Flagship III: Green innovations and utilization of smart technologies

Achieving ambitious environmental and climate goals requires broad adoption of environmentally friendly and energy efficient technologies in homes and businesses. This flagship aims to increase our understanding of how policies can motivate and incentivize research, development and diffusion of both low-emissions technologies and technologies aiming at lowering energy consumption. What impact will economic factors, habits and norms have on development and utilization of new technologies? How do firms and consumers use and respond to new technologies? To what extent does adoption of the new technologies actually reduce energy demand? A variety of analytical and empirical approaches that draw on economic theory and other social sciences will be applied.

This Flagship focuses on five major themes:

Synthesis report of Flagship III

1. Innovation and diffusion of green technologies

  • Are there reasons to support the development of environmentally friendly technologies at higher levels than the development of other technologies?
  • How can we design efficient support schemes for green R&D specifically?
  • Is an innovation prize an efficient instrument to spur research and development?
  • Are CCS technologies best supported by subsidizing development of technology or by subsidizing acquisition of technology?
  • What are the effects of the Norwegian R&D tax credit program on environmental patenting?

2. Technical building standards and energy use

  • How do technical building standards affect energy consumption?
  • How does the design of the built environment and energy saving devices influence user behavior?
  • What are the greatest barriers for not achieving the full energy savings potential?

3. Increased energy efficiency in existing buildings

  • How do firms react to investment subsidies aimed at increasing energy efficiency in existing commercial buildings?

4. Utilization of smart technologies

  • To what extent will the load curve change due to new, smart technology applications and time-dependent tariffs?
  • How does the utilization of new, smart technologies depend on characteristics like design, placement within the home and habits?

5. Energy security and option value

  • To what extent are households and businesses concerned about energy security when choosing their energy technologies?
  • How are households and businesses affected by power grid failures?
  • What is the option value of having an alternative energy source for heating or being a prosumer?