are well known - high capital costs for new plants, and concerns over proliferation risks and safety, (including safety of waste disposal) stand high among them. The IAEA and other programmes are confronting these problems through ambitious initiatives involving both industrialized and developing countries. They include the collaborative efforts known as the Generation-IV International Forum (GIF) and the IAEA International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO). They use ideas, results and the best experiences from today's research and development tools and advanced types of nuclear energy systems to meet tomorrow's challenges. Though the market often decides the fate of new initiatives, the market is not always right for the common good. Governments, and the people that influence them, play an indispensable role in shaping progress in energy fields for rich and poor countries alike. They shoulder the main responsibilities for fundamental science, basic research, and long-term investments. For energy in particular, government investment and support will prove instrumental in the pace of innovation toward long-term options that are ready to replace limited fossil fuel supplies, and respond to the growing premium put on clean energy alternatives. Yet governments cannot go it alone. The challenges are too diverse and complex, and public concerns - about proliferation or safety - go beyond

Extreme Events and Energy Providers: Science and Innovation

Science.gov (United States)

Yiou, P.; Vautard, R.

2012-04-01

Most socio-economic regulations related to the resilience to climate extremes, from infrastructure or network design to insurance premiums, are based on a present-day climate with an assumption of stationarity. Climate extremes (heat waves, cold spells, droughts, storms and wind stilling) affect in particular energy production, supply, demand and security in several ways. While national, European or international projects have generated vast amounts of climate projections for the 21st century, their practical use in long-term planning remains limited. Estimating probabilistic diagnostics of energy user relevant variables from those multi-model projections will help the energy sector to elaborate medium to long-term plans, and will allow the assessment of climate risks associated to those plans. The project "Extreme Events for Energy Providers" (E3P) aims at filling a gap between climate science and its practical use in the energy sector and creating in turn favourable conditions for new business opportunities. The value chain ranges from addressing research questions directly related to energy-significant climate extremes to providing innovative tools of information and decision making (including methodologies, best practices and software) and climate science training for the energy sector, with a focus on extreme events. Those tools will integrate the scientific knowledge that is developed by scientific communities, and translate it into a usable probabilistic framework. The project will deliver projection tools assessing the probabilities of future energy-relevant climate extremes at a range of spatial scales varying from pan-European to local scales. The E3P project is funded by the Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC Climate). We will present the mechanisms of interactions between academic partners, SMEs and industrial partners for this project. Those mechanisms are elementary bricks of a climate service.

Innovative and practical technical development of nuclear energy. Efforts on proposal and recruitment type technical development of nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsui, Kazuaki; Shioiri, Akio; Hamada, Jun; Kanagawa, Takashi; Mori, Yukihide; Kouno, Koji

2003-01-01

In technical development of nuclear energy conceiving a view on energy environment problem at the 21st Century, technical development on innovative nuclear energy system as well as next generation LWR is an important subject. Even in Japan, on the 'Long-term program for research, development and utilization of nuclear energy (LPRNE)' summarized by the Atomic Energy Commission, investigation on R and Ds of innovative reactors under cooperation of government, industrial field, and universities is required. In the Energy Generalized Engineering Institute, by receiving a subsidy from the Ministry of Economy and Industry since 2000, a proposal recruitment business on innovative and practical technical development of nuclear energy has been carried out. Here were introduced hopeful and unique five themes out of them applied to the recruitment, such as a super-critical pressure water cooling reactor (SCPR), an integrated modular LWR (IMR): technical development for practice, technical development on general purpose boiling transitional analysis method, technical development on direct extraction of U and Pu from consumed fuels based on super-DIREX reprocessing method, and material transfer forecasting in natural barriers at landfill disposal of radioactive wastes. (G.K.)

Tokamak concept innovations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-04-01

This document contains the results of the IAEA Specialists' Meeting on Tokamak Concept Innovations held 13-17 January 1986 in Vienna. Although it is the most advanced fusion reactor concept the tokamak is not without its problems. Most of these problems should be solved within the ongoing R and D studies for the next generation of tokamaks. Emphasis for this meeting was placed on innovations that would lead to substantial improvements in a tokamak reactor, even if they involved a radical departure from present thinking

Towards an understanding of business model innovation processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Taran, Yariv; Boer, Harry; Lindgren, Peter

2009-01-01

Companies today, in some industries more than others, invest more capital and resources just to stay competitive, develop more diverse solutions, and increasingly start to think more radically, when considering to innovate their business model. However, the development and innovation of business...

Renewable Energy Innovations in Europe: A Dynamic Panel Data Approach

OpenAIRE

Nadia Ayari; Szabolcs Blazsek; Pedro Mendi

2009-01-01

Abstract We investigate the determinants of renewable energy R&D intensity and the impact of renewable energy innovations on firm performance, using several dynamic panel data models. We estimate these models using a large data set of European firms from 19 different countries, with some patenting activity in areas related with renewable energies during the 1987-2007 period. Our results confirm our priors on the determinants of the rapid development of renewable energy R&D intensit...

Computational study of the rate constants and free energies of intramolecular radical addition to substituted anilines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreas Gansäuer

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The intramolecular radical addition to aniline derivatives was investigated by DFT calculations. The computational methods were benchmarked by comparing the calculated values of the rate constant for the 5-exo cyclization of the hexenyl radical with the experimental values. The dispersion-corrected PW6B95-D3 functional provided very good results with deviations for the free activation barrier compared to the experimental values of only about 0.5 kcal mol−1 and was therefore employed in further calculations. Corrections for intramolecular London dispersion and solvation effects in the quantum chemical treatment are essential to obtain consistent and accurate theoretical data. For the investigated radical addition reaction it turned out that the polarity of the molecules is important and that a combination of electrophilic radicals with preferably nucleophilic arenes results in the highest rate constants. This is opposite to the Minisci reaction where the radical acts as nucleophile and the arene as electrophile. The substitution at the N-atom of the aniline is crucial. Methyl substitution leads to slower addition than phenyl substitution. Carbamates as substituents are suitable only when the radical center is not too electrophilic. No correlations between free reaction barriers and energies (ΔG‡ and ΔGR are found. Addition reactions leading to indanes or dihydrobenzofurans are too slow to be useful synthetically.

Evaluation of the US Department of Energy Weatherization Innovation Pilot Program (2010-2014)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tonn, Bruce Edward [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Rose, Erin M. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Hawkins, Beth A. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2017-05-01

This report contains results from analysis conducted on each of the Weatherization Innovation Pilot Program (WIPP) grants awarded to 16 organizations by the US Department of Energy (DOE) in 2010. The purpose of WIPP was to explore the potential adoptability or replicability of innovative processes or technologies for the enhancement of DOE’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). DOE initiated the WIPP grant to accelerate effective innovations in home energy efficiency and other WAP mission-related goals for income-qualifying households of low socioeconomic status. This study was performed alongside a broader, national evaluation of WAP conducted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for DOE.

Impact of innovation programs on development of energy system: Case of Iranian electricity-supply system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shafiei, Ehsan; Saboohi, Yadollah; Ghofrani, Mohammad B.

2009-01-01

The paper presents further experiments with an extended version of a comprehensive model for assessment of energy technologies and research and development (R and D) planning to evaluate the impact of innovation programs on development of Iranian electricity-supply system. This analytical instrument is a model of energy R and D resource allocation with an explicit perspective of developing countries which has been linked to a bottom-up energy-systems model. Three emerging electricity generation technologies of solar PV, wind turbine and gas fuel cell are considered in the model and the impact of innovation programs on cost-reducing innovation for them is examined. The main results provided by the modeling approach include optimal allocation of R and D resources, induced capacity expansion policies to guarantee the effectiveness of R and D activities, competitive cost of emerging technologies, impact of innovation programs on optimal structure of electricity-supply system and benefits of innovation programs in the long-run.

Energy, innovation, and microprocessors: continuity in the research policy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hauff, V [Bundesministerium fuer Forschung und Technologie, Bonn-Bad Godesberg (Germany, F.R.)

1978-07-01

The present West German Minister for Research and Technology took up his official duties three months ago. So Umschau asked some questions concerning his future policies. First, the minister confirmed the continuity of the existing science policies. In the field of energy he claimed that efficient and frugal use of energy is the priority. The second priority concerns the utilization of domestic coal. No hindrances in the further development of fast breeder reactors and nuclear recycling are expected. The Minister layed stress on the encouragement of technological innovations, which are indispensable for economic growth, given the present worldwide structural change in the division of labor; the country must search for very new products. Microelectronics will play a major role in future developments. The Minister gave some examples of new fields that present chances for innovative endeavors. Another field of interest is the forecasting models.

Dynamics of energy use, technological innovation, economic growth and trade openness in Malaysia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sohag, Kazi; Begum, Rawshan Ara; Abdullah, Sharifah Mastura Syed; Jaafar, Mokhtar

2015-01-01

This study extends the Marshallian demand framework to investigate the effects of TI (technological innovation) on energy use in Malaysia. This extended theoretical frameworks predicts that TI, an exogenous element in the energy demand function, increases energy efficiency and, correspondingly, reduces energy consumption at a given level of economic output. Using an ARDL (autoregressive distributed lag) bounds testing approach for the sample period 1985–2012, this study confirms both short- and log-run theoretical predictions. However, controlling for the effect of TI, this study finds that increasing GDP per capita and trade openness produce a rebound effect of TI on energy use. - Highlights: • Technological innovation increases energy efficiency in the long run. • GDP per capita intensifies the energy use in the short run and long run. • Trade openness augments energy use in the long run.

Technology innovation in an integrated energy economy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Isaacs, E. [Alberta Energy Research Inst., Edmonton, AB (Canada)

2006-07-01

A discussion on technology innovation in an integrated energy economy was presented. The mission, mandate and strategy of the Alberta Research Institute was first presented, followed by a discussion on oil supply needs based on historic demand. The presentation then addressed what might happen as oil demand and supply peak. A comparison of conventional versus unconventional resources was included along with a chart illustrating Alberta's contribution to total global reserves. Other topics addressed in the presentation in chart format included: natural gas requirements and natural gas use in oil sands; marketable gas production and the number of producing gas wells; Alberta's natural gas situation; and net United States imports of natural gas. Options for reducing natural gas consumption in oil sand production processes were also identified. These included steam assisted gravity drainage; solvent processes, electrical heating, combustion, nuclear, geothermal, and gasification processes. Advantages and disadvantages of replacing natural gas through gasification were presented. Last, the presentation provided an unconventional gas technology roadmap and discussed an innovative energy technology program. It was concluded that there are no clear cut options for replacing the huge amount of natural gas needed in the expanding oil sands sector. tabs., figs.

75 FR 16739 - EDA Participation in the Energy Efficient Building Systems Regional Innovation Cluster Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-02

...: Promote regional development; Accelerate innovation, technology transfer, and entrepreneurship to create... priorities, which are: Collaborative Regional Innovation. Initiatives that support the development and growth... Participation in the Energy Efficient Building Systems Regional Innovation Cluster Initiative AGENCY: Economic...

Strategic orientations and cooperation of external agents in the innovation process of rural enterprises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Francisco dos Reis Neto

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: This article provides empirical evidence for the relationship between the market orientation, entrepreneurial orientation, and collaboration of external actors in the processes of incremental and radical innovations in rural enterprises. The research tested two sets of assumptions: first, the relation between contributions of strategic orientation and innovation processes; and second, collaborations of external stakeholders in the implementation of innovation processes. Data were collected from 208 rural enterprises and analyzed with the use of techniques of partial least squares structural equation modeling. Results showed that the market orientation contributes to the development of incremental innovation, and that the entrepreneurial orientation contributes to the implementation of the incremental and radical innovations. Specific agents (buyers, suppliers of goods and services, consultants, and others producers, collaborate positively in implementing incremental innovation; however, generic agents do not. The generic agents (universities and specialized public organizations are the ones that most intervene in radical innovations. The use of consistent theory in the areas of strategy, marketing and management in identifying that some of their causal relationships are confirmed for rural businesses unlike others, due to the structure of the market and the products produced by them.

Environmental policy and technological change: The effects of economic incentives and direct regulation on energy-saving innovation

Science.gov (United States)

Newell, Richard G., Jr.

Over the long run, the impacts of environmental policies will be greatly affected by the influence these policies have on the rate and direction of technological change. In particular, the roles played by energy prices and product regulation in energy-saving technology innovation are exceptionally important considerations in modeling climate change and evaluating alternative policy options. We analyze the effects of energy prices and energy-efficiency regulations on the menu of air conditioner and water heater models available on the market over a period of more than three decades, measuring their innovation in terms of improvements in the products' underlying characteristics. Through estimation of a series of "characteristics transformation surfaces," we find that during less than four decades, substantial innovation in these products reduced the total capital and operating costs of air conditioning by one-half and water heating by more than one-fifth. Although the overall rate of innovation in these products appears to be independent of energy prices and regulations, the evidence suggests that the direction of innovation may be responsive to energy price changes. This would imply that energy price increases induced innovation in a direction that lowered the capital cost tradeoffs inherent in producing more energy-efficient products. The evidence supporting "regulation-induced" changes in these tradeoffs is much weaker. Our estimates indicate that about one- to two-fifths of the energy-efficiency improvements in these products from 1973 to 1993 were associated with historical changes in energy prices. We also find that this responsiveness to price changes increased substantially after product labeling requirements came into effect, and that minimum efficiency standards had a significant positive effect on average efficiency levels. Nonetheless, a sizeable portion of historical efficiency improvements in these technologies is associated with the products' overall

Stimulating energy-efficient innovations in the Dutch building sector: Empirical evidence from patent counts and policy lessons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noailly, Joelle; Batrakova, Svetlana

2010-01-01

In the Netherlands where the building sector accounts for 33% of carbon emissions, the government aims to halve the total energy use from buildings by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. To this end, the Dutch government has set specific goals in order to foster technological innovation related to energy efficiency in buildings. The objective of this paper is to explore the links between technological innovation and public policies in this sector over the last 30 years. The paper aims (1) to measure the evolution of innovations related to energy efficiency in buildings in the Netherlands using patent counts and (2) to provide a historical overview of the policy framework. Descriptive data on patenting activities show that the Netherlands have a clear comparative advantage in the field of energy-saving lighting technologies, mainly due to intensive patenting activities by Philips. High-efficiency boilers also represent a substantial share of Dutch innovation activities in this domain over the last decades. In many other fields (such as insulation, heat-pumps and cogeneration, solar boilers, etc.), however, Germany, Austria and Scandinavian countries rank much higher than the Netherlands. The descriptive analysis of Dutch energy policy shows an intensification of energy policy in the mid-1990s, followed by a slight decline after 2001. Overall, the simultaneous introduction of policy instruments makes it difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of policies. Also, the policy framework is characterized by the introduction of a large number of short-lived policy instruments and frequent policy changes. The lack of stability and continuity of energy policy may be damaging for innovation. - Research Highlights: →The Netherlands are a top innovative country in the field of energy-efficient innovations for buildings, mainly due to high patenting activities by Philips in energy-saving lighting technologies. →In many other fields (insulation, heat-pumps, etc) Germany, Austria and

Grand Challenge Portfolio: Driving Innovation in Industrial Energy Efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2011-01-04

Under the Recovery Act, AMO provided cost-shared funding for early-stage, low-cost, "concept definition studies" of 47 promising innovations for next-generation manufacturing, energy-intensive processes, advanced materials, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction. The brochure provides information on each of these projects.

The Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Advancing Innovative, Policy-Relevant Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Crootof, A.; Albrecht, T.; Scott, C. A.

2017-12-01

The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus is rapidly expanding in scholarly literature and policy settings as a novel way to address complex Anthropocene challenges. The nexus approach aims to identify tradeoffs and synergies of water, energy, and food systems, internalize social and environmental impacts, and guide development of cross-sectoral policies. However, a primary limitation of the nexus approach is the absence - or gaps and inconsistent use - of adequate methods to advance an innovative and policy-relevant nexus approach. This paper presents an analytical framework to identify robust nexus methods that align with nexus thinking and highlights innovative nexus methods at the frontier. The current state of nexus methods was assessed with a systematic review of 245 journal articles and book chapters. This review revealed (a) use of specific and reproducible methods for nexus assessment is uncommon - less than one-third of the reviewed studies present explicit methods; (b) nexus methods frequently fall short of capturing interactions among water, energy, and food - the very concept they purport to address; (c) assessments strongly favor quantitative approaches - 70% use primarily quantitative tools; (d) use of social science methods is limited (26%); and (e) many nexus methods are confined to disciplinary silos - only about one-quarter combine methods from diverse disciplines and less than one-fifth utilize both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Despite some pitfalls of current nexus methods, there are a host of studies that offer innovative approaches to help quantify nexus linkages and interactions among sectors, conceptualize dynamic feedbacks, and support mixed method approaches to better understand WEF systems. Applying our analytical framework to all 245 studies, we identify, and analyze herein, seventeen studies that implement innovative multi-method and cross-scalar tools to demonstrate promising advances toward improved nexus assessment. This paper

Innovation and greenhouse gas reductions in the Canadian energy industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Potter, I.J. [Alberta Research Council, Edmonton, AB (Canada); Stewart, B. [Natural Resources Canada, Devon, AB (Canada). CANMET Western Research Centre

2005-07-01

Canada's hydrocarbon industry must address the challenges presented by the Kyoto Protocol in order to thrive. This paper argued that technological innovations are the primary means of creating long-term options to provide clean hydrocarbon energy. Both federal and provincial governments have developed energy policies to ensure environmental stewardship, promote economic growth, and create a diversified energy sector. While the Canadian energy industry funds and undertakes a significant amount of research and development, government programs must continue to show leadership in research and development activities. In order to ensure Canada's future prosperity, research and innovation programs must expand. Adequate commercialization processes must be in place. Industry and government programs must also link market needs with research directions. Enhanced research coordination is needed between government agencies, research agencies, and educational facilities. Future research and development agendas must be designed to focus on energy technology developments that offer Canada a competitive advantage. The Cleaner Hydrocardon Technology Futures (CHTF) Group has recently focused on 5 key areas in which Canada's energy industry can contribute to a clean hydrocarbon future: (1) clean coal; (2) oil sands and heavy oil; (3) conventional and unconventional oil and gas; (4) carbon capture, use and storage; and (5) hydrocarbon to hydrogen bridging technologies. Investments in research and development in all 5 areas are expected to create a suite of new transformational technologies that will sever the relationship between GHG emissions and the continued production of hydrocarbons. A systems approach was recommended to encourage the creation of new networks and increase Canada's capacity to nurture science and technology innovation. Directions advocated by the EnergyINet have also been embraced by universities and research organizations in western Canada. It

NOx removal characteristics of corona radical shower with ammonia and methylamine radical injections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Urashima, K.; Ara, M.; Chang, J.S. [McMaster Univ., Hamilton, ON (Canada). Dept. of Engineering Physics; Uchida, Y. [Aichi Inst. of Technology, (Japan). Dept. of Engineering

2010-07-01

Air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur oxides (SOx) are the major cause of acid rain. There are different types of NOx and SOx conversion techniques such as wet scrubber, selective catalytic reactor, sorbent injection, and low NOx burner. Non-thermal plasma techniques have also been utilized in commercial plants, but the energy efficiency of the non-thermal plasma reactors have not yet been optimized. The direct plasma treatments of flue gases including, the electron beam, barrier discharge and pulsed corona reactors, may lose input energy to activate unwanted components of flue gases such as carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) and nitrogen (N{sub 2}). The corona discharge ammonia radical shower system has demonstrated significant NOx removal with higher energy efficiency for large bench scale and pilot plant tests for combustion exhausts. An experiment has also demonstrated that methane can replace ammonia as an injection gas with less NOx removal efficiency. This paper presented an experimental investigation that compared methylamine radical injection with traditional ammonia and methane radical injections. The paper discussed the bench scale test facilities and corona radical shower plasma reactor. It was concluded that the processes to form ammonium nitrate could be observed from trace white solid particles deposited on the reactor wall as observed by scanning electron microscopy pictures. 10 refs., 5 figs., 2 appendices.

Business models for frugal innovation : the role of Resource-Constraints

OpenAIRE

Winterhalter, Stephan; Zeschky, Marco; Gassmann, Oliver; Weiblen, Tobias

2014-01-01

Frugal Innovation is an extreme case of innovation: radically new applications are innovated for an environment of extreme resource and cost constraints. While the phenomenon of frugal innovation has been described from a product perspective, very little is known about how firms organize frugal innovation on a business model level. This study is based on a multiple case study approach investigating five business models for frugal innovation in the context of the medical equipment market in em...

Social acceptance of renewable energy innovation: An introduction to the concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wuestenhagen, Rolf; Wolsink, Maarten; Buerer, Mary Jean

2007-01-01

This paper introduces the special issue on Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy Innovation. It is a collection of best papers presented at an international research conference held in Tramelan (Switzerland) in February 2006. While there are ambitious government targets to increase the share of renewable energy in many countries, it is increasingly recognized that social acceptance may be a constraining factor in achieving this target. This is particularly apparent in the case of wind energy, which has become a subject of contested debates in several countries largely due to its visual impact on landscapes. This paper introduces three dimensions of social acceptance, namely socio-political, community and market acceptance. Factors influencing socio-political and community acceptance are increasingly recognized as being important for understanding the apparent contradictions between general public support for renewable energy innovation and the difficult realization of specific projects. The third dimension, market acceptance, has received less attention so far and provides opportunities for further research, particularly from management scholars

Management Approaches to Radical Social Media Activism: the responses of BP, HSBC and Nestlé to Greenpeace

OpenAIRE

Grant, Bettina

2010-01-01

Corporate directed radical activism has been reframed by the internet and social media, which provide radical activists with new tools to mount innovative attack forms against corporations. These attack forms (herein termed by author as radical social media activism) happen in the digital sphere and augment radical attack forms in the physical world. Corporations are challenged with a new age of radical activism and, thus far, have displayed low competence at using social media to manage this...

Interaction innovation and competency development in the Danish energy field; Samspil, innovation og kompetenceudvikling paa det danske energiomraade - resultater af en spoergeskemaundersoegelse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nygaard Tanner, A.; Borup, M.; Dannemand Andersen, P. (Technical Univ. of Denmark, DTU Management, Kgs. Lyngby (Denmark)); Gregersen, B. (Aalborg Univ., Institut for Erhvervsstudier, Aalborg (Denmark))

2009-09-15

This report presents the results of a questionnaire survey on interaction, innovation and skills development among Danish companies, universities and other organizations within the energy field. The survey was conducted in 2007 and is part of a larger research project on terms of energy technology development. The report's figures compare results focusing on five technology areas: energy efficient technologies, wind, bio energy, hydrogen technologies and solar cells. Furthermore, there is a series of graphs giving the results across the various types of organizations. The report was carried out as a working tool for those who are interested in detailed insight into the results. For further conclusions and discussion of results refer to the book 'New Energy and Innovation in Denmark'.

A preliminary assessment of the potential for 'team science' in DOE Energy Innovation Hubs and Energy Frontier Research Centers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boardman, Craig, E-mail: boardman.10@osu.edu [John Glenn School of Public Affairs, Ohio State University (United States); Ponomariov, Branco, E-mail: branco.ponomariov@utsa.edu [Department of Public Administration, University of Texas at San Antonio (United States)

2011-06-15

President Obama has called for the development of new energy technologies to address our national energy needs and restore US economic competitiveness. In response, the Department of Energy has established new R and D modalities for energy research and development designed to facilitate collaboration across disciplinary, institutional, and sectoral boundaries. In this research note, we provide a preliminary assessment of the potential for essential mechanisms for coordinated problem solving among diverse actors within two new modalities at the DOE: Energy Innovation Hubs and Energy Frontier Research Centers. - Highlights: > Energy Frontier Research Centers may lack the basic mechanisms for coordinating diverse actors. > Divergent goals across diverse actors may hinder coordination in Energy Innovation Hubs. > The implementation of these and similar energy policies require further investigation.

Measuring the benefits from an innovation: an application to energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fishelson, G

1979-01-01

Market imperfections mean that the public has to finance research related to improving technologies of energy usage and the finding of new energy sources. The decision to invest in research has to be based on economic criteria and one such criterion is cost--benefit analysis. Four types of innovation are presented and a way outlined in which to evaluate their social benefits. Specific characteristics, such as exhaustibility of energy resources, are explicitly included in the evaluation framework. 15 references.

Innovation, Diffusion, and Regulation in Energy Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Fetter, Theodore Robert

The innovation and diffusion of new technologies is one of the central concerns of economics. New inventions or technological combinations do not spring fully formed into the world; as firms encounter and learn about new technologies they experiment, refine, and learn about them, improving productivity (and sometimes earning economic rents). Understanding the processes by which firms learn, and how these processes interact with regulations, is fundamental to understanding the emergence of new technologies, their contribution to growth, and the interaction of innovation and regulation. This dissertation addresses how firms learn and respond to regulations in the context of emerging technologies. Within this framework, I address several questions. When production inputs are socially controversial, do firms respond to disclosure laws by voluntarily constraining their inputs? Do these public disclosure laws facilitate knowledge transmission across firms, and if so, what are the implications for public welfare - for instance, do the gains from trade outweigh any effects of reduced incentives for innovation? I study these questions in the context of hydraulic fracturing, though the results offer insight for more general settings. Panning out to a much broader view, I also explore how energy-related technologies - in both generation and consumption - diffuse across national boundaries over time, and whether innovation and diffusion of energy-efficient technologies has led to more or less energy-efficient economic growth. In my first paper, I contribute to improved understanding of the conditions in which information-based regulations, which are increasingly common in multiple policy domains, decrease externalities such as environmental pollution. Specifically, I test whether information disclosure regulations applied to hydraulic fracturing chemicals caused firms to decrease their use of toxic inputs. Prior to these mandatory disclosure laws, some operators voluntarily

INNOVATION TRENDS ON INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radu CURETEANU

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The importance of innovation was long underestimated in service activities. In contrast to the radical innovations vital to growth in manufacturing sectors, innovations in services and tourism were secondary and capital-scarce, and for this reason they were excluded from the scope of government interest and action. It is interesting to note that the discourse changed with the emergence of new information and communication technologies, which have been especially influential in the realm of tourism.

Innovation processes in the field of energy technology; Innovationsprozesse bei Energietechnologien

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berwert, A.; Zehnder, M. [Ruetter und Partner, Rueschlikon (Switzerland); Markard, J.; Wirth, S. [Circus, EAWAG, Duebendorf (Switzerland)

2008-06-15

This comprehensive report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) examines the innovation process as described in a number of case studies. The case studies include three projects in the photovoltaics area - Flexcell, Oerlikon Solar and SolarMax - a combined heat and power project - SwissMotor - two heat-pump tumblers from Schulthess and V-Zug, two inverter projects - Drivetek and Vivatek and two projects in the wood gasification area - 'Pyroforce/CTU' and 'dasagren'. For each case study a short description, technological and organisational milestones and the environment in which the innovation work took place are noted, along with factors that helped or hindered innovation. Also, the basic aspects of each case are discussed. On the basis of this work, suggestions on how the innovation process can be enhanced are discussed.

"The Killing Fields" of Innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ingerslev, Karen

2014-01-01

to clustering of ideas, a design strategy which seemed to kill unique ideas. The reframing of innovation as a radical endeavor killed learning from others for being not innovative. The findings of this paper supplement theories of deliberate killing of ideas by suggesting framing, design and facilitation......This paper points to seemingly contradicted processes of framing innovation, idea generation and killing ideas. It reports from a yearlong innovation project, where health care professionals explored problems and tested ideas for solutions, regarding a future downsizing of the case hospital....... Theories in various ways describe the opening and closing phases of innovation. Exploration and idea generation opens a field of interest, which is then closed by making choices of ideas to further explore in the next opening phase. These choices deliberately kill a lot of ideas. In the innovation project...

Photoisomerization and photodissociation dynamics of reactive free radicals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bise, Ryan T. [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2000-08-01

The photofragmentation pathways of chemically reactive free radicals have been examined using the technique of fast beam photofragment translational spectroscopy. Measurements of the photodissociation cross-sections, product branching ratios, product state energy distributions, and angular distributions provide insight into the excited state potential energy surfaces and nonadiabatic processes involved in the dissociation mechanisms. Photodissociation spectroscopy and dynamics of the predissociative $\\tilde{A}$²A₁ and $\\tilde{B}$²A₂ states of CH₃S have been investigated. At all photon energies, CH₃ + S(³P_j), was the main reaction channel. The translational energy distributions reveal resolved structure corresponding to vibrational excitation of the CH₃ umbrella mode and the S(³P_j) fine-structure distribution from which the nature of the coupled repulsive surfaces is inferred. Dissociation rates are deduced from the photofragment angular distributions, which depend intimately on the degree of vibrational excitation in the C-S stretch. Nitrogen combustion radicals, NCN, CNN and HNCN have also been studied. For all three radicals, the elimination of molecular nitrogen is the primary reaction channel. Excitation to linear excited triplet and singlet electronic states of the NCN radical generates resolved vibrational structure of the N₂ photofragment. The relatively low fragment rotational excitation suggests dissociation via a symmetric C_2V transition state. Resolved vibrational structure of the N₂ photofragment is also observed in the photodissociation of the HNCN radical. The fragment vibrational and rotational distributions broaden with increased excitation energy. Simple dissociation models suggest that the HNCN radical isomerizes to a cyclic intermediate (c-HCNN) which then dissociates via a tight cyclic

Thermochemical properties for isooctane and carbon radicals: computational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Snitsiriwat, Suarwee; Bozzelli, Joseph W

2013-01-17

Thermochemical properties for isooctane, its internal rotation conformers, and radicals with corresponding bond energies are determined by use of computational chemistry. Enthalpies of formation are determined using isodesmic reactions with B3LYP density function theory and composite CBS-QB3 methods. Application of group additivity with comparison to calculated values is illustrated. Entropy and heat capacities are determined using geometric parameters, internal rotor potentials, and frequencies from B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) calculations for the lowest energy conformer. Internal rotor potentials are determined for the isooctane parent and for the primary, secondary, and tertiary radicals in order to identify isomer energies. Intramolecular interactions are shown to have a significant effect on the enthalpy of formation of the isooctane parent and its radicals. The computed standard enthalpy of formation for the lowest energy conformers of isooctane from this study is -54.40 ± 1.60 kcal mol(-1), which is 0.8 kcal mol(-1) lower than the evaluated experimental value -53.54 ± 0.36 kcal mol(-1). The standard enthalpy of formation for the primary radical for a methyl on the quaternary carbon is -5.00 ± 1.69 kcal mol(-1), for the primary radical on the tertiary carbon is -5.18 ± 1.69 kcal mol(-1), for the secondary isooctane radical is -9.03 ± 1.84 kcal mol(-1), and for the tertiary isooctane radical is -12.30 ± 2.02 kcal mol(-1). Bond energy values for the isooctane radicals are 100.64 ± 1.73, 100.46 ± 1.73, 96.41 ± 1.88 and 93.14 ± 2.05 kcal mol(-1) for C3•CCCC2, C3CCCC2•, C3CC•CC2, and C3CCC•C2, respectively. Entropy and heat capacity values are reported for the lowest energy homologues.

Incumbent Participation in Open Innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ørding Olsen, Anders

Recent years have seen an increasing shift towards open innovation approaches across a wide range of types and sizes of companies, as well as a surge in the interest from academics into the topic. Accessing knowledge and resources otherwise unavailable through interactions with external partners...... is generally regarded as highly valuable to the development and commercialization of innovations. However, this paper explores a potential dark side of open innovation. Based on well-establish theory, differences between the interests of incumbents and SMEs are hypothesized to influence the future survival...... and performance of the SME partners. Findings support the hypothesis that open innovation engagement with incumbents has a negative impact on future survival and performance, moderated by radicalness and technological maturity. This elaborates on open innovation by increased understanding of drawbacks...

Strategic collaboration on business model innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gjerding, Allan Næs; Kringelum, Louise Tina Brøns

The present paper focuses on collaboration as a source of hybridization of the market in the case of business model innovation. The basic argument is that while hybridization economizes on transaction costs, it also gives rise to transaction costs. In effect, transaction costs appears...... as a dialectical phenomenon. The argument is illustrated by a narrative of a case of radical business model innovation. The narrative shows how collaborators economize on transaction costs by developing a mutual understanding and shared interpretation of business model innovation, but at the same time gives rise...

2012 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit: Fireside Chat with Steven Chu and Bill Gates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chu, Steven; Gates, Bill; Podesta, John

2012-02-28

The third annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit was held in Washington D.C. in February, 2012. The event brought together key players from across the energy ecosystem - researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, corporate executives, and government officials - to share ideas for developing and deploying the next generation of energy technologies. This video captures a session called Fireside Chat that featured Steven Chu, the Secretary of Energy, and Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft Corporation. The session is moderated by John Podesta, Chair of the Center for American Progress. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Microsoft Founder and Chairman Bill Gates exchanged ideas about how small businesses and innovators can overcome the challenges that face many startups.

Designing innovative education formats and how to fail well when doing so

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Anne Kristine; Gundersen, Peter Bukovica

In this article we explore the challenges of designing new, radical education formats from a design-­based research perspective. The article opens with a discussion of central challenges in organisational innovation with particular emphasis on innovation in educational institutions prompted by new...... education reforms. The different roles and functions assumed by the design researcher are also discussed, and it is argued that the role of the project manager should be reconsidered as exceedingly crucial in successful implementation of reform-driven educational innovation. The article draws on empirical...... findings from a recent reform-­driven innovation in the form of a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), which offers courses to Danish primary and lower­-secondary school teachers in need of further training. The findings discussed in the article indicate that radical education innovations may be adversely...

Measurement of Design Process Front-End – Radical Innovation Approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berg, Pekka; Pihlajamaa, Jussi; Hansen, Poul H. Kyvsgård

2014-01-01

The overall structure and the main characteristics of the future product are all decided in the front-end phase, which then strongly affects subsequent new product development activities. Recent studies indicate that these early front-end activities represent the most troublesome phase...... of the innovation process, and at the same time one of the greatest opportunities to improve the overall innovation capability of a company. In this paper dealing with the criteria we concentrate only for the objectives viewpoint and leave the attributes discussion to the future research. Two most crucial questions...... the innovation activities front end contains five assessment viewpoints as follows; input, process, output (including impacts), social environment and structural environment. Based on the results from our first managerial implications in three Finnish manufacturing companies we argue, that the developed model...

The energy revolution is underway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

At first glance, today's new buildings are not much different from those of the past, but in labs and in companies, a real transformation is taking place: with their sophisticated communication devices, their optimized energy efficiency and their increased comfort, these dwellings and offices of tomorrow will offer a radically new living environment. Driven by a formidable stream of innovations (and strongly incentivizing regulations), this trend heralds significant changes in our way of life. (authors)

Peace journalism and radical media ethics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Natalia Lukacovic

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The radical characteristics of peace journalism position it as a model that expands the current understandings of normative media theory. Peace journalism echoes the most innovative calls of media ethicists, such as the proposition of radical media ethics. This idea asserts the necessity to expand media ethics to better fit the globalized and democratized media landscape, which is enabled by contemporary new media technologies. Essentially a global shift, among professionals as well as regular citizen-communicators, should advance towards conflict sensitivity in order to transcend the culturally violent elements of covering conflicts. Similar efforts will bring numerous challenges, however, these efforts are tremendously worthwhile with their potential to assist the creation of more peace-prone global societies.

Time resolved resonance Raman spectra of anilino radical and aniline radical cation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tripathi, G.N.R.; Schuler, R.H.

1987-01-01

We report, in this paper, submicrosecond time resolved resonance Raman spectra of anilino radical and its radical cation as observed in pulse radiolytic studies of the oxidation of aniline in aqueous solution. By excitation in resonance with the broad and weak electronic transition of anilino radical at 400 nm (ε--1250 M -1 cm -1 ) we have observed, for the first time, the vibrational features of this radical. The Wilson ν 8 /sub a/ ring stretching mode at 1560 cm -1 is most strongly resonance enhanced. The ν 7 /sub a/ CN stretching band at 1505 cm -1 , which is shifted to higher frequency by 231 cm -1 with respect to aniline, is also prominent. The frequency of this latter mode indicates that the CN bond in the radical has considerable double bond character. The Raman spectrum of aniline radical cation, excited in resonance with the --425 nm electronic absorption (ε--4000 M -1 cm -1 ), shows features which are similar to phenoxyl radical. Most of the observed frequencies of this radical in solution are in good agreement with vibrational energies determined by recent laser photoelectron spectroscopic studies in the vapor phase. The bands most strongly enhanced in the resonance Raman spectrum are, however, weak in the photoelectron spectrum. While the vibrational frequencies observed for anilino radical and its isoelectronic cation are quite similar, the resonance enhancement patterns are very different. In particular the ν 14 b 2 mode of anilino radical observed at 1324 cm -1 is highly resonance enhanced because of strong vibronic coupling between the 400 nm 2 A 2 -- 2 B 1 and the higher 2 B 1 -- 2 B 1 electronic transitions

Hydrogen abstraction from n-butanol by the methyl radical: high level ab initio study of abstraction pathways and the importance of low energy rotational conformers.

Science.gov (United States)

Katsikadakos, D; Hardalupas, Y; Taylor, A M K P; Hunt, P A

2012-07-21

Hydrogen abstraction reactions by the methyl radical from n-butanol have been investigated at the ROCBS-QB3 level of theory. Reaction energies and product geometries for the most stable conformer of n-butanol (ROH) have been computed, the reaction energies order α channel more stable than the β-channel? Why do the two C(γ)-H H-abstraction TS differ in energy? The method and basis set dependence of the TS barriers is investigated. The Boltzmann probability distribution for the n-butanol conformers suggests that low energy conformers are present in approximately equal proportions to the most stable conformer at combustion temperatures where ĊH(3) radicals are present. Thus, the relative significance of the various H-abstraction channels has been assessed for a selection of higher energy conformers (ROH'). Key results include finding that higher energy n-butanol conformers (E(ROH') > E(ROH)) can generate lower energy product radicals, E(ROH') < E(ROH). Moreover, higher energy conformers can also have a globally competitive TS energy for H-abstraction.

Physiology of free radicals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stevanović Jelka

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Free radicals imply that every atom, molecule, ion, group of atoms, or molecules with one or several non-paired electrons in outer orbital. Among these are: nitrogenoxide (NO•, superoxide-anion-radical (O2•-, hydroxyl radical (OH•, peroxyl radical (ROO•, alcoxyl radical (RO• and hydroperoxyl radical (HO2•. However, reactive oxygen species also include components without non-paired electrons in outer orbital (so-called reactive non-radical agents, such as: singlet oxygen (1O2, peroxynitrite (ONOO-, hydrogen-peroxide (H2O2, hypochloric acid (eg. HOCl and ozone (O3. High concentrations of free radicals lead to the development of oxidative stress which is a precondition for numerous pathological effects. However, low and moderate concentrations of these matter, which occur quite normally during cell metabolic activity, play multiple significant roles in many reactions. Some of these are: regulation of signal pathways within the cell and between cells, the role of chemoattractors and leukocyte activators, the role in phagocytosis, participation in maintaining, changes in the position and shape of the cell, assisting the cell during adaption and recovery from damage (e.g.caused by physical effort, the role in normal cell growth, programmed cell death (apoptosis and cell ageing, in the synthesis of essential biological compounds and energy production, as well as the contribution to the regulation of the vascular tone, actually, tissue vascularization.

Municipal responses to the energy challenge: Nysted, Denmark. Innovation and retreat in a rural municipality

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woodward, A E

1985-01-01

This case study is one of a series describing the social and organizational processes behind municipal innovation in energy planning, conservation and supply. Nysted in Denmark provides an example of both the potential and the limitations on innovation in energy in a small-town environment. The community sponsored an innovative planning project which has since become a model for Danish community energy inventory studies and planning. Further, many individuals in Nysted adapted their heating or electrical supply systems for the use of renewable fuels, especially wind and straw. The community relied on outside expertise and was confronted with the classic problem of transition and implementation when the consultants left. Nysted amply illustrates the dilemma of small communities faced with modern technological problems and limited technological resources.

Venture Capital and Cleantech: The wrong model for energy innovation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaddy, Benjamin E.; Sivaram, Varun; Jones, Timothy B.; Wayman, Libby

2017-01-01

Venture capital (VC) firms spent over $25 billion funding clean energy technology (cleantech) start-ups from 2006 to 2011. Less than half of that capital was returned; as a result, funding has dried up in the cleantech sector. But as the International Energy Agency warns, without new energy technologies, the world cannot cost-effectively confront climate change. In this article, we present the most comprehensive account to date of the cleantech VC boom and bust. Our results aggregate hundreds of investments to calculate the risk and return profile of cleantech, and we compare the outcomes with those of medical and software technology investments. Cleantech posed high risks and yielded low returns to VCs. We conclude that among cleantech investments, “deep technology” investments—in companies developing new hardware, materials, chemistries, or manufacturing processes—consumed the most capital and yielded the lowest returns. We propose that broader support from policymakers, corporations, and investors is needed to underpin new innovation pathways for cleantech. - Highlights: • A venture capital boom in clean energy technology went bust in 2008. • Cleantech offered high risk and low returns to investors. • Poor performance due to long development time for materials and chemicals. • Breakthrough energy innovations are often not a match for venture capital. • More research on alternative financing and support for cleantech is needed.

Innovation and adoption of energy efficient technologies: An exploratory analysis of Italian primary metal manufacturing SMEs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trianni, Andrea; Cagno, Enrico; Worrell, Ernst

2013-01-01

Additional efforts will be needed by European countries to improve the energy efficiency, as with current trends the 20% objective will be missed. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) manufacturing sector is a promising field, as SMEs are less energy-efficient than larger enterprises. Several studies investigated the barriers to the diffusion of technologies and practices for industrial energy efficiency, but little attention has been paid to understand the factors affecting the perception of such barriers by SMEs. In this multiple case-study, we have investigated 20 Primary Metal manufacturing SMEs in Northern Italy. Economic and information barriers are perceived as the major issues. Interestingly, firm's size, innovativeness of the market in which enterprises operate, as well as product and process innovation are factors affecting barriers to energy efficiency. Differences have been observed within SMEs, especially for information and competence-related barriers. In particular, a more innovative external context in which enterprises operate and a greater production process complexity seem to reduce barriers. Moreover, more product innovative enterprises seem to have a lower perception of behavioral and technology-related barriers. The results of this exploratory investigation provide useful suggestions for policy design and further research on industrial energy efficiency. - highlights: • Economic and Information emerge as the most relevant barriers to energy efficiency. • Market, product and process innovation seem relevant factors affecting barriers. • Firm's size is a factor affecting barriers' perception

Remaking the UK's energy technology innovation system: From the margins to the mainstream

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winskel, Mark; Radcliffe, Jonathan; Skea, Jim; Wang, Xinxin

2014-01-01

The UK energy technology innovation system (ETIS) has undergone wholesale remaking in recent years, in terms of its aims, funding and organisation. We analyse this process and distinguish between three phases since 2000: new beginnings, momentum building and urgency and review. Within an international trend to ETIS rebuilding, UK experience has been distinctive: from a low starting base in the early-2000s, to system remaking under a strong decarbonisation policy imperative in the late-2000s, to multiple and contested drivers in the early-2010s. Public funding levels have been erratic, with a rapid increase and a more recent decline. The private business sector has played a leading role in this remaking, and as this influence has grown, the role and style of energy innovation has shifted from long term niches to the shorter term mainstream. The UK ETIS suffers from persistent problems: fragmentation, low transparency and weak links to the research evidence base. - Highlights: • Analyses the dramatic recent remaking of the UK energy technology innovation system. • Identifies three distinct phases of innovation dynamics and governance since 2000. • The private sector has played a leading role in UKs innovation system rebuilding. • There has been a broad shift from niche to mainstream, continuity-based innovation. • The UK system suffers from unstable funding, fragmentation and low transparency

Adenine radicals generated in alternating AT duplexes by direct absorption of low-energy UV radiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Banyasz, Akos; Ketola, Tiia; Martínez-Fernández, Lara; Improta, Roberto; Markovitsi, Dimitra

2018-04-17

There is increasing evidence that the direct absorption of photons with energies that are lower than the ionization potential of nucleobases may result in oxidative damage to DNA. The present work, which combines nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and quantum mechanical calculations, studies this process in alternating adenine-thymine duplexes (AT)n. We show that the one-photon ionization quantum yield of (AT)10 at 266 nm (4.66 eV) is (1.5 ± 0.3) × 10-3. According to our PCM/TD-DFT calculations carried out on model duplexes composed of two base pairs, (AT)1 and (TA)1, simultaneous base pairing and stacking does not induce important changes in the absorption spectra of the adenine radical cation and deprotonated radical. The adenine radicals, thus identified in the time-resolved spectra, disappear with a lifetime of 2.5 ms, giving rise to a reaction product that absorbs at 350 nm. In parallel, the fingerprint of reaction intermediates other than radicals, formed directly from singlet excited states and assigned to AT/TA dimers, is detected at shorter wavelengths. PCM/TD-DFT calculations are carried out to map the pathways leading to such species and to characterize their absorption spectra; we find that, in addition to the path leading to the well-known TA* photoproduct, an AT photo-dimerization path may be operative in duplexes.

The future of energy lies in more innovation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dormoy, Jean-Luc

2011-10-01

The author discusses the issue of energy which is at the heart of more general issues on crisis, on the future of our societies, on the political future, and on the role of science and technology. He notably discusses the issue of the quantity of available energy. Some state that this quantity cannot increase as resources are finite and as, until now, there is no other storable energies than the fossil ones. The author also comments some rather pessimistic publications made by the Club of Rome, a group of scientists, economists, industrials and public servants of more than 50 countries. However, notably in the USA, some still want to invest in energy in order to find out how to produce always more energy. He evokes the issue of the environmental consequences of an almost infinite growth of industrial activities. The author then comments some theories about energy efficiency, notably the rebound effect. He discusses the questions raised by technological innovation as a possible solution: which technologies and how?

Social acceptance of renewable energy innovations: The role of technology cooperation in urban Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mallett, Alexandra

2007-01-01

Much discussion of technology transfer and the adoption of renewable energy innovations overlooks the importance of social acceptance. Using mainly qualitative analytical techniques, empirical evidence was obtained from the experiences of those involved in solar water heaters in Mexico City (e.g. technicians, industry representatives, local government officials, community representatives/end users) in order to explain social acceptance of these renewable energy innovations. In particular, this paper evaluates Rogers' [2005. Diffusion of Innovations. Free Press, New York.] technology adoption model (using an 'active' definition of social acceptance), which claims that adoption comes about through a decision-making process occurring in stages-knowledge, persuasion, implementation and confirmation and can be traced to a number of factors such as relative advantage, complexity, and triability. This paper argues that while Rogers' technology adoption model is a useful tool to explain social acceptance, this approach needs to be revised to adequately reflect the effects of technology cooperation, an integral part of technology adoption. Furthermore, this paper asserts that those forms of technology cooperation in which active participants are from various sectors and interact continuously throughout the process is most effective in eliciting social acceptance of renewable energy innovations

Project management and institutional complexity in domestic housing refurbishment with innovative energy solutions : a case study analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoppe, Thomas; Lulofs, Kristiaan R.D.

2011-01-01

Applying innovative energy solutions (IES) in dense residential areas in the Netherlands is a challenge. This paper presents a typology that supports the analysis and understanding of policy implementation processes to encourage the adoption of innovative energy solutions in urban residential areas.

Rising from failure and learning from success: the role of past experience in radical initiative taking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Deichmann, D.; van den Ende, J..

2014-01-01

We investigate how the successes and failures of people who initiate radical ideas influence (a) the inclination to take new personal initiatives and (b) the outcome of those initiatives. Using the data of 1,792 radical ideas suggested by 908 employees in a multinational firm's idea and innovation

Plasma physics: innovation in energy and industrial technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, J.H.

2000-01-01

Full text: Plasmas-ionised gases-are truly ubiquitous. More than 99% of the matter in the universe is in the plasma state. All of the matter that comprises the Earth, and all of the energy that powers it, has been processed through plasma fusion reactions in stars. Plasmas also play a crucial role in the Earth's atmosphere, which screens out harmful radiation, and make long distance radio propagation possible. While the study of plasma physics was originally motivated by astrophysics, the discipline has grown to address terrestrial concerns. These include lighting, welding, the switching of large electrical currents, the processing of materials such as semiconductors, and the quest to build fusion power reactors artificial stars for low-emissions generation of electricity from hydrogen isotopes. Plasma physics is fundamentally multi-disciplinary. It requires understanding not only of the complex collective behaviour of ionised gases in unusual conditions, but also knowledge of the atomic and nuclear physics that determines how plasmas are formed and maintained, and the specialised engineering and instrumentation of the mechanical and electromagnetic containers needed to confine plasmas on Earth. These characteristics make plasma physics a fertile breeding ground for imagination and innovation. This paper draws together examples of innovation stimulated by plasma physics research in the areas of energy, materials, communications, and computation

Energy Innovations: Science & Technology at NREL, Fall 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2009-09-01

The Energy Innovations newsletter serves as a key outreach tool for NREL to tout the lab's accomplishments, progress, and activities to key stakeholders who can impact the lab's level of funding and potential resources. Audiences include VIP visitors to NREL, current and potential partners in our work, and key decision makers who want to know about NREL's R&D directions and the quality and significance of our results.

The role of standardization for innovation in the electric car inudstry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Frank Steven Dahl

This paper investigates the role of standardization for innovation among selected actors in the electric car industry. The case indicates that both formal standards and radical innovations have been developed, and that standards in themself do not exclude the existence or development of innovations......; in fact standards may contribute positively to innovation. The essential standards developed so far have mainly brought compatibility among components and innovations in the industry, which made it possible to electrical car manufacturers to align innovation activities and adapt new technology effectively...

The effects of IT and open innovation strategies on innovation and financial performances in the banking sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tornjanski Vesna

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the effects IT and open innovation strategies have on innovation and financial performances in the Serbian banking sector, using the case study method based on qualitative and quantitative data. The research results point to the need for introducing the concept of open innovation in the banking sector i.e. to adequately incorporate external knowledge in innovation processes using appropriate technologies. Employees and established partnerships with key stakeholders are the two most significant sources for the generation and commercialization of radical innovations, while customers and other sources of knowledge acquisition allow the generation of various knowledge and ideas, and the creation of incremental innovations with the primary purpose of satisfying the end users of banking services, improving existing processes and service quality. To maximize utilization of resources from the open innovation model, the concluding paragraph contains recommendations for managers in the banking sector. The study may be useful for managers in the financial services, banking, IT sector and innovation management.

Innovation and learning curves. Report on knowledge questions of the Working Group Energy and Climate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schoots, K.

2010-05-01

This report has been written on account of knowledge questions formulated by the Working Group Energy and Climate. This Working Group has been established in the framework of the Broad Reconsideration of Dutch government policy caused by the economic crisis of 2008-2009. Its task is to investigate the possibilities for a structural reduction of government spending by 20% on sustainable energy, energy saving and fiscal advantages carrying non-sustainable incentives. Apart from that, spending on policies aimed at mitigating climate change are scrutinized. In connection with this task, the working group has formulated knowledge questions which refer to cost effectiveness and possibilities for target achievement, possibilities within the European Renewables Directive and learning curves and innovation. This report addresses the latter two themes: learning curves and innovation. The selection of technologies assessed is not all-embracing, but based on the technologies within the SDE regulation (Dutch regulation on support for sustainable energy) supplemented by some promising innovations. [nl

An innovative approach for energy generation from waves

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Habaibeh, A. [Advanced Design and Manufacturing Engineering Centre, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, Nottingham Trent University (United Kingdom); Su, D. [School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, Nottingham Trent University (United Kingdom); McCague, J. [Technical Director, Ocean Navitas Ltd., Lincolnshire (United Kingdom); Knight, A. [Marketing and Communications Manager, Ocean Navitas Ltd., Lincolnshire (United Kingdom)

2010-08-15

Sustainable energy generation is becoming increasingly important due to the expected limitations in current energy resources and to reduce pollution. Wave energy generation has seen significant development in recent years. This paper describes an innovative system for generating energy from wave power. A complete description of the system is presented including the general concept, configurations, mechanical design, electrical system, simulation techniques and expected power output of the system. The results from the hydraulic linear wave simulator, using a real wave profiles captured at a location in the UK using an ultrasound system, it was seen that a {+-}0.8 m wave at 10 s time period, produced a conditioned power output of approximately 22 kW at optimum load conditions for the tested 3-phase 44 kW permanent magnet generator type STK500. The results indicate that this new technology could provide an efficient and low cost method of generating electricity from waves. (author)

An innovative approach for energy generation from waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Habaibeh, A.; Su, D.; McCague, J.; Knight, A.

2010-01-01

Sustainable energy generation is becoming increasingly important due to the expected limitations in current energy resources and to reduce pollution. Wave energy generation has seen significant development in recent years. This paper describes an innovative system for generating energy from wave power. A complete description of the system is presented including the general concept, configurations, mechanical design, electrical system, simulation techniques and expected power output of the system. The results from the hydraulic linear wave simulator, using a real wave profiles captured at a location in the UK using an ultrasound system, it was seen that a ±0.8 m wave at 10 s time period, produced a conditioned power output of approximately 22 kW at optimum load conditions for the tested 3-phase 44 kW permanent magnet generator type STK500. The results indicate that this new technology could provide an efficient and low cost method of generating electricity from waves.

Possibilities of reduction of the on-board energy for an innovative subway

OpenAIRE

Allègre, A-L.; Barrade, P.; Delarue, P.; Bouscayrol, A.; Chattot, E.; El-Fassi, S.

2009-01-01

An innovative subway has been proposed using supercapacitors as energy source. In this paper, are presented different possibilities to reduce on-board stored energy in order to downsize the on-board energy storage subsystem. Special attention is paid to the influence of a feeding rail extension or a downward slope at the beginning of the interstation on the on-board stored energy. A map is built to facilitate the selection of the solution which leads to reduce the on-board energy.

Some reactions of oxidizing radicals with enzymes in aqueous solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cundall, R.B.; Bisby, R.H.; Hoe, S.T.; Sims, H.E.; Anderson, R.F.

1979-01-01

A range of oxidizing radicals including some inorganic radical anions and the superoxide radical, can be generated by radiolysis of aqueous solutions. These radicals are more selective in their reactions with amino acids than the hydroxyl radical. Factors controlling the apparent reactivity of radical anions with proteins, such as free radical equilibria and ion-binding, are described. The superoxide radical inactivates papain by reaction with the cysteine residue. This reaction has been studied in solutions subjected to radiations of varying linear energy transfer. (Auth.)

Cation radicals of xanthophylls.

Science.gov (United States)

Galinato, Mary Grace I; Niedzwiedzki, Dariusz; Deal, Cailin; Birge, Robert R; Frank, Harry A

2007-10-01

Carotenes and xanthophylls are well known to act as electron donors in redox processes. This ability is thought to be associated with the inhibition of oxidative reactions in reaction centers and light-harvesting pigment-protein complexes of photosystem II (PSII). In this work, cation radicals of neoxanthin, violaxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, beta-carotene, and lycopene were generated in solution using ferric chloride as an oxidant and then studied by absorption spectroscopy. The investigation provides a view toward understanding the molecular features that determine the spectral properties of cation radicals of carotenoids. The absorption spectral data reveal a shift to longer wavelength with increasing pi-chain length. However, zeaxanthin and beta-cryptoxanthin exhibit cation radical spectra blue-shifted compared to that of beta-carotene, despite all of these molecules having 11 conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds. CIS molecular orbital theory quantum computations interpret this effect as due to the hydroxyl groups in the terminal rings selectively stabilizing the highest occupied molecular orbitals of preferentially populated s-trans-isomers. The data are expected to be useful in the analysis of spectral results from PSII pigment-protein complexes seeking to understand the role of carotene and xanthophyll cation radicals in regulating excited state energy flow, in protecting PSII reaction centers against photoinhibition, and in dissipating excess light energy absorbed by photosynthetic organisms but not used for photosynthesis.

Structural dynamics of innovation networks funded by the European Union in the context of systemic innovation of the renewable energy sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Moon Jung; Hwang, Jongwoon

2016-01-01

Innovation in the renewable energy (RE) sector relies on the concept of systemic innovation, which requires interaction between two innovation aspects: technology exploration and market exploitation. The European Union (EU) has introduced political instruments for systemic RE innovation by integrating resources from different thematic and geographic areas. However, using these instruments to establish an ecosystem for systemic innovation remains unexplored. This study develops a framework for evaluating the systemic innovation performance of networks through a time-series analysis of network structural properties. Overall, EU-funded innovation networks have not evolved in a systemic direction. First, the network exhibits densely connected local clusters for technology exploration and market exploitation of RE innovation, which are disconnected from each other. Over time, the gap between the two phases has weakened with increasing connectivity, but the local clusters supporting either explorative or exploitative activities have diminished. The existing networking linkages among organizations are considered ineffective because their positions in the network tend to display a mismatch with their innovation patterns. This research presents policy suggestions for optimizing the exploration and exploitation activities in the EU's funding program and their complementarities to establish a systemic innovation environment in the RE sector. - Highlights: •This study evaluates the systemic innovation performance of networks. •A time-series analysis of network structural properties was conducted. •The network shows disconnected local clusters for technology and market innovation. •The local clusters supporting exploration and exploitation have weakened with time. •The networks have not evolved into a systemic direction.

Dissociation of metastable CH3CO radicals studied by time-resolved photofragment imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Toshinori; Shibata, Takeshi; Li, Haiyang

1998-05-01

A novel experimental technique to measure the energy- dependent unimolecular dissociation rate k(E) of radical species is presented. Internally excited CH3CO radicals were formed by ultraviolet photodissociation of CH3COCl, and the subsequent decay of these radicals was detected by subpicosecond time-clocked photofragment imaging. The CH3CO radicals with different internal energies were dispersed in space by their recoil velocities, and their decay rates were measured for each internal energy.

Enabling Open Innovation: Lessons from Haier

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Arie Y.Lewin; Liisa V(a)likangas; Jin Chen

2017-01-01

Open innovation has become a dominant innovation paradigm.However,the actual adoption of open innovation organizational designs and practices remains elusive,and ongoing examples of large companies practicing open innovation in mature industries or beyond R&D activities are rare.Despite the continuing interest in open innovation and the surging research on the topic,not much is documented about how,in particular,large companies interpret and implement open innovation or develop and sustain an innovation-enabling culture.This paper reports on a study of Haier's adoption of six radical innovations as it implements an open innovation organization over a period of seven years.The study is unique in that the cases reveal how open innovation is enabled by the socially enabling mechanisms developed under Chairman Ruimin Zhang's leadership.These varied enabling mechanisms open the organization to serendipity at every level,from the bottom up to suppliers.Most importantly,the mechanisms imprint and sustain an open innovation culture recognized as important-yet often left unarticulated in terms of how it is practiced-in the prior literature.The paper contributes to and highlights the centrality of socially enabling mechanisms underlying an organization's innovation absorptive capacity.

Energy, environment and technological innovation: Rome 2nd international congress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

From the three volumes containing the proceedings of the October 12-16, 1992 2nd International Congress on Energy, Environment and Technological Innovation held at the University of Rome 'La Sapienza', separate abstracts were prepared for 41 papers. The selection of papers included recent developments and research trends in the following high-tech areas: biomass plantations, wind turbines, photovoltaic power plants, solar architecture, building energy management, global warming, automobile air pollution abatement, district heating with cogeneration, and hydrogen fuels for transportation

Grand Challenges of Advanced Computing for Energy Innovation Report from the Workshop Held July 31-August 2, 2012

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larzelere, Alex R.; Ashby, Steven F.; Christensen, Dana C.; Crawford, Dona L.; Khaleel, Mohammad A.; John, Grosh; Stults, B. Ray; Lee, Steven L.; Hammond, Steven W.; Grover, Benjamin T.; Neely, Rob; Dudney, Lee Ann; Goldstein, Noah C.; Wells, Jack; Peltz, Jim

2013-03-06

On July 31-August 2 of 2012, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) held a workshop entitled Grand Challenges of Advanced Computing for Energy Innovation. This workshop built on three earlier workshops that clearly identified the potential for the Department and its national laboratories to enable energy innovation. The specific goal of the workshop was to identify the key challenges that the nation must overcome to apply the full benefit of taxpayer-funded advanced computing technologies to U.S. energy innovation in the ways that the country produces, moves, stores, and uses energy. Perhaps more importantly, the workshop also developed a set of recommendations to help the Department overcome those challenges. These recommendations provide an action plan for what the Department can do in the coming years to improve the nation’s energy future.

Innovative milk pasteurizing plant fed by solar energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lucentini, M.; Naso, V. [Univ. of Rome La Sapienza, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering (Italy); Rubini, L. [ISES ITALIA (Italy)

2000-07-01

The possible use of solar-heat energy for industrial production has been evaluated, verifying the sector where this resource could be suitably applied. After a preliminary phase, the analysis has been focused on the agro-alimentary sector. As a matter of fact, in this case the range of temperatures coincides with the one typically carried out from solar collectors. Moreover, a deciding factor of choice has been the energy flow provided by solar radiation, close to the one typically needed to pasteurize milk. Taking into account production requirements, one comes to the conclusion of utilizing stored solar energy hot water - for washing operations of pasteurizing plant. These operations - really heavy from the point of view of heat energy consumption - are concentrated in the midday, just when solar energy storage is at its maximum level. This paper analyzes the technical and economical feasibility of an innovative plant, through the operational simulations of each machinery, related to different radiation conditions during the year. The economical analysis has shown that this solution is worth-while, especially taking advantage from the incentives offered by the national campaign of renewable energy diffusion. (au)

The innovator's DNA.

Science.gov (United States)

Dyer, Jeffrey H; Gregersen, Hal B; Christensen, Clayton M

2009-12-01

"How do I find innovative people for my organization? And how can I become more innovative myself?" These are questions that stump most senior executives, who know that the ability to innovate is the "secret sauce" of business success. Perhaps for this reason most of us stand in awe of the work of visionary entrepreneurs such as Apple's Steve Jobs, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, eBay's Pierre Omidyar, and P&G's A.G. Lafley. How do these individuals come up with groundbreaking new ideas? In this article, Dyer, of Brigham Young University; Gregersen, of Insead; and Christensen, of Harvard Business School, reveal how innovative entrepreneurs differ from typical executives. Their study demonstrates that five "discovery skills" distinguish the most creative executives: Associating helps them discover new directions by making connections among seemingly unrelated questions, problems, or ideas. Questioning allows innovators to break out of the status quo and consider new ideas. Through observing, innovators carefully and consistently look out for small behavioral details--in the activities of customers, suppliers, and other companies -to gain insights about new ways of doing things. In experimenting, they relentlessly try on new experiences and explore the world. And through networking with diverse individuals from an array of backgrounds, they gain radically different perspectives.

Making the energy transition a European success. Tackling the democratic, innovation, financing and social challenges of the energy union

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pellerin-Carlin, Thomas; Vinois, Jean-Arnold; Rubio, Eulalia; Fernandes, Sofia; Delors, Jacques; Letta, Enrico

2017-09-01

If there is one project today which carries a positive vision for Europe, it is definitely the energy transition. Energy is the foundation of our nations' power and is a key element in our daily lives. If Europe's architects are preparing a democratic, innovative, economically viable and socially fair Energy Union, it will contribute to a Europe that serves its citizens and paves the way for the rest of the world. If we fail in this project, the architects will have to give way to the fire-fighters, who will exhaust themselves putting out the fires caused by our past mistakes: climate refugees, dependence on Russia and Saudi Arabia, worsened energy poverty, the bankruptcy of energy suppliers who failed to adapt their strategy. The Energy Union, which we have been championing since 2010 and which is currently fully supported by President Juncker, is an ambitious project which can already be bolstered by the successes achieved by the European Union. The USA's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement further strengthens European leadership and enables us to attract innovators and investors who understand the opportunity created by the energy transition. This Report clearly sets out four objectives which could contribute to the success of the Energy Union, and in turn restore trust between Europe and Europeans. - Firstly, democracy must be at the heart of the Energy Union's governance. This involves mechanisms for more direct participation of citizens, local elected representatives and civil society in the major choices which shape national and European energy strategies. - Secondly, Europe must implement a genuine innovation-driven industrial policy to make our companies the world leaders in clean energy. - Thirdly, public and private investment arbitrations must fully integrate the energy transition's objectives. - Fourthly, the Energy Union must serve a just and fair energy transition via a 'Social Pact for the Energy Transition' which strives to create jobs for our

Bleaching threshold of cationic radicals of alkanes and capture energy of the positive hole of these ions in irradiated solid matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van den Bosch, A.; Strobbe, M.; Ceulemans, J.

1984-01-01

Gamma irradiated Cl 3 CCF 3 shows an absorption band at about 360 nm, and another band, at 600 nm. The band at 600 nm disappears completely by irradiation with light of lambda>610 nm. Cl 3 CCF 3 containing 1% of decane irradiated at 77 K presents the some phenomena. Selective bleaching by photons of increasing energy allows the determination of the threshold for bleaching of cationic radicals of decane trapped in Cl 3 CCF 3 . Distinction between photoinduced charge transfer and photodissociation is obtained by addition of tetramethyl-p-phenylenediame. Showing that bleaching threshold corresponds to the capture energy of the positive hole on decane cationic radical [fr

Structured Innovation of High-Performance Wave Energy Converter Technology: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weber, Jochem W. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Laird, Daniel [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2018-01-25

Wave energy converter (WEC) technology development has not yet delivered the desired commercial maturity nor, and more importantly, the techno-economic performance. The reasons for this have been recognized and fundamental requirements for successful WEC technology development have been identified. This paper describes a multi-year project pursued in collaboration by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories to innovate and develop new WEC technology. It specifies the project strategy, shows how this differs from the state-of-the-art approach and presents some early project results. Based on the specification of fundamental functional requirements of WEC technology, structured innovation and systemic problem solving methodologies are applied to invent and identify new WEC technology concepts. Using Technology Performance Levels (TPL) as an assessment metric of the techno-economic performance potential, high performance technology concepts are identified and selected for further development. System performance is numerically modelled and optimized and key performance aspects are empirically validated. The project deliverables are WEC technology specifications of high techno-economic performance technologies of TPL 7 or higher at TRL 3 with some key technology challenges investigated at higher TRL. These wave energy converter technology specifications will be made available to industry for further, full development and commercialisation (TRL 4 - TRL 9).

Proceedings of the wind energy industry conference : develop, innovate, export : held in conjunction with Quebec's first wind energy industry gala

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

This conference was dedicated to the wind energy industry and business opportunities in Quebec, the rest of Canada and abroad. It was held in conjunction with Quebec's first wind energy industry gala which highlighted the organizations and individuals that have made outstanding contributions to the wind power sector in Quebec over the past three years. The entire conference focused on current and future requests for proposals in Quebec, innovation, and exports. Some fifteen reputed speakers shared their knowledge and experience regarding technological development and technical support available in Quebec. It was intended to clarify current and future issues affecting the wind power industry and to build key relations with leading wind energy players. The sessions of the conference were entitled: the wind energy industry in Quebec and Canada; issues surrounding requests for proposals; the players involved in the request for proposals; visual impacts of wind farms; data transmission during wind farm construction; innovating to move ahead of the crowd; innovation in practice; exporting as a means of development; and, exports in practice. A tour of the Baie-des-Sable wind farm was also provided. The conference featured 24 presentations, of which 2 have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. refs., tabs., figs

Photodissociation dynamics and spectroscopy of free radical combustion intermediates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Osborn, David Lewis [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

1996-12-01

The photodissociation spectroscopy and dynamics of free radicals is studied by the technique of fast beam photofragment translational spectroscopy. Photodetachment of internally cold, mass-selected negative ions produces a clean source of radicals, which are subsequently dissociated and detected. The photofragment yield as a function of photon energy is obtained, mapping out the dissociative and predissociative electronic states of the radical. In addition, the photodissociation dynamics, product branching ratios, and bond energies are probed at fixed photon energies by measuring the translational energy, P(E_T), and angular distribution of the recoiling fragments using a time- and position-sensitive detector. Ab initio calculations are combined with dynamical and statistical models to interpret the observed data. The photodissociation of three prototypical hydrocarbon combustion intermediates forms the core of this work.

Green, Innovative, and Profitable: A Case Study of Managerial Capabilities at Interface Inc.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tommi Lampikoski

2012-11-01

Full Text Available This article describes the pioneering green-innovation management practices of a resource-intensive corporation, Interface Inc., which is a globally operating carpet manufacturer. Even during the current economic downturn, many companies remain committed to advancing their green business agendas. However, recent research suggests that most of these companies are far from reaching substantial competitive advantage from this commitment because they lack the connection between their green agendas and core innovation-management activities. This study illustrates how Interface succeeded with radical green innovations by investing in managerial capabilities that allowed it to conduct research, recognize opportunities, and revolutionize the carpeting industry. These capabilities enabled Interface to continuously challenge and disrupt well-established management recipes, existing knowledge, and proven industrial practices, and they enabled it to create a sustainable competitive advantage through a winning portfolio of radical green innovations.

The Games Radicals Play: Special Issue on Free Radicals and Radical Ions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John C. Walton

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Chemistry and Physics have aptly been described as “most excellent children of Intellect and Art” [1]. Both these “children” engage with many playthings, and molecules rank as one of their first favorites, especially radicals, which are amongst the most lively and exciting. Checking out radicals dancing to the music of entropy round their potential energy ballrooms is surely both entertaining and enlightening. Radicals’ old favorite convolutions are noteworthy, but the new styles, modes and arrangements appearing on the scene are even more interesting. Some of these are ephemeral and enjoy only a brief appearance, others are retro-types reappearing in new guises, still others are genuinely new and “go viral” in the scientific world. This Special Issue of Molecules contains the observations and reflections of a select group of chemists and physicists fascinated by this spectacle. It contains an eclectic mix reflecting on new modes and advances as well as on permutations and combinations that revive mature themes. [...

Innovative Business Cases for Energy Storage In a Restructured Electricity Marketplace, A Study for the DOE Energy Storage Systems Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

IANNUCCI, JOE; EYER, JIM; BUTLER, PAUL C.

2003-02-01

This report describes the second phase of a project entitled ''Innovative Business Cases for Energy Storage in a Restructured Electricity Marketplace''. During part one of the effort, nine ''Stretch Scenarios'' were identified. They represented innovative and potentially significant uses of electric energy storage. Based on their potential to significantly impact the overall energy marketplace, the five most compelling scenarios were identified. From these scenarios, five specific ''Storage Market Opportunities'' (SMOs) were chosen for an in-depth evaluation in this phase. The authors conclude that some combination of the Power Cost Volatility and the T&D Benefits SMOs would be the most compelling for further investigation. Specifically, a combination of benefits (energy, capacity, power quality and reliability enhancement) achievable using energy storage systems for high value T&D applications, in regions with high power cost volatility, makes storage very competitive for about 24 GW and 120 GWh during the years of 2001 and 2010.

Time-resolved FTIR emission studies of laser photofragmentation and radical reactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leone, S.R. [Univ. of Colorado, Boulder (United States)

1993-12-01

Recent studies have focused specifically on collision processes, such as single collision energy transfer, reaction dynamics, and radical reactions. The authors employ novel FTIR techniques in the study of single collision energy transfer processes using translationally fast H atom, as well as radical-radical reactions, e.g. CH{sub 3} + O, CF{sub 3} + H(D), and Cl + C{sub 2}H{sub 5}. The fast atoms permit unique high energy regions of certain transition states of combustion species to be probed for the first time.

Learning in Different Modes: The Interaction Between Incremental and Radical Change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Anders Hedegaard; Boer, Harry; Gertsen, Frank

2004-01-01

The objective of the study presented in this article is to contribute to the development of theory on continuous innovation, i.e. the combination of operationally effective exploitation and strategically flexible exploration. A longitudinal case study is presented of the interaction between...... incremental and radical change in Danish company, observed through the lens of organizational learning. The radical change process is described in five phases, each of which had its own effects on incremental change initiatives in the company. The research identified four factors explaining these effects, all...

Innovations with services relating to energy efficiency. Basic information and examples; Innovationen mit Dienstleistungen im Bereich Energieeffizienz. Basisinformationen und Beispiele

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Knoll, Michael; Kollnig, Sarah; Oertel, Britta

2010-07-01

This study describes how the ''Energy Efficient City'' competition is intended to promote activities towards greater energy efficiency which relate to cities as systems, are innovative, and conceive of and incorporate services as part of the solution. ''Innovation with services'' is not only about the further development of existing services but more particularly about the creation of high-quality services in growth areas which can serve to speed up innovation and create new application potentials for technical developments. They should be based on a holistic view on urban processes of energy use and energy supply and give consideration to all relevant stakeholders. The ''Energy Efficient City'' competition is aimed at systematically linking innovations with services to energy efficiency issues. The implementation of these goals will be facilitated by accompanying research. To this end the present text provides information on how services can be geared to energy efficiency.

Geoscientists and the Radical Middle

Science.gov (United States)

Tinker, S. W.

2015-12-01

Addressing the great challenges facing society requires industry, government, and academia to work together. I call this overlap space, where compromises are made and real solutions determined, the Radical Middle. Radical because it can appear at times as if the loudest and most publicly influential voices lie outside of the actual solution space, content to provoke but not problem-solve. One key area where geoscientists can play a lead role in the Radical Middle is in the overlap between energy, the environment, and the economy. Globally, fossil fuels still represent 85% of the aggregate energy mix. As existing conventional oil and natural-gas reservoir production continues to slowly decline, unconventional reservoirs, led today by shale and other more expensive resources, will represent a growing part of the oil and gas production mix. Many of these unconventional reservoirs require hydraulic fracturing. The positive economic impact of hydraulic fracturing and associated natural gas and oil production on the United States economy is well documented and undeniable. Yet there are environmental concerns about fracking, and some states and nations have imposed moratoria. This energy-environment-economy space is ideal for leadership from the geosciences. Another such overlap space is the potential for geoscience leadership in relations with China, whose economy and global presence continue to expand. Although China is building major hydropower and natural-gas power plants, as well as nuclear reactors, coal is still king—with the associated environmental impacts. Carbon sequestration—onshore in brine and to enhance oil recovery, as well as offshore—could prove viable. It is vital that educated and objective geoscientists from industry, government, and academia leave their corners and work together in the Radical Middle to educate the public and develop and deliver balanced, economically sensible energy and environmental strategies.

The Habitation Lab: Using a Design Approach to Foster Innovation for Sustainable Living

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paula Femenías

2013-11-01

Full Text Available This article describes a first step towards a strategy for using living labs as a means to foster innovation and develop new concepts of sustainable living from an architectural point of view. The overall aim is to enable truly sustainable living through radically reduced energy and resource use thus addressing both environmental and social aspects of sustainability. Earlier research has shown that contemporary housing developments, including those with a sustainable profile, do not profoundly question modern lifestyles and consumption, which is a necessity to overcome limitations of a technological focus on environmental efficiency in construction. Thus, we see an opportunity for the discipline of architecture to engage in current investments in living lab facilities in order to push innovation in the field of sustainable housing. We introduce the concept of a "Habitation Lab", which will provide an arena for radical and high-risk design experimentation between users, building-sector actors, and academia, and we describe a case study of a planned Habitation Lab within a living lab facility where traditional solutions for daily living and habitation are questioned and new architectural innovations are explored and evaluated. The idea of using experimental activities in the field of housing is not new, and we argue that new investments should build on earlier experiences to avoid perpetuating misconceptions and repeating past failures. Furthermore, to ensure the dissemination and uptake of results, the design of the Habitation Lab should consider the innovation and learning trajectories of the building sector. We propose a transdisciplinary setting to provide a neutral arena for value creation and to increase the distribution of experiences.

Building new competencies for new business creation based on breakthrough technological innovations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vanhaverbeke, W.P.M.; Kirschbaum, R.

2003-01-01

This paper focuses on the question how companies can build new capabilities or competencies based on discontinuous technological innovations? In particular, we analyze how corporate ventures are set up to develop and commercialize these radical innovations can play a crucial role in the process of

GC Side Event: Nuclear Energy Innovation and the Paris Agreement. Presentations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-01-01

This event presented roadmaps for nuclear energy innovation linked to nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to the global response to climate change. It covered enabling conditions for research and development, the regulatory framework and infrastructure to support Member States’ NDC updates from 2020 to 2050

Barriers to installing innovative energy systems in existing housing stock identified

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoppe, Thomas

2013-01-01

Several barriers to upgrading existing social housing with innovative energy systems (IES) have been identified by a study of eight large-scale renovation projects in the Netherlands. These include a lack of trust between stakeholders, opposition from tenants on grounds of increased costs or delays,

The Analytical Potential Energy Function of NH Radical Molecule in External Electric Field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Dong-Lan; Tan Bin; Wan Hui-Jun; Xie An-Dong; Ding Da-Jun

2015-01-01

The geometric structures of an NH radical in different external electric fields are optimized by using the density functional B3P86/cc-PV5Z method, and the bond lengths, dipole moments, vibration frequencies and IR spectrum are obtained. The potential energy curves are gained by the CCSD (T) method with the same basis set. These results indicate that the physical property parameters and potential energy curves may change with the external electric field, especially in the reverse direction electric field. The potential energy function of zero field is fitted by the Morse potential, and the fitting parameters are in good accordance with the experimental data. The potential energy functions of different external electric fields are fitted adopting the constructed potential model. The fitted critical dissociation electric parameters are shown to be consistent with the numerical calculation, and the relative errors are only 0.27% and 6.61%, hence the constructed model is reliable and accurate. The present results provide an important reference for further study of the molecular spectrum, dynamics and molecular cooling with Stark effect. (paper)

Gas. Innovators talking; Gas. Innovators aan het woord

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-02-15

Qualitative studies have been conducted of the results of completed projects focused on energy innovation, spread over the seven themes of the top sector Energy: Energy saving in industry, Energy conservation in the built environment, Gas, Bio-energy, Smart grids, Offshore Wind, Solar PV. This provides insight into the follow-up activities and lessons of some EOS (Energy Research Subsidy) completed projects with the aim to inspire, connect and strengthen the TKIs (Topconsortia for Knowledge and Innovation) and individual companies and researchers working on energy innovation. This report concerns the research on gas [Dutch] Er is een kwalitatief onderzoek uitgevoerd naar de resultaten van afgeronde projecten gericht op energie-innovatie, verdeeld over de zeven thema's van de topsector Energie: Energiebesparing in de industrie; Energiebesparing in de gebouwde omgeving; Gas; Bio-energie; Smart grids; Wind op zee; Zon-pv. Daarmee wordt inzicht gegeven in de vervolgactiviteiten en lessen van een aantal afgesloten EOS-projecten (Energie Onderzoek Subsidie) met het oog op het inspireren, verbinden en versterken van de TKI's (Topconsortia voor Kennis en Innovatie) en individuele bedrijven en onderzoekers die werken aan energie-innovatie. Dit rapport betreft het onderzoek naar gas.

Gas. Innovators talking; Gas. Innovators aan het woord

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-02-15

Qualitative studies have been conducted of the results of completed projects focused on energy innovation, spread over the seven themes of the top sector Energy: Energy saving in industry, Energy conservation in the built environment, Gas, Bio-energy, Smart grids, Offshore Wind, Solar PV. This provides insight into the follow-up activities and lessons of some EOS (Energy Research Subsidy) completed projects with the aim to inspire, connect and strengthen the TKIs (Topconsortia for Knowledge and Innovation) and individual companies and researchers working on energy innovation. This report concerns the research on gas [Dutch] Er is een kwalitatief onderzoek uitgevoerd naar de resultaten van afgeronde projecten gericht op energie-innovatie, verdeeld over de zeven thema's van de topsector Energie: Energiebesparing in de industrie; Energiebesparing in de gebouwde omgeving; Gas; Bio-energie; Smart grids; Wind op zee; Zon-pv. Daarmee wordt inzicht gegeven in de vervolgactiviteiten en lessen van een aantal afgesloten EOS-projecten (Energie Onderzoek Subsidie) met het oog op het inspireren, verbinden en versterken van de TKI's (Topconsortia voor Kennis en Innovatie) en individuele bedrijven en onderzoekers die werken aan energie-innovatie. Dit rapport betreft het onderzoek naar gas.

Innovation in the energy sector – The role of fossil fuels and developing economies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brutschin, Elina; Fleig, Andreas

2016-01-01

This paper analyzes the effects of fossil fuel rents on R&D expenditures and patent grants in the field of energy-related technology. We argue that an increasing share of fossil fuel rents lessens the innovation of new energy technologies. We consider a sample of countries beyond the common selection of OECD members and investigate innovation efforts in the energy sector of 116 countries from 1980 to 2012. We observe the gradually growing influence of resource-abundant countries on global R&D expenditures and find that increasing fossil fuel rents have a negative effect on patent grants. This study contributes to the ongoing debate concerning the potential effects of resource abundance. More importantly, it increases our understanding of innovation activities within the energy sector and further underscores the need to extend future research to countries that have not been taken into account thus far. - Highlights: • We investigate a sample of 116 countries, a pool beyond the commonly considered OECD members. • We find that high oil prices induce increased R&D expenditures in developed countries. • Fossil rents are associated with decreasing patent grants when developing economies are included. • We use multiple imputation to handle the problem of missing data.

Sustainable energy for cashew production chain using innovative clean technology project developments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pannir Selvam, P.V.; Nandenha, Julio; Santiago, Brunno Henrique de Souza; Silva, Rosalia Tatiane da [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (GPEC/DEQ/UFRN), Lagoa Nova, RN (Brazil). Dept. de Engenharia Quimica. Grupo de Pesquisa em Engenharia de Custos e Processos], e-mail: pannirbr@gmail.com

2006-07-01

The main objective is to develop a new process synthesis based on the residual biomass waste for the energy production applied to the fruit processing plant with co-production of hot, cold thermal energy using biogas from the wood biomass and animal wastes. After carried out the bibliographical research about the current state of art technology, an engineering project had been developed with the use of the software Super Pro Designer V 4.9. Some simulations of processes of the fast pyrolysis, gasification, bio digestion, generation of energy have been realized including the system integration of energy production as innovation of the present work. Three cases study have been developed: first, the current process of conventional energy using combustion, another one using combined pyrolysis and gasification, and the last one with bio digestion for combined power, heat and chilling. The results about the project investment and the cost analysis, economic viability and cash balance were obtained using software Orc 2004. Several techno-economic parameters of the selected cases study involving process innovation were obtained and compared, where a better energy and materials utilization were observed in relation to conventional process. This project which is still in development phase, involves small scale energy integrated system design. The energy and the process integration cashew fruit production chain, based on the clean technology process design, has enable significant improvement in terms of economic and environmental using optimal system configurations with viability and sustainability. (author)

Photodissociation of anisole and absolute photoionization cross-section of the phenoxy radical.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Hong; Pratt, S T

2013-11-21

We have studied the photodissociation dynamics of anisole (C6H5OCH3) at 193 nm and determined the absolute photoionization cross-section of the phenoxy radical at 118.2 nm (10.486 eV) relative to the known cross-section of the methyl radical. Even at this energy, there is extensive fragmentation of the phenoxy radical upon photoionization, which is attributed to ionizing transitions that populate low-lying excited electronic states of the cation. For phenoxy radicals with less than ∼1 eV of internal energy, we find a cross-section for the production of the phenoxy cation of 14.8 ± 3.8 Mb. For radicals with higher internal energy, dissociative ionization is the dominant process, and for internal energies of ∼2.7-3.7 eV, we find a total cross-section (photoionization plus dissociative ionization) of 22.3 ± 4.1 Mb. The results are discussed relative to the recently reported photoionization cross-section of phenol.

Innovation and the price of wind energy in the US

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berry, David

2009-01-01

In the last ten years, the wind energy industry has experienced many innovations resulting in wider deployment of wind energy, larger wind energy projects, larger wind turbines, and greater capacity factors. Using regression analysis, this paper examines the effects of technological improvements and other factors on the price of wind energy charged under long-term contracts in the United States. For wind energy projects completed during the period 1999-2006, higher capacity factors and larger wind farms contributed to reductions in wind energy contract prices paid by regulated investor owned utilities in 2007. However, this effect was offset by rising construction costs. Turbine size (in MW) shows no clear relationship to contract prices, possibly because there may be opposing factors tending to decrease costs as turbine size increases and tending to increase costs as turbine size increases. Wind energy is generally a low-cost resource that is competitive with natural gas-fired power generation.

Which IP Strategies Do Young Highly Innovative Firms Choose

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Veugelers, Reinhilde; Schneider, Cédric

2018-01-01

This paper describes and analyzes the strategies of young highly innovative companies to appropriate the returns from their innovations. Upon controlling for other firm and industry characteristics, we show that firms combining a young age and small scale with a high R&D intensive profile are mor...... likely to use intellectual property (IP), specifically combining formal and informal appropriation mechanisms. They are especially more likely to choose secrecy in combination with formal IP. This holds primarily when they introduce more radical innovations new to the market....

Energy Innovations: Science & Technology at NREL, Winter 2011 (Brochure)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2010-12-01

The Energy Innovations newsletter serves as a key outreach tool for NREL to tout the lab's accomplishments, progress, and activities to key stakeholders who can impact the lab's level of funding and potential resources. Audiences include VIP visitors to NREL, current and potential partners in our work, and key decision makers who want to know about NREL's R&D directions and the quality and significance of our results.

Energy Innovations: Science & Technology at NREL, Winter 2010 (Brochure)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2010-02-01

The Energy Innovations newsletter serves as a key outreach tool for NREL to tout the lab's accomplishments, progress, and activities to key stakeholders who can impact the lab's level of funding and potential resources. Audiences include VIP visitors to NREL, current and potential partners in our work, and key decision makers who want to know about NREL's R&D directions and the quality and significance of our results.

On an innovative integrated technique for energy refurbishment of historical buildings: Thermal-energy, economic and environmental analysis of a case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pisello, Anna Laura; Petrozzi, Alessandro; Castaldo, Veronica Lucia; Cotana, Franco

2016-01-01

Highlights: • An innovative method for the energy retrofit of heritage buildings is proposed. • Dynamic thermal-energy assessment of passive and active solutions is carried out. • The cooling effect of novel tiles suitable for historic buildings is investigated. • Potentialities of a ground source heat pump system with storage tanks are showed. • Energy-environmental-economic assessment is made for the prototype intervention. - Abstract: In the last decades, increasing attention has been paid to the enhancement of energy performance and comfort conditions of historic buildings, where the necessity to preserve architectural heritage does not allow typical invasive retrofit interventions. The need for a replicable methodology for improving the sustainability of historic buildings based on the integration of energy efficiency solutions with renewable technologies is here addressed, by riding over the constraints imposed by architectural preservations, rather taking advantage of heritage architectural peculiarities. The case study is represented by Palazzo Gallenga Stuart, a historical university building located in central Italy. The optimization of the building energy efficiency has been pursued through two strategies specifically prototyped for application in historic buildings, i.e. innovative cool tiles with the same appearance of traditional historic tiles, and a geothermal heat pump system with water storage tanks positioned in the under-ground unoccupied areas of the building previously used as archives, also preventing the use of external units spoiling the building façade. Four retrofit scenarios were analyzed and compared from a both technical and economical point of view. The results showed that the application of the innovative cool tiles lead to a maximum cooling energy saving of 14.0% and 3.8% in the classrooms of the top floor and in the whole building, respectively. Furthermore, the installation of a more effective energy plant leads to an

An international partnership approach to clean energy technology innovation: Carbon capture and storage

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiaoliang

Is a global research partnership effective in developing, deploying, and diffusing clean energy technologies? Drawing on and extending innovation system studies, this doctoral dissertation elaborates an analytical model for a global technology learning system; examines the rationales, mechanisms, and effectiveness of the United States-- China Clean Energy Research Center Advanced Coal Technology Consortium (CERC-ACTC); and analyzes government's role in developing and implementing carbon capture and storage technologies in the United States (U.S.) and China. Studies have shown that successful technology innovation leads to economic prosperity and national competence, and prove that technology innovation does not happen in isolation but rather within interactive systems among stakeholders. However, the innovation process itself remains unclear, particularly with regard to interactive learning among and between major institutional actors, including technology developers, regulators, and financial organizations. This study seeks to advance scholarship on the interactive learning from the angle of global interactive learning. This dissertation research project seeks, as well, to inform policy-makers of how to strengthen international collaboration in clean energy technology development. The U.S.--China CERC-ACTC announced by Presidents Obama and Hu in 2009, provided a unique opportunity to close this scholarly gap. ACTC aimed to "advance the coal technology needed to safely, effectively, and efficiently utilize coal resources including the ability to capture, store, and utilize the emissions from coal use in both nations " through the joint research and development by U.S. and Chinese scientists and engineers. This dissertation project included one-year field research in the two countries, with in-depth interviews of key stakeholders, a survey of Consortium participants, analysis of available data, and site visits to collaborative research projects from 2013-2014. This

UK innovation systems for new and renewable energy technologies: drivers, barriers and systems failures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foxon, T.J.; Gross, R.; Chase, A.; Howes, J.; Arnall, A.; Anderson, D.

2005-01-01

A better understanding of the systemic processes by which innovation occurs is useful, both conceptually and to inform policy-making in support of innovation in more sustainable technologies. This paper analyses current innovation systems in the UK for a range of new and renewable energy technologies, and generates policy recommendations for improving the effectiveness of these innovation systems. Although incentives are in place in the UK to encourage innovation in these technologies, system failures - or 'gaps' - are identified in moving technologies along the innovation chain, preventing their successful commercialisation. Sustained investment will be needed for these technologies to achieve their potential. It is argued that a stable and consistent policy framework is required to help create the conditions for this. In particular, such a framework should be aimed at improving risk/reward ratios for demonstration and pre-commercial stage technologies. This would enhance positive expectations, stimulate learning effects leading to cost reductions, and increase the likelihood of successful commercialisation

Nuclear energy: The role of innovation. Vienna, 23 June 2003. Conference on innovative technologies for nuclear fuel cycles and nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElBaradei, M.

2003-01-01

First, the scope of our vision for the future of nuclear power must be global. While we often point out that nuclear power currently provides about 16% of global electricity, we note less often that some 83% of nuclear capacity is concentrated in industrialized countries. If nuclear power is to play a major role in meeting this demand for additional energy, it will require innovative approaches - both technological and otherwise - to match the needs of users not only in industrialized but also in developing countries. Secondly, innovation must be responsive to concerns that remain about nuclear power, and should be 'smart' in taking into account new developments and expected future trends. For example, innovation should ensure that new reactor and fuel cycle technologies incorporate inherent safety features, proliferation resistant characteristics, and reduced generation of waste. Consideration should be given to physical protection and other characteristics that will reduce the vulnerability of nuclear facilities and materials to theft, sabotage and terrorist acts. Awareness of needs other than electricity generation can help to make the nuclear contribution more substantial. Third, nuclear innovation efforts should be co-operative and collaborative in nature. The most important outcome of this collaboration may be, as I have already suggested, a better understanding of user needs and requirements worldwide. The IAEA's International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO) was developed with precisely this objective in mind - to engender the broadest possible international collaboration, to permit the scientific and technological innovation that would ensure that nuclear energy remains a viable option for future generations. INPRO recently completed its work on defining user requirements related to economics, safety, proliferation resistance and the environment, bringing Phase 1A of the project to a close. The INPRO Steering Committee last

Functional evolution and accumulation of technological innovation systems: the case of renewable energy in East Africa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tigabu, A.D.; Berkhout, F.G.H.; van Beukering, P.J.H.

2015-01-01

This paper compares the historical development of innovation systems related to biogas and improved cooking stove technologies in Rwanda and Kenya by applying the 'functions approach'. It argues that the accumulation of functions in these four renewable energy technological innovation systems (TISs)

Environmental Innovation Dynamics in the Automotive industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuik, O

2006-01-01

This paper addresses the innovation dynamics induced by environmental policy in the automotive industry. It examines car fuel efficiency programs in the EU, the US and Japan. It concludes that existing programs have not yet succeeded in promoting radical and breakthrough technologies, but that, at

Learning in innovation networks: Some simulation experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Gilbert, Nigel; Ahrweiler, Petra; Pyka, Andreas

2007-05-01

According to the organizational learning literature, the greatest competitive advantage a firm has is its ability to learn. In this paper, a framework for modeling learning competence in firms is presented to improve the understanding of managing innovation. Firms with different knowledge stocks attempt to improve their economic performance by engaging in radical or incremental innovation activities and through partnerships and networking with other firms. In trying to vary and/or to stabilize their knowledge stocks by organizational learning, they attempt to adapt to environmental requirements while the market strongly selects on the results. The simulation experiments show the impact of different learning activities, underlining the importance of innovation and learning.

The Dynamics of Innovation Influents

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reijonen, Satu; Pinheiro-Croisel, Rebecca

Despite a growing interest, sustainable energy innovations encounter difficulties in attaining market success. This paper investigates the role of contracts, a hitherto understudied innovation influent, in generating more conducive conditions for sustainable energy innovations in building projects...... of the project and the ways in which the benefits and costs are calculated and thereby create a strong entanglement of the sustainable energy innovation and the design project. Furthermore, the dynamics lead to favouring of uptake of existing innovations rather than generating completely novel solutions...

Report on energy transition measured against innovation and decentralisation - National Assembly No. 1352 / Senate No. 838

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sido, Bruno; Le Deaut, Jean-Yves

2013-01-01

In its first part, this report analyses the effort-sharing for energy transition: legal and natural persons have different behaviours and expectations; the required funding is a burden for the economy; non-conventional hydrocarbons could be a possibility but this issue is highly uncertain. The second part addresses the support to innovation processes associated with energy transition: identification of deadlock points, identification of conditions to maintain innovation dynamics. The third part addresses the key role of local initiatives: overview and characteristics of local initiatives, impact on the energy system organization (relationship with smart grids, development of heat networks, and the technological challenge of energy storage). Several texts (hearings, speeches, debates) are provided in appendix

Marketing activities to support ‘Moderately Novel’ product innovation: Insights from the chemical industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smits, A.A.J.; Vissers, G.A.N.; Dankbaar, B.

2015-01-01

Scholars often follow a contingency approach to study which marketing activities are suitable for a particular type of product innovation project, thereby making a distinction between incremental and radical innovation only. ‘Moderately novel’ projects, which have intermediate levels of newness,

Early events following radiolytic and photogeneration of radical cations in hydrocarbons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Werst, D.W.; Trifunac, A.D.

1992-01-01

Real-time studies in hydrocarbons have revealed a richness of chemistry involving the initial ionic species produced in radiolysis and photoionization. A modified radical cation mechanism patterned after the core mechanism for alkane radiolysis-formation of radical cations and their disappearance via ion-molecule reactions - is capable of explaining a wide range of observations in high-energy photochemistry, and thus unifies two high-energy regimes. Fundamental studies of radical cations suggest strategies for mitigating radiation effects in materials

The development of global energy supply as a succession of energy-related innovation processes. A qualitative model approach to assess the use of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herrmann, Dieter

2017-01-01

Often, the development of the world energy supply is adopted as a painful sequence of the exhaustible and polluting use of primary energy sources. Therefore the expectations in practically inexhaustible and environmentally neutral renewable energy sources are high. However, in fact, it depends on the available production, conversion, and utilization technology, which sources of energy are suitable to meet given demands and requirements. In particular, the development of the energy demand requires energy technology innovations to use new energy sources, to use known energy sources more efficient and to replace exhaustible energy sources at an early stage by others. The historical development of the global energy supply is a sequence of interrelated energy technology innovation processes. This makes it also possible, to analyse the historical development of nuclear power and to derive a model on the future role of nuclear power worldwide.

Evaluation of the Market introduction Energy Innovations (MEI) subsidy scheme; Evaluatie van de MEI-regeling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wetzels, W.; Smekens, K.; Lako, P. [ECN Beleidsstudies, Petten (Netherlands); Warmenhoven, H. [De Gemeynt, Klarenbeek (Netherlands)

2012-11-15

This report contains the outcomes of an evaluation study of the Market introduction Energy Innovations (MEI) subsidy scheme. This scheme is targeted to the horticultural sector and aims to stimulate and accelerate the early market introduction of innovative energy systems in greenhouses. The subsidy scheme was initiated in 2007 and has provided subsidies twice a year since then. Based on project and data analysis, stakeholder interviews and a workshop, the evaluation concludes that the MEI scheme has made a positive contribution to the innovation process in the sector, but that the scheme could have been implemented more efficiently [Dutch] De regeling Marktintroductie energie-innovaties (MEI) is in 2007 ingesteld door het toenmalige Ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit. Het doel van de MEI-regeling is het stimuleren en versnellen van de vroege marktintroductie van innovatieve energiesystemen in de glastuinbouw. ECN en De Gemeynt hebben een evaluatie uitgevoerd van de MEI-regeling. De centrale conclusie is dat de regeling een positieve bijdrage heeft geleverd aan het innovatieproces in de glastuinbouwsector.

The Role of Technical Innovation and Sustainability on Energy Consumption: A Case Study on the Taiwanese Automobile Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chao-Wu Chou

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The impact of global warming and climate change is one of the most critical challenges of the 21st century. The greenhouse effect caused by technological development and industrial pollution has accelerated the speed of global warming. The continuous improvement in automobile energy consumption is one of the most effective ways to reduce global warming. A comparative analysis is proposed to examine the various automobiles that utilize technological innovation to improve their energy consumption. Their contribution to CO2 emissions is then investigated. This study focuses on technical innovation and output power of a conventional engine. The results indicate that innovative engines (such as the Ford turbo petrol/diesel engine, the EcoBoost/TDCi have improved energy consumption and reduce CO2 emissions. In addition, the Toyota hybrid vehicles have also improved energy consumption and reduced greenhouse gases emissions.

An innovation management approach for renewable energy deployment. The case of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shum, Kwok L.; Watanabe, Chihiro

2009-01-01

In the discussion of renewable energy deployment, one key concern is the various types of barriers that renewable energy needs to overcome before it can make its way into the mainstream. These barriers increasingly shift from the technical to the economic and institutional. The most general types of barriers are due to technological 'lock-out' or to carbon 'lock-in' [. Understanding carbon lock-in. Energy Policy 28(12), 817-830 (Elsevier)]. These barriers necessitate the development of a strategic approach to deploy or introduce renewable energy technology. Existing energy policy has mostly relied upon financial subsidies, market-based instruments such as renewable portfolio standards, and production tax credits to stimulate the installation and use of equipment to generate electricity from renewable sources. These strategies target mostly system-level decisions of end users. The purpose of this paper is to present an innovation perspective on the renewable energy deployment process by introducing the innovation value-added chain (IVC) framework. The analytical objective of IVC is to evaluate the impact of a new innovation on the various stakeholders and players in the development and deployment processes. A deployment or innovation strategy that causes minimal disruption, enhances existing competencies, or expedites new learning by the players has a higher chance to succeed. We draw upon two sets of system integration costs data for grid-connected distributed photovoltaic (PV) systems in Japan and the United States and demonstrate conspicuously different dynamic learning behaviors. These two deployment models can be understood in terms of how the IVCs are organized and how PV system integration projects are performed in the field. In addition, IVC-based findings can inform the targeted application of conventional financial subsidies for learning investment not only at the PV system level, but also at the (localized) system integration level. This would involve

Free radicals in dicarboxylic acids: an e.s.r. study of radical conversions in γ-irradiated single crystals of glutaric acid and glutaric-2,2,4,4-d4 acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergene, R.; Minegishi, A.; Riesz, P.

1980-01-01

The γ-radiation-induced free radicals in single crystals of glutaric acid and glutaric-2,2,4,4-d 4 acid were studied in the temperature range 77-300 K by e.s.r. techniques. At 77 K the decarboxylation radical and the anion are stabilized. At higher temperatures the decarboxylation radical is found to be converted into a hydrogen abstraction radical with an activation energy of 6.3 +- 0.5 kcal/mole for the non-deuterated crystal. This radical is stable at room temperature. The anion seems to be converted to a unidentified intermediate radical which in turn is converted to the σ-acyl radical. An analysis of the g-value anisotropy and of the 13 C hyperfine splitting variation for this radical in the deuterated crystal is consistent with the assigned radical structure. By heat treatment the σ-acyl radical is converted to another form of the hydrogen abstraction radical with an activation energy of 9.6 +- 0.6 kcal/mole in the deuterated crystal. U.V.-light (lambda= 254 nm) transforms one of the room temperature radicals into the other. (author)

Center for Electrocatalysis, Transport Phenomena, and Materials (CETM) for Innovative Energy Storage - Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soloveichik, Grigorii [GE Global Research, Niskayuna, New York (United States)

2015-11-30

EFRC vision. The direct use of organic hydrides in fuel cells as virtual hydrogen carriers that generate stable organic molecules, protons, and electrons upon electro-oxidation and can be electrochemically charged by re-hydrogenating the oxidized carrier was the major focus of the Center for Electrocatalysis, Transport Phenomena and Materials for Innovative Energy Storage (EFRC-ETM). Compared to a hydrogen-on-demand design that includes thermal decomposition of organic hydrides in a catalytic reactor, the proposed approach is much simpler and does not require additional dehydrogenation catalysts or heat exchangers. Further, this approach utilizes the advantages of a flow battery (i.e., separation of power and energy, ease of transport and storage of liquid fuels) with fuels that have system energy densities similar to current hydrogen PEM fuel cells. EFRC challenges. Two major EFRC challenges were electrocatalysis and transport phenomena. The electrocatalysis challenge addresses fundamental processes which occur at a single molecular catalyst (microscopic level) and involve electron and proton transfer between the hydrogen rich and hydrogen depleted forms of organic liquid fuel and the catalyst. To form stable, non-radical dehydrogenation products from the organic liquid fuel, it is necessary to ensure fast transport of at least two electrons and two protons (per double bond formation). The same is true for the reverse hydrogenation reaction. The transport phenomena challenge addresses transport of electrons to/from the electrocatalyst and the current collector as well as protons across the polymer membrane. Additionally it addresses prevention of organic liquid fuel, water and oxygen transport through the PEM. In this challenge, the transport of protons or molecules involves multiple sites or a continuum (macroscopic level) and water serves as a proton conducting medium for the majority of known sulfonic acid based PEMs. Proton transfer in the presence of

Insights on Technology Innovation - A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Competition Entries 2002-2015

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simon, Joseph J [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Doris, Elizabeth S [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Farrar, Sara L [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-10-09

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Decathlon is a collegiate competition that challenges student teams to design and build full-size, solar-powered houses. Because of balanced design priorities of architecture, engineering, innovation, performance, and energy use, teams have focused on a range of technologies in the built environment, from wall materials to home control systems, from electric lighting to HVAC equipment, and from geothermal to solar photovoltaic technology. This report provides insights into building technology innovation from a review of the Solar Decathlon competition entry designs, anecdotal experiences, and related market reports. The report describes example case studies of the evolution of technology solutions over time to illustrate the innovative, market-driving nature of the Solar Decathlon. It charts technologies utilized in the team designs over seven competitions and compares those to broader market adoption. It is meant to illustrate the technology innovation aspects of the competition, not to be a comprehensive or quantitative analysis. Solar Decathlon also has impacts on public perception of innovative technologies as well as workforce development through the thousands of participating students. The focus of these case studies is to showcase how it contributes to marketplace adoption of innovative energy technologies.

Financing clean energy development in the emerging economies: the need for innovation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parker, Nicholas

1994-01-01

The World Energy Council's Commission ''Energy for Tomorrow's World'' points out that the emerging economies (the developing countries and the economies in transition) face increasingly daunting challenges in meeting their energy service requirements and in ensuring their energy needs are met in an environmentally-sustainable manner. Rising to the environmental challenge will require the diffusion of cleaner and more efficient energy production, transportation and end-use technologies. Greater efficiency is required if only to reduce growing shortages in meeting national power requirements. Against this backdrop, this article will examine: whether or not the funding needs of clean energy development in the emerging economies are being met; and what kinds of financial innovation might be required to accelerate the diffusion of cleaner energy technologies. (author)

Innovation in emerging energy technologies: A case study analysis to inform the path forward for algal biofuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haase, Rachel; Bielicki, Jeffrey; Kuzma, Jennifer

2013-01-01

Algal biofuel is an emerging energy source that has the potential to improve upon the environmental benefits realized by conventional biofuels and contribute to the biofuels mandate set by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). While there has been much research into producing fuel from algae, a commercial-scale facility has not yet been built. We examine two case studies of energy technology innovation in the United States, first generation biodiesel and solar photovoltaics (PV), using the technological innovation system (TIS) framework to provide lessons and inform the path forward for commercializing algal biofuel. We identify five event types that have been the most influential to these innovation processes: changing expectations, technology development, demonstration projects, policy targets, and government subsidies. Some algal biofuel demonstration projects have occurred, but despite falling under the mandates set forth in the RFS (a policy target), algal biofuels do not currently receive production subsidies. The main finding from the case study analysis is that government interventions have significantly influenced the innovation processes of first generation biodiesel and solar PV and will likely be key factors in the commercialization of algal biofuel. - Highlights: • Two energy technology case studies were analyzed with a TIS framework. • Major drivers in the innovation process were identified in each case. • Government interventions were key factors for both. • The one identified key driver algal biofuel is lacking is federal subsidies. • All components of the TIS framework deserve attention in promoting innovation

Alternative energy and the adoption of innovation by the consumer; Energias alternativas e a adocao da inovacao pelo consumidor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ferreira, Reinaldo Lopes [Fundacao Dom Cabral (FDC), Nova Lima, MG (Brazil)], Email: reinaldo@rlf.com.br; Mineiro, Erico Franco [Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais (UEMG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)], Email: erico.acad@gmail.com; Veiga, Ricardo Teixeira [Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)], Email: ricardo.necc@gmail.com

2010-04-15

Innovative products and services demand, in addition to development efforts, an endeavour in the adoption of the innovation by the consumer. This article presents a literature review on the subject and an approach to marketing aspects of alternative energies, based on the implications of the actions related to this process as far as environment and society are concerned. It is also discussed how marketing practices can be used in affecting the consumer behaviour on energy, promoting the adoption of technological innovations. (author)

Energy saving innovations in residential buildings. Energiesparende Innovationen im Eigenheim

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gruber, E; Meyer, T

1983-01-01

Socio-economic studies have been carried out in the course of the ''Landstuhl demonstration project'' with the aim of evaluating supporting and hampering factors for the realization of energy saving measures, especially for the use of innovation techniques and the use of passive solar energy in residential buildings. The results of two opinion polls have been presented by means of standardized personal interviews with building-owners (in the whole Federal Republic and in the demonstration area) and with building experts (264 persons questioned). The evaluations of the results of the opinion poll show that energy conservation plays an important but not a dominant part in the planning of residential buildings. In the ''Landstuhl area'' energy saving investments took an above-average high position (large impact of the demonstration project). The building-owners and experts most frequently wanted and recommended increased conventional measures. It could be shown that the imagination of the building-owners was asked too much when taking measures for the use of passive solar energy.

Frugal innovation: doing more with less for more.

Science.gov (United States)

Prabhu, Jaideep

2017-06-13

The global economy will face significant challenges over the next few decades. On the one hand, it must meet the needs of 7 billion consumers (growing to 9 billion by 2050), including the currently unmet basic needs of large numbers in developing countries in areas such as food, energy, housing and health. On the other hand, it must achieve this growth without exceeding the resources available on the planet or causing environmental devastation. This paper argues that such change is possible through a systemic shift to a frugal economy that involves radical, frugal innovation across sectors. Such a transformation will involve the participation of large and small firms, consumers and governments alike. The paper introduces the notion of frugal innovation-the creation of faster, better and cheaper solutions for more people that employ minimal resources-and discusses strategies and examples of such change already taking place in core sectors like manufacturing, food, automotive and energy in developing and developed economies. It also outlines the role of the interaction between large and small firms as well as between firms and consumers in making change possible, as well as the role of governments in driving change where market mechanisms alone will not suffice.This article is part of the themed issue 'Material demand reduction'. © 2017 The Author(s).

The social shaping of innovation in polish companies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lorentzen, Anne

2003-01-01

The paper deals with strategies of innovation in Polish manufacturing companies. The point of departure is a theoretical framework of enterprise level innovation, and of the factors forming strategies of innovation on enterprise level. The paper analyses evidence from 23 Polish companies and pres......The paper deals with strategies of innovation in Polish manufacturing companies. The point of departure is a theoretical framework of enterprise level innovation, and of the factors forming strategies of innovation on enterprise level. The paper analyses evidence from 23 Polish companies...... and presents two cases more in detail. The analysis shows that the Polish companies have all been quite innovative, mostly in relation to product innovation. They choose innovation strategies, which are incremental more than radical, and they tend to differentiate their product range rather than to specialise....... They consider quality development a must in the fight for market shares and they adapt equipment and organisation to this goal. The factors forming and determining the strategies of the companies count the technological knowledge and expertise of the owner/founder, the structural changes of the market...

Can innovative business models overcome resistance to electric vehicles? Better Place and battery electric cars in Denmark

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Budde Christensen, Thomas; Wells, Peter; Cipcigan, Liana

2012-01-01

This paper explores the geographical and policy context for an emergent business model from Better Place to deliver battery electric car mobility in Denmark. It argues that the combination of radically different technologies and a highly complex multi-agency operating environment theoretically provide the conditions and requirements for such an emergent business model. While focused on battery electric cars, renewable energy generation and smart grids, the paper has wider applicability to an understanding of the interplay between place, innovation and sustainability which suggests that diverse solutions are likely to be the characteristic solution rather than ubiquity and standardization. The paper argues, however, that the innovative business model, the deployment of electric vehicles, and the use of renewable energy systems, in this case largely based on wind power, while mutually supportive and contributing to wider policy aims with respect to the reduction of carbon emissions, may still fail in the face of entrenched practices. At the theoretical level it is concluded that theorization of business models needs a broader perspective beyond the typical ‘value creation, value capture’ rubric to better understand the wider role such models have in meeting societal goals, and to understand the structural impediments to organizational and technical innovation. - Highlights: ► We explore the context for an innovative emergent business model to deliver battery electric car mobility in Denmark. ► We explore the interplay between battery electric cars, renewable energy generation and smart grids. ► We discuss the integration of electric cars in energy systems based on renewable energy sources. ► We discuss the likely success of the Better Place business model.

Innovation in scholarly communication: Vision and projects from high-energy physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heuer, R.D.; Holtkamp, A.; Mele, S.

2008-05-01

Having always been at the forefront of information management and open access, High-Energy Physics (HEP) proves to be an ideal test-bed for innovations in scholarly communication including new information and communication technologies. Three selected topics of scholarly communication in High-Energy Physics are presented here: A new open access business model, SCOAP, a world-wide sponsoring consortium for peer-reviewed HEP literature; the design, development and deployment of an e-infrastructure for information management; and the emerging debate on long-term preservation, re-use and (open) access to HEP data. (orig.)

Innovation in scholarly communications. Vision and projects from High-Energy Physics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heuer, R D; Holtkamp, A [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Mele, S [European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva (Switzerland)

2008-05-15

Having always been at the forefront of information management and open access, High-Energy Physics (HEP) proves to be an ideal test-bed for innovations in scholarly communication including new information and communication technologies. Three selected topics of scholarly communication in High-Energy Physics are presented here: A new open access business model, SCOAP, a world-wide sponsoring consortium for peer-reviewed HEP literature; the design, development and deployment of an e-infrastructure for information management; and the emerging debate on long-term preservation, re-use and (open) access to HEP data. (orig.)

Innovation in Scholarly Communication Vision and Projects from High-Energy Physics

CERN Document Server

Heuer, Rolf-Dieter; Mele, Salvatore

2008-01-01

Having always been at the forefront of information management and open access, High-Energy Physics (HEP) proves to be an ideal test-bed for innovations in scholarly communication including new information and communication technologies. Three selected topics of scholarly communication in High-Energy Physics are presented here: A new open access business model, SCOAP3, a world-wide sponsoring consortium for peer-reviewed HEP literature; the design, development and deployment of an e-infrastructure for information management; and the emerging debate on long-term preservation, re-use and (open) access to HEP data.

Organizational Learning, Strategic Flexibility and Business Model Innovation: An Empirical Research Based on Logistics Enterprises

Science.gov (United States)

Bao, Yaodong; Cheng, Lin; Zhang, Jian

Using the data of 237 Jiangsu logistics firms, this paper empirically studies the relationship among organizational learning capability, business model innovation, strategic flexibility. The results show as follows; organizational learning capability has positive impacts on business model innovation performance; strategic flexibility plays mediating roles on the relationship between organizational learning capability and business model innovation; interaction among strategic flexibility, explorative learning and exploitative learning play significant roles in radical business model innovation and incremental business model innovation.

Solar PV. Innovators talking; Zon PV. Innovators aan het woord

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-02-15

Qualitative studies have been conducted of the results of completed projects focused on energy innovation, spread over the seven themes of the top sector Energy: Energy saving in industry, Energy conservation in the built environment, Gas, Bio-energy, Smart grids, Offshore Wind, Solar PV. This provides insight into the follow-up activities and lessons of some EOS (Energy Research Subsidy) completed projects with the aim to inspire, connect and strengthen the TKIs (Topconsortia for Knowledge and Innovation) and individual companies and researchers working on energy innovation. This report concerns the research on solar PV [Dutch] Er is een kwalitatief onderzoek uitgevoerd naar de resultaten van afgeronde projecten gericht op energie-innovatie, verdeeld over de zeven thema's van de topsector Energie: Energiebesparing in de industrie; Energiebesparing in de gebouwde omgeving; Gas; Bio-energie; Smart grids; Wind op zee; Zon-pv. Daarmee wordt inzicht gegeven in de vervolgactiviteiten en lessen van een aantal afgesloten EOS-projecten (Energie Onderzoek Subsidie) met het oog op het inspireren, verbinden en versterken van de TKI's (Topconsortia voor Kennis en Innovatie) en individuele bedrijven en onderzoekers die werken aan energie-innovatie. Dit rapport betreft het onderzoek naar zon PV.

Smart Grids. Innovators talking; Smart Grids. Innovators aan het woord

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-02-15

Qualitative studies have been conducted of the results of completed projects focused on energy innovation, spread over the seven themes of the top sector Energy: Energy saving in industry, Energy conservation in the built environment, Gas, Bio-energy, Smart grids, Offshore Wind, Solar PV. This provides insight into the follow-up activities and lessons of some EOS (Energy Research Subsidy) completed projects with the aim to inspire, connect and strengthen the TKIs (Topconsortia for Knowledge and Innovation) and individual companies and researchers working on energy innovation. This report concerns the research on Smart Grids [Dutch] Er is een kwalitatief onderzoek uitgevoerd naar de resultaten van afgeronde projecten gericht op energie-innovatie, verdeeld over de zeven thema's van de topsector Energie: Energiebesparing in de industrie; Energiebesparing in de gebouwde omgeving; Gas; Bio-energie; Smart grids; Wind op zee; Zon-pv. Daarmee wordt inzicht gegeven in de vervolgactiviteiten en lessen van een aantal afgesloten EOS-projecten (Energie Onderzoek Subsidie) met het oog op het inspireren, verbinden en versterken van de TKI's (Topconsortia voor Kennis en Innovatie) en individuele bedrijven en onderzoekers die werken aan energie-innovatie. Dit rapport betreft het onderzoek naar Smart Grids.

Solar PV. Innovators talking; Zon PV. Innovators aan het woord

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-02-15

Qualitative studies have been conducted of the results of completed projects focused on energy innovation, spread over the seven themes of the top sector Energy: Energy saving in industry, Energy conservation in the built environment, Gas, Bio-energy, Smart grids, Offshore Wind, Solar PV. This provides insight into the follow-up activities and lessons of some EOS (Energy Research Subsidy) completed projects with the aim to inspire, connect and strengthen the TKIs (Topconsortia for Knowledge and Innovation) and individual companies and researchers working on energy innovation. This report concerns the research on solar PV [Dutch] Er is een kwalitatief onderzoek uitgevoerd naar de resultaten van afgeronde projecten gericht op energie-innovatie, verdeeld over de zeven thema's van de topsector Energie: Energiebesparing in de industrie; Energiebesparing in de gebouwde omgeving; Gas; Bio-energie; Smart grids; Wind op zee; Zon-pv. Daarmee wordt inzicht gegeven in de vervolgactiviteiten en lessen van een aantal afgesloten EOS-projecten (Energie Onderzoek Subsidie) met het oog op het inspireren, verbinden en versterken van de TKI's (Topconsortia voor Kennis en Innovatie) en individuele bedrijven en onderzoekers die werken aan energie-innovatie. Dit rapport betreft het onderzoek naar zon PV.

Smart Grids. Innovators talking; Smart Grids. Innovators aan het woord

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-02-15

Qualitative studies have been conducted of the results of completed projects focused on energy innovation, spread over the seven themes of the top sector Energy: Energy saving in industry, Energy conservation in the built environment, Gas, Bio-energy, Smart grids, Offshore Wind, Solar PV. This provides insight into the follow-up activities and lessons of some EOS (Energy Research Subsidy) completed projects with the aim to inspire, connect and strengthen the TKIs (Topconsortia for Knowledge and Innovation) and individual companies and researchers working on energy innovation. This report concerns the research on Smart Grids [Dutch] Er is een kwalitatief onderzoek uitgevoerd naar de resultaten van afgeronde projecten gericht op energie-innovatie, verdeeld over de zeven thema's van de topsector Energie: Energiebesparing in de industrie; Energiebesparing in de gebouwde omgeving; Gas; Bio-energie; Smart grids; Wind op zee; Zon-pv. Daarmee wordt inzicht gegeven in de vervolgactiviteiten en lessen van een aantal afgesloten EOS-projecten (Energie Onderzoek Subsidie) met het oog op het inspireren, verbinden en versterken van de TKI's (Topconsortia voor Kennis en Innovatie) en individuele bedrijven en onderzoekers die werken aan energie-innovatie. Dit rapport betreft het onderzoek naar Smart Grids.

Optimal policy of energy innovation in developing countries: Development of solar PV in Iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shafiei, Ehsan; Saboohi, Yadollah; Ghofrani, Mohammad B.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study is to apply managerial economics and methods of decision analysis to study the optimal pattern of innovation activities for development of new energy technologies in developing countries. For this purpose, a model of energy research and development (R and D) planning is developed and it is then linked to a bottom-up energy-systems model. The set of interlinked models provide a comprehensive analytical tool for assessment of energy technologies and innovation planning taking into account the specific conditions of developing countries. An energy-system model is used as a tool for the assessment and prioritization of new energy technologies. Based on the results of the technology assessment model, the optimal R and D resources allocation for new energy technologies is estimated with the help of the R and D planning model. The R and D planning model is based on maximization of the total net present value of resulting R and D benefits taking into account the dynamics of technological progress, knowledge and experience spillovers from advanced economies, technology adoption and R and D constraints. Application of the set of interlinked models is explained through the analysis of the development of solar PV in Iranian electricity supply system and then some important policy insights are concluded

Introducing Stable Radicals into Molecular Machines.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yuping; Frasconi, Marco; Stoddart, J Fraser

2017-09-27

Ever since their discovery, stable organic radicals have received considerable attention from chemists because of their unique optical, electronic, and magnetic properties. Currently, one of the most appealing challenges for the chemical community is to develop sophisticated artificial molecular machines that can do work by consuming external energy, after the manner of motor proteins. In this context, radical-pairing interactions are important in addressing the challenge: they not only provide supramolecular assistance in the synthesis of molecular machines but also open the door to developing multifunctional systems relying on the various properties of the radical species. In this Outlook, by taking the radical cationic state of 1,1'-dialkyl-4,4'-bipyridinium (BIPY •+ ) as an example, we highlight our research on the art and science of introducing radical-pairing interactions into functional systems, from prototypical molecular switches to complex molecular machines, followed by a discussion of the (i) limitations of the current systems and (ii) future research directions for designing BIPY •+ -based molecular machines with useful functions.

Radicals derived from acetaldehyde and vinyl alcohol.

Science.gov (United States)

Estep, Marissa L; Morgan, W James; Winkles, Alexander T; Abbott, Adam S; Villegas-Escobar, Nery; Mullinax, J Wayne; Turner, Walter E; Wang, Xiao; Turney, Justin M; Schaefer, Henry F

2017-10-18

Vinyl alcohol and acetaldehyde are isoelectronic products of incomplete butanol combustion. Along with the radicals resulting from the removal of atomic hydrogen or the hydroxyl radical, these species are studied here using ab initio methods as complete as coupled cluster theory with single, double, triple, and perturbative quadruple excitations [CCSDT(Q)], with basis sets as large as cc-pV5Z. The relative energies provided herein are further refined by including corrections for relativistic effects, the frozen core approximation, and the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. The effects of anharmonic zero-point vibrational energies are also treated. The syn conformer of vinyl alcohol is predicted to be lower in energy than the anti conformer by 1.1 kcal mol -1 . The alcoholic hydrogen of syn-vinyl alcohol is found to be the easiest to remove, requiring 84.4 kcal mol -1 . Five other radicals are also carefully considered, with four conformers investigated for the 1-hydroxyvinyl radical. Beyond energetics, we have conducted an overhaul of the spectroscopic literature for these species. Our results also provide predictions for fundamental modes yet to be reported experimentally. To our knowledge, the ν 3 (3076 cm -1 ) and ν 4 (2999 cm -1 ) C-H stretches for syn-vinyl alcohol and all but one of the vibrational modes for anti-vinyl alcohol (ν 1 -ν 14 ) are yet to be observed experimentally. For the acetyl radical, ν 6 (1035 cm -1 ), ν 11 (944 cm -1 ), ν 12 (97 cm -1 ), and accounting for our changes to the assignment of the 1419.9 cm -1 experimental mode, ν 10 (1441 cm -1 ), are yet to be observed. We have predicted these unobserved fundamentals and reassigned the experimental 1419.9 cm -1 frequency in the acetyl radical to ν 4 rather than to ν 10 . Our work also strongly supports reassignment of the ν 10 and ν 11 fundamentals of the vinoxy radical. We suggest that the bands assigned to the overtones of these fundamentals were in fact combination bands. Our

Expert Meeting Report: Key Innovations for Adding Energy Efficiency to Maintenance Projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wood, A.; Wiehagen, J.

2012-09-01

This report describes an expert meeting hosted by the Building America research team NAHB Research Center, which was held on February 8, 2012, in Orlando, Florida. The topic, Key Innovations for Adding Energy Efficiency to Maintenance Projects, was intended to provide direction to more focused efforts to increase the efficiency of existing homes; in this meeting, the focus was specifically for re-roofing and the opportunities for adding energy efficiency upgrades during this major home repair activity.

Investigation of innovative thermochemical energy storage processes and materials for building applications

OpenAIRE

Aydin, Devrim

2016-01-01

In this study, it is aimed to develop an innovative thermochemical energy storage system through material, reactor and process based investigations for building space heating applications. The developed system could be integrated with solar thermal collectors, photovoltaic panels or heat pumps to store any excess energy in the form of heat for later use. Thereby, it is proposed to address the problem of high operational costs and CO2 emissions released by currently used fossil fuel based heat...

Time-Saving Innovations, Time Allocation, and Energy Use: Evidence from Canadian Households

OpenAIRE

Brencic, Vera; Young, Denise

2009-01-01

Time and energy are major inputs into the production of household goods and services. The introduction of time-saving innovations allows households to change their activity patterns and to reallocate their time across competing activities. As a result, the market penetration of time-saving technologies for general household use is expected to have a two-fold impact on energy use in the residential sector. Firstly, increased use of time-saving technologies for basic household chores (cooking, ...

Idea Hubs as Nexus of Collective Creativity in Digital Innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ciriello, Raffaele; Richter, Alexander

2015-01-01

Digital innovation radically transforms the nature of corporate innovation practices, implying a growing need for deeper understanding its origins and outcomes. In this paper, we conceptualize the focal points of social networking in digital innovation as idea hubs. We focus our analysis...... on instances of idea hubs in two multinational European software companies, where we conducted a case study over a two-year period, and collected data in form of interviews, digital documents, and participant observations. In doing so, we identify a set of social networking practices in which idea hubs serve...... of digital artifacts individuals can choose from, offline interaction still plays a major role in facilitating digital innovation....

Illinois Cleantech Ecosystem Consortium (ICE) for the Department of Energy Innovation Ecosystem Development Initiative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zielke, Jason [Clean Energy Trust, Chicago, IL (United States)

2014-01-31

The DoE Innovation Ecosystem Initiative was a gamechanger for Clean Energy Trust. The grant accelerated our development from a concept to a real company in 2010, seeding us with the capital to begin our mission to “accelerate the growth of clean energy businesses in the Midwest”. Now three years later, we have scores and scores of partners which fund us through sponsorship donations to our programs, and we have played a key role in launching several new companies, and helping them acquire funding and reach their milestones. In three years we have grown from two people to nine, now with an annual budget of over $3M. We started with the following simple plan (verbatim from our original submission): “The short-term objective of ICE is to fortify and enhance the platform for collaboration necessary to create a robust ecosystem for clean energy innovation. This includes launching a number of initiatives designed to source, evaluate, and launch new clean energy businesses derived from university research.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship | NREL

Science.gov (United States)

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Innovation and Entrepreneurship Connect Contact us for more Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center helps connect emerging clean energy businesses with the financial , and pilot opportunities. Read more Events Innovation and entrepreneurship events like the upcoming

Enabling Front End of Innovation in a Mature Development Company

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brønnum, Louise; Clausen, Christian

2015-01-01

Many mature development organizations find it difficult to handle radical and incremental innovations within the same organizational structures. We examine how organizational structures, management, development mindsets and cultures represent a constitution of development for the thinking...

Open innovation in the power & energy sector: Bringing together government policies, companies’ interests, and academic essence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greco, Marco; Locatelli, Giorgio; Lisi, Stefano

2017-01-01

The Power and Energy (P&E) sector needs to respond to several challenges fostering investments in research and development. According to the Open Innovation (OI) paradigm, key stakeholders like utilities, vendors, laboratories, universities etc. should take advantage of external knowledge to improve their innovation performance. Several studies have demonstrated that firms adopting the OI paradigm are more likely to innovate. Despite the interest of P&E firms in enhancing their innovation capabilities, surprisingly few articles (usually case studies) described the implementation of the OI paradigm in P&E firms. This article fills the gap by identifying the key drivers that encourage a firm in the P&E sector to embrace the OI paradigm. The authors adopt a hybrid research approach collecting evidence from the literature and through a multiple case-study analysis involving seven British firms and universities operating in the P&E industry. As the drivers of OI have mutual influence, this article describes them with a fuzzy cognitive map. Finally, the authors identify appropriated policies to enhance the OI adoption and, consequently, the sustainability of innovation in the P&E sector. A salient research agenda closes the paper. - Highlights: • Stakeholders are increasingly adopting the Open Innovation (OI) paradigm. • OI can enhance firms and universities innovation performance. • Few studies analyzed the OI implementation in the Power and Energy (P&E) sector. • We identify the factors encouraging the adoption of the OI paradigm in the P&E sector. • We show benefits of OI obtained by P&E firms, universities, and associates in the UK.

e-Business Innovation: The Next Decade

Science.gov (United States)

Marca, David A.

Innovation is invention or application of technologies or theories that radically alters business and the economy. For many years, innovation and the economy have been locked in 80-year cycles, which might imply that innovation is an economic driver, and vice versa. Based on this, some forecast that innovation and the economy might decrease sharply due to several forces: a) decreasing economic growth, b) increasing demand for custom services, c) more entrepreneurial work environments, and d) urban and environmental degradation. Should such forecasts hold true, business may need to alter its offerings, operations and organization to survive. Such a scenario may also require applied e-Business innovation by combining existing internet, wireless, broadband, and video technologies. One possible result: flexible front offices integrated with efficient back offices. Such an e-Business could comprise: a) a customer-based and transaction-based organization, b) functions for adaptive offerings that anticipate need, c) highly responsive, real-time, operations having no inventory, and d) value-based front-end, and automated back-end, decision making.

Hydroxyl radical production in plasma electrolysis with KOH electrolyte solution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saksono, Nelson; Febiyanti, Irine Ayu, E-mail: irine.ayu41@ui.ac.id; Utami, Nissa; Ibrahim [Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424, Indonesia Phone: +62217863516, Fax: +62217863515 (Indonesia)

2015-12-29

Plasma electrolysis is an effective technology for producing hydroxyl radical (•OH). This method can be used for waste degradation process. This study was conducted to obtain the influence of applied voltage, electrolyte concentration, and anode depth in the plasma electrolysis system for producing hydroxyl radical. The materials of anode and cathode, respectively, were made from tungsten and stainless steel. KOH solution was used as the solution. Determination of hydroxyl radical production was done by measuring H{sub 2}O{sub 2} amount formed in plasma system using an iodometric titration method, while the electrical energy consumed was obtained by measuring the electrical current throughout the process. The highest hydroxyl radical production was 3.51 mmol reached with 237 kJ energy consumption in the power supply voltage 600 V, 0.02 M KOH, and 0.5 cm depth of anode.

CREATIV: Research-based innovation for industry energy efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tangen, Grethe; Hemmingsen, Anne Karin T.; Neksa, Petter

2011-01-01

Improved energy efficiency is imperative to minimise the greenhouse gas emissions and to ensure future energy security. It is also a key to continued profitability in energy consuming industry. The project CREATIV is a research initiative for industry energy efficiency focusing on utilisation of surplus heat and efficient heating and cooling. In CREATIV, international research groups work together with key vendors of energy efficiency equipment and an industry consortium including the areas metallurgy, pulp and paper, food and fishery, and commercial refrigeration supermarkets. The ambition of CREATIV is to bring forward technology and solutions enabling Norway to reduce both energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 25% within 2020. The main research topics are electricity production from low temperature heat sources in supercritical CO 2 cycles, energy efficient end-user technology for heating and cooling based on natural working fluids and system optimisation, and efficient utilisation of low temperature heat by developing new sorption systems and compact compressor-expander units. A defined innovation strategy in the project will ensure exploitation of research results and promote implementation in industry processes. CREATIV will contribute to the recruitment of competent personnel to industry and academia by educating PhD and post doc candidates and several MSc students. The paper presents the CREATIV project, discusses its scientific achievements so far, and outlines how the project results can contribute to reducing industry energy consumption. - Highlights: → New technology for improved energy efficiency relevant across several industries. → Surplus heat exploitation and efficient heating and cooling are important means. → Focus on power production from low temperature heat and heat pumping technologies. → Education and competence building are given priority. → The project consortium includes 20 international industry companies and

Structure and Intramolecular Proton Transfer of Alanine Radical Cations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Gab Yong

2012-01-01

The structures of the four lowest alanine conformers, along with their radical cations and the effect of ionization on the intramolecular proton transfer process, are studied using the density functional theory and MP2 method. The energy order of the radical cations of alanine differs from that of the corresponding neutral conformers due to changes in the basicity of the NH 2 group upon ionization. Ionization favors the intramolecular proton transfer process, leading to a proton-transferred radical-cation structure, [NH 3 + -CHCH 3 -COO·], which contrasts with the fact that a proton-transferred zwitterionic conformer is not stable for a neutral alanine in the gas phase. The energy barrier during the proton transfer process is calculated to be about 6 kcal/mol

Research and innovation to overcome the 'barriers'. The technological and industrial challenges of carbon-free energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Therme, Jean

2011-01-01

The world energy scene has undergone a thoroughgoing change in less than twenty years. It is ready for a new revolution based on the massive introduction of renewable energy sources along with the associated technology and, also, on ever smarter energy networks for managing supply and demand. As industrial and economic competition intensifies, innovation will be a key factor for winning this battle. Given its worldwide industries and topnotch research centers, France has a few aces up its sleeve. The country has to focus on industrial chains of production, research and innovation; and choose to back those of excellent quality that will help make it a world leader. The examples of photovoltaic conversion and batteries are cited, two fields that France must continue supporting and developing

Alkyl Radicals as Hydrogen Bond Acceptors: Computational Evidence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hammerum, Steen

2009-01-01

Spectroscopic, energetic and structural information obtained by DFT and G3-type computational studies demonstrates that charged proton donors can form moderately strong hydrogen bonds to simple alkyl radicals. The presence of these bonds stabilizes the adducts and modifies their structure......, and gives rise to pronounced shifts of IR stretching frequencies and to increased absorption intensities. The hydrogen bond acceptor properties of alkyl radicals equal those of many conventional acceptors, e.g., the bond length changes and IR red-shifts suggest that tert-butyl radicals are slightly better...... acceptors than formaldehyde molecules, while propyl radicals are as good as H2O. The hydrogen bond strength appears to depend on the proton affinity of the proton donor and on the ionization energy of the acceptor alkyl radical, not on the donor-acceptor proton affinity difference, reflecting...

Fast beam studies of free radical photodissociation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cyr, Douglas Robert [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

1993-11-01

The photodissociation of free radicals is studied in order to characterize the spectroscopy and dissociation dynamics of the dissociative electronic states in these species. To accomplish this, a novel method of radical production, based on the photodetachment of the corresponding negative ion, has been combined with a highly complementary form of photofragment translational spectroscopy. The optical spectroscopy of transitions to dissociative states is determined by monitoring the total photofragment yield as a function of dissociation photon energy. Branching ratios to various product channels, internal energy distributions of the fragments, bond dissociation energies, and the translational energy-dependent photofragment recoil angular distributions are then determined at selected excitation energies. A detailed picture of the dissociation dynamics can then be formulated, allowing insight concerning the interactions of potential energy surfaces involved in the dissociation. After an introduction to the concepts and techniques mentioned above, the experimental apparatus used in these experiments is described in detail. The basis and methods used in the treatment of data, especially in the dissociation dynamics experiments, are then put forward.