Fraunhofer-Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung ISI

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  • Publication
    Individual versus collective strategies in system building - The case of point-of-care diagnostics in Germany
    ( 2022)
    Fischer, Piret
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    Hekkert, Marko P.
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    Hüsing, Bärbel orcid-logo
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    Moors, Ellen H.M.
    Innovative entrepreneurs often need to engage in different system building activities in order to overcome the barriers to successful market introduction of an innovative technology. There is a large body of literature on individual system building strategies by single actors, as well as on the collective nature of system building by different actors. Yet, only limited research has been done into what type of system building activities innovative entrepreneurs undertake individually or collectively, how it depends on their size and resources, and what the trade-off between these different strategies is. This paper shows how firms', choice between individual and collective strategies depends on the availability of resources and the type of system building activity in the point-of-care testing (POCT) sector in Germany. Furthermore, we highlight the role of hospitals as end-user, whose specific needs influence the collaboration strategies of entrepreneurs along the whole value chain of POCT technology development.
  • Publication
    On accelerating the development of configurational innovation systems - the case of non-urban district heating in Germany
    ( 2021)
    Wesche, Julius P.
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    Negro, Simona O.
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    Dütschke, Elisabeth orcid-logo
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    Hekkert, Marko P.
    The decarbonizing the heat sector is a major challenge in the energy transition in Germany and elsewhere. District heating systems could play an important role in this context. However, the diffusion of the technology in Germany has been very slow. The paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the technological innovation system (TIS) to enhance understandings of the impediments to the diffusion of non-urban district heating systems. Due to its strong local context dependence, district heating can be understood as a configurational technology, and the TIS in which it is embedded as a configurational TIS. The paper contributes to the literature by developing policy suggestions that could lead to an acceleration of the diffusion of locally context-dependent technologies. The author recommends that policymaking in configurational TIS should aim at designing smart innovation system structures that can manage a high level of context specificity and facilitate vertical and horizontal knowledge exchange.
  • Publication
    Power from above? Assessing actor-related barriers to the implementation of trolley truck technology in Germany
    ( 2020)
    Scherrer, Aline orcid-logo
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    Plötz, Patrick orcid-logo
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    Laerhoven, Frank van
    In this paper, we present a new method to operationalize social barriers for innovative technologies. Technical feasibility and economic viability are no guarantee for the development and take-off of an innovation. We combine insights from multi-level perspective (MLP) and technological innovation systems (TIS) theory to develop a framework for the identification and evaluation of actor-centred barriers. We illustrate the method through an application to catenary hybrid truck (CHT) technology in Germany. Relevant stakeholders were identified via document research and subsequent network analysis, and then approached to fill out a survey. Additional data was gathered using semi-structured interviews with key actors, and content analysis. We show how the implementation of CHT may be hampered by resistance from the regime and by a lack of focused expectations and lobbying within the niche.
  • Publication
    Energy efficiency and demand response - two sides of the same coin?
    ( 2020)
    Wohlfarth, Katharina
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    Worrell, Ernst
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    Eichhammer, Wolfgang orcid-logo
    To accommodate the increasing share of intermittent renewable energy, options need to be evaluated to maintain a profitable, secure and sustainable energy supply. Besides energy efficiency (EE) as ""first fuel"", adapting demand to meet the variable supply needs to be evaluated. We focus on concepts of energy efficiency and load flexibility (further: demand response; DR) and compare the two types of measures with respect to the diffusion of actions taken and possible drivers and barriers affecting uptake, we derive recommendations to promote the measures more effectively and synergistically. We analyse the results of a survey of more than 1500 service sector companies in Germany and supplement the results with research on German policies promoting energy efficiency and how these could also promote DR. We use logistic regression models to assess and compare influencing factors. Energy efficiency measures are much more prevalent than demand response measures, while most of the influencing factors for both are comparable. More information and standardisation will be needed to tap the demand response potential. We assume that the successful instruments and policies for energy efficiency could also be applied to foster demand response. Especially, instruments such as Energy Efficiency Networks could be redesigned to include demand response. The same holds for other established, effective regulatory instruments like energy audits, which could be enhanced by adding demand response. Although energy efficiency and demand response measures might counteract in specific cases, promoting DR measures can to a large extent built synergistically on existing energy efficiency policy.
  • Publication
    A review of the emission reduction potential of fuel switch towards biomass and electricity in European basic materials industry until 2030
    ( 2020)
    Rehfeldt, Matthias orcid-logo
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    Worrell, Ernst
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    Eichhammer, Wolfgang orcid-logo
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    Fleiter, Tobias
    In 2015, industrial sector installations included in the European emission trading system (EU ETS) emitted 574 Mt CO2-equivalent Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Among them are production of clinker, lime and ammonia, blast furnace operations, refineries and others. The emission intensity of these installations is closely tied to the fuel type used. Global warming scenarios of 1.5 °C recently presented by the IPCC require fast emission reduction in all sectors until 2030, followed by deep reductions, reaching carbon neutrality around 2050. In this paper, the technical potential to use biomass and electricity with existing or available technologies in important industrial processes is reviewed. The investigated industries account for 95% of the total verified emissions in the EU ETS industrial sector 2015 and 64% of total industrial emissions of the EU28. We find that 34% (184 Mt) of these emissions could be avoided from a technical perspective until 2030 with fuel switch measures towards biomass and electricity. This reduction is in line with 1.5 °C global warming scenarios until 2030, but further effort is required beyond that. We also find that available options lack economic competitiveness under present conditions, e.g. due to high electricity prices. We conclude that, although considerable fast emission saving potential by switching to biomass and electricity are possible, deep decarbonisation in line with climate targets requires innovative production processes only available in the long term.
  • Publication
    Configurational innovation systems - Explaining the slow German heat transition
    ( 2019)
    Wesche, Julius P.
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    Negro, Simona O.
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    Dütschke, Elisabeth orcid-logo
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    Raven, Rob P.J.M.
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    Hekkert, Marko P.
    In the field of sustainability transitions, temporality has recently received increased attention, specifically with regard to understanding acceleration of transitions. Acceleration of sustainability transitions is needed, to minimize the risks of global crises, and so the question is how these transitions can be accelerated. To answer this question, we use the technological innovation systems (TIS) approach to better understand the underlying processes. The central argument of this paper is that the pace of development in TIS, which ultimately have an impact on sustainability transitions, strongly depends on the local context in which the technologies are embedded in. Technologies that are little context-dependent can be produced in series; they do not need to adapt to local contingencies and can be easily substituted by more efficient and up-to-date technology - in this paper we refer to these as generic technologies. Conversely, technologies that are strongly dependent on the local context always need to be configured with regard to specific local contingencies - we refer to these as configurational technologies. This differentiation has repercussions on the defining pillars of technological innovation systems: Higher local context dependence slows down the pace of development of configurational TIS. The differentiation is illustrated by comparing electricity and heat innovation systems in Germany. An analysis based on literature as well as empirical case studies shows that the rather generically structured Solar PV and onshore wind are developing faster toward decarbonization than the configurationally structured heat TIS. The distinction between generic technological innovation systems and configurational technological innovation systems is helpful to better understand innovation system development and design supportive policies.
  • Publication
    Inter-fuel substitution in European industry: A random utility approach on industrial heat demand
    ( 2018)
    Rehfeldt, Matthias orcid-logo
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    Fleiter, Tobias
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    Worrell, Ernst
    As the majority of industrial emissions stems from heat generation, the choice of fuel is, next to energy efficiency, one of the tools to influence climate impact (and security of supply) in industrial energy use. At the same time, the choice of fuel is not only a matter of price but of the furnace, it is used in. Top-down models often struggle to include technological explicitness, which is especially important to represent the heterogeneous structure of industrial energy demand. In this paper, an approach to apply a discrete choice model to industrial high temperature energy demand is presented. The model's parameters are estimated based on observed fuel choices. The model exhibits an average coefficient of determination of 0.45 when compared to a constant fuel use from 2002 to 2013 in major countries of the European Union. Results suggest that energy carriers are perceived very differently by industrial consumers.
  • Publication
    Institutionalisation of markets: The case of personalised cancer medicine in the Netherlands
    ( 2018)
    Moors, Ellen H.M.
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    Kukk Fischer, Piret
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    Boon, Wouter
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    Schellen, Frank
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    Negro, Simona O.
    The article aims to understand the institutionalisation process of markets for innovative products. To pursue this study of market formation, we analysed the introduction of innovative personalised medicines products: Herceptin® (trastuzumab) for breast cancer and Tarceva® (erlotinib) for lung cancer, which were introduced successively in the Netherlands between 2000 and 2012. We apply the technological innovation system (TIS) approach to understand the development, implementation and diffusion of new markets, including new roles for users and producers, new forms of regulation and novel user practices regarding innovative health technologies. We show that market access became institutionalised as part of the technological innovation system of the first-mover personalised medicine, i.e. the market was formed, paving the way for the later personalised medicine products.
  • Publication
    Unpacking policy processes for addressing systemic problems in technological innovation systems: The case of offshore wind in Germany
    ( 2017)
    Reichardt, Kristin
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    Rogge, Karoline
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    Negro, Simona O.
    While empirical studies on technological innovation systems (TIS) usually focus on policy instruments and their suitability for curing identified weaknesses of such emerging systems, the underlying policy processes and their effects have been largely disregarded. We address this gap by exploring the style of two crucial policy-making processes and how it influences the functioning and performance of a TIS, taking the case of offshore wind in Germany. Our findings indicate important positive and negative impacts of the policy style on the TIS. For example, the muddling through character apparent in one of the policy processes negatively influenced entrepreneurial activities, knowledge development and finally technology diffusion, whereas the participatory nature of both processes had a positive impact both on TIS functioning and performance. Based on our findings we derive implications on how to improve policy making so as to foster the development of an emerging TIS.