Canadian Academy Discover, Publish, Thrive
In recent years, there has been a notable political push in Europe to advance ocean energy technologies (OETs) as part of the transition to a decarbonized energy system. This paper delves into the analysis of technological niches, particularly focusing on the knowledge elements shaping the long-term evolution of OET trajectories using patent data from 2000 to 2015, aiming to understand the structural coherence of the knowledge base and draw policy implications.
Currently, renewable energy sources constitute only 19.2% of global final energy consumption, with fossil fuels at 78.3% and nuclear energy at 2.5%. Boosting the use of renewables could significantly reduce carbon emissions. Political efforts, especially in Europe, focus on integrating ocean energy technologies (OETs) into future energy production. The European Commission’s Blue Energy Communication in 2014 emphasized the potential contribution of ocean energy. However, most OET projects are in early stages, facing technological, institutional, and financial challenges. Technological and economic issues are the primary barriers for OET developers in the short-medium term. OETs are considered niche innovations within renewable energy technologies, competing with the fossil fuels regime. This paper addresses the lack of quantitative evidence on the technological dynamics of OETs, analyzing knowledge elements using patent data from 1900 to 2015. The study explores the evolution of OET trajectories, focusing on the knowledge base structure and relational properties. Section 2 provides an overview of OETs and the analytical framework, Section 3 outlines the data set and methodology, Section 4 presents patent analysis results, and Section 5 discusses and concludes the findings.
Overview of technologies and analytical framework
Technology competition during sustainability Transition periods
The concept of sustainability transition involves the transformation of existing sociotechnical systems towards environmental sustainability, encompassing technologies, infrastructures, institutions, industrial sectors, and user behaviors. This transition emphasizes the alignment of developments at multiple levels, including niche innovations, existing regimes, and exogenous landscapes. Differentiation of transition paths, such as transformation, reconfiguration, technological substitution, and de-alignment and realignment, highlights variations in the timing and nature of multilevel interactions. In the energy sector, transition denotes a shift from fossil fuel to renewables-based electricity processes, requiring adaptation to and transformation of the existing regime. The complexity of product architecture and the scale of the production process are identified as key drivers of life-cycle patterns in the energy sector. Offshore Energy Technologies (OETs) represent an emergent subgroup in renewable technologies, including salinity gradient, ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), ocean surface wave energy, tidal energy, and offshore wind turbines. The inclusion of offshore wind turbines is motivated by the intricate interaction between wind and ocean waves, making it challenging to distinguish their power sources.
Complementarity and substitutability of knowledge elements
This passage discusses the role of knowledge elements in technological innovation, particularly in the context of Ocean Energy Technologies (OETs). Scholars, including Schumpeter, Nelson, and Winter, assert that innovation involves combining existing components in new ways. OETs integrate knowledge of seawater properties with electricity production methods. The knowledge base, defined as a collection of information and competences, aids firms in solving technological problems. The structure of this knowledge base, explored by Dibiaggio et al., depends on the complementarity and substitutability of its components.
Complementary knowledge elements, as defined by Milgrom and Roberts, have higher value when used together, leading to synergistic effects. Substitutable elements share properties and offer similar solutions, potentially increasing functional redundancy. The coherence of the knowledge base is influenced by the level of complementarity and substitutability. High complementarity stabilizes technological linkages, while substitutability allows testing diverse combinations, aiding adaptability.
As technology matures, firms identify preferable knowledge combinations, enhancing complementarity. However, during the exploration phase, high substitutability can prevent firms from becoming locked into inefficient technological trajectories. The article suggests that complementarity is crucial for the consistent development of OETs, but high complementarity may not be suitable in contexts with significant maturity differences. Instead, a higher level of substitutability characterizes the emergence of immature and risky OETs, fostering a less coherent knowledge base and greater explorative activity. Understanding the links between technological knowledge elements is essential for comprehending the evolution of OETs.
Policy implications and conclusion
This analysis of the knowledge base underlying Ocean Energy Technologies (OETs) highlights two distinct families, one rooted in physical sciences and the other in chemical sciences, indicating separate research activities and competencies. The policy implications suggest a need for a partial unbundling of OETs, with distinct R&D programs tailored to each paradigmatic family. Additionally, patent links connecting tidal, wave, and offshore wind within the physics-based family should be considered in energy policy due to their interdependence.
The study reveals increased coherence in the knowledge base of tidal, wave, and offshore wind technologies over time, influenced by cyclical energy funding and shifts in knowledge generation focus. Policy recommendations emphasize the importance of bridging organizations to achieve a dominant design, especially considering the evolving nature of peripheral components related to grid integration, power quality, and maintenance.
Chinese dominance in tidal and wave energy raises concerns about potential loss of diversity and premature lock-in. The study advocates for European policy initiatives to ensure cost-competitiveness and avoid a situation similar to the solar photovoltaic industry. Overall, the fluctuating complementarity of technological knowledge in OETs hinders the emergence of a dominant design, emphasizing the need to maintain diversity in innovation for sustainable development.
The analysis underscores the importance of coordinating different types of financing and ensuring stability in funding over time, particularly for high-risk ocean energy technologies. The study concludes that OET innovative activity is characterized by a fluctuating complementarity of technological knowledge, hindering the emergence of a dominant design and suggesting the need to maintain diversity in innovation for sustainable development in the renewable energy sector.
Source:
Saint-Jean, M., Arfaoui, N., Brouillat, E. & Virapin, D. (2021). Patterns of Technology Knowledge in the Case of Ocean Energy Technologies. Journal of Innovation Economics & Management, 34, 101-133. https://doi.org/10.3917/jie.034.0101