Research on the effectiveness of policies to promote low-emission energy technologies such as wind and solar energy suggests three lessons in particular for Canada as it promotes low-emission technology. [...] The Economics of Knowledge: At the same time, the “public good” nature of knowledge leads to spillovers that benefit the public as a whole, but not the innovator. [...] Policies must be in place not only to encourage the development of cleaner technologies but also to encourage the adoption of existing low-emission technologies. [...] The citations these articles receive from future patents are a measure of the impact of basic science on new technologies (Popp 2016).7 Because of the time necessary both to complete research and to see it published, it may take up to a decade to realize the full effect of public energy R&D funding on publications, and even longer before these publications are cited in new energy patents. [...] The Role of Energy Prices in Innovation Early work on energy innovation focused on the link between energy prices and innovation, showing that innovation in both alternative energy sources and energy efficiency increases when energy prices rise.
- Pages
- 11
- Published in
- Ottawa, Ontario
