Technology Diffusion and Climate Policy: A Network Approach and its Application to Wind Energy

Solmaria Halleck Vega and Antoine Mandel

Ecological Economics, 2018, vol. 145, issue C, 461-471

Abstract: The role of technology transfer in the mitigation of climate change has been strongly emphasized in the recent policy debate. This paper offers a network-based perspective on the issue. First, we propose a methodology to infer from technology adoption data the network of diffusion and apply it to a detailed dataset on wind energy technologies installed globally since the 1980s. We then perform a statistical analysis of the network. It highlights a relatively inefficient organization, characterized in particular by the weakness of South-South links, which leads to relatively long lags in the diffusion process. Against this background, we characterize optimal transfer/seeding strategies for an agent that aims to introduce a new technology in a developing country in view of further diffusion. Our results suggest in particular that CDM projects have been too concentrated in large emerging economies and that developed countries should put a stronger weight on the positive externalities in terms of technology transfer of cooperating with less prominent developing countries.

Keywords: Technology transfer; Climate policy; Diffusion networks; Wind energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C61 C63 O33 Q54 Q55 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (21)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Technology Diffusion and Climate Policy: A Network Approach and its Application to Wind Energy (2018)
Working Paper: Technology Diffusion and Climate Policy: A Network Approach and its Application to Wind Energy (2018)
Working Paper: Technology Diffusion and Climate Policy: A Network Approach and its Application to Wind Energy (2018)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:145:y:2018:i:c:p:461-471

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.11.023

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