Towards a dynamic understanding of innovation systems: An integrated TIS-MLP approach for wind turbines

Meeting sustainability challenges requires not only innovations but also transitions to sustainability paths. Studies applying technological innovation system and multi-level perspective approaches show that the development of innovation systems is a complex process with numerous direct and indirect interdependencies of the different variables involved. This paper looks at how a combined TIS-MLP approach could form the conceptual basis for analyzing the dynamics driving the development of the innovation system. The feasibility of applying such a concept is demonstrated for the three different phases of the Chinese wind energy innovation system. There were feedback loops between the innovation functions, which describe the internal dynamics. The landscape is important for starting positive cycles. Situational context factors and general paradigms of economic strategies, such as the importance of developing domestic production capacities supported by local content requirement and building on the absorption of foreign knowledge, are important framework conditions. So far, there are no signs of a strong negative feedback loop developing for China, so the system is expected to continue to expand.