The 'uncertain middle': the role of demonstration projects and trials in influencing success in sustainable innovation

Completed

Renewable Energy Sources(Wind Energy)
Renewable Energy Sources(Solar Energy, Photovoltaics)
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells(Fuel Cells, Stationary applications)
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells(Fuel Cells, Mobile applications)
Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research(Environmental, social and economic impacts)

Applied Research and Development
Final stage Development and Demonstration

SOCIAL SCIENCES (Business and Management Studies)

Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Policy and regulation)
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Technology acceptance)
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Other sociological economical and environmental impact of energy)
Other (Energy technology information dissemination)

Professor C Hendry
Cass Business School
City University

R&D

ESRC

01 July 2007

30 June 2010

36 months

£277,130

Power

London

Programme Fellowship

Professor C Hendry, Cass Business School, City University

Not available

Innovating in energy systems is complex and difficult. Demonstrations and trials have played a significant role in advancing renewable technologies in Germany, Japan and the USA, while the UK has recently established a number of demonstration programmes in the low carbon and renewable energy field. The EU also has major plans to develop and promote renewable energy. This project will provide a better understanding of the opportunities these programmes create for accelerating innovation, and how to maximise their impact through good management, accompanying measures, and follow-on activities. The research will build a comprehensive database of demonstrations and trials for fuel cells, wind, and photo-voltaics in Europe, USA and Japan, where major growth in installations has taken place, and develop case studies of successful and less successful programmes. The project will show what part demonstration and trials have played in this, what other policies have been effective, and whatexternal factors have affected success. It will also explore how companies have achieved successful innovation through these. This will be valuable to managers and policy makers for making effective useof trials, as a general instrument in improving innovation, and in accelerating the development and adoption of sustainable technologies.

14/09/09