Abstract

This study aims to contribute to the long-standing debate on technology-push versus demand-pull mechanisms to support the creation and diffusion of innovations. We argue that in addition to the traditional push–pull dichotomy, technological change drivers must be differentiated by whether they are exogenous or endogenous to the economic system and must be assessed against their contribution to both the creation and the diffusion of innovation. We apply this perspective to study innovation in the renewable energy (RE) industry in 15 European Union countries. We find that public R&D investments, public policies, and per capita income positively affect either innovation creation or diffusion. However, impacts differ depending on the innovation dimension considered. Economic growth is relatively ineffective at stimulating innovation creation. In contrast, it is a strong driver of RE diffusion with a nonlinear, U-shaped impact that has both a direct cause and an indirect cause. Our findings highlight the importance of deploying diverse policy instruments simultaneously to enhance the effectiveness of clean energy policies.

Graphic abstract

中文翻译：

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技术推动，需求拉动和可再生能源行业创新的内生驱动力

摘要

这项研究旨在为关于支持创造和传播的技术推动与需求拉动机制的长期辩论做出贡献创新。我们认为，除了传统的推挽式二分法外，还必须通过技术变革驱动因素是经济系统的外生还是内生因素来加以区分，并且必须对其对创新创造和传播的贡献进行评估。我们将这种观点用于研究15个欧盟国家中可再生能源（RE）行业的创新。我们发现，公共研发投入，公共政策和人均收入都对创新创造或传播产生积极影响。但是，影响取决于所考虑的创新维度。经济增长在刺激创新创造方面相对无效。相比之下，它是RE扩散的强大驱动力，具有非线性U形冲击，既有直接原因，也有间接原因。

图形摘要