Low carbon development, poverty reduction and innovation system building Rob Byrne and David Ockwell Sussex Energy Group, STEPS Centre and Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research University of Sussex, Brighton Learning, Innovation and Low Carbon Development Globelics seminar Aalborg University, Copenhagen 4-5 April 2013

Overview International low carbon development policy Technology transfer and innovation Socio-technical transitions and pathways Low carbon innovation system building Conclusions and speculations

Key Country, USD billion, percentage ROW: Rest of the World Source: Authors, based on analysis of the CDM pipeline Accumulated investment through the CDM in USD billion by selected countries and regions as at end of October 2012 (

Source: Authors, based on analysis of the CDM pipeline 87% registered CDM projects use just six types of technology Only one new renewable energy technology – wind – although mature relative to other new renewables Solar only 2% of portfolio Number of registered CDM projects as at end of October 2012, by project type (4908 total registered projects) (

Technology transfer and innovation Watson et al (2011: 16) based on Bell (1990) National Innovation System Indigenous support for technological capabilities Skills & know-how for operation & maintenance Accumulation of technological capacity Knowledge & expertise behind technology Technology Transfer New production capacity Capital goods, services & designs

Socio-technical transitions Multi-level framework or perspective (MLP) Source: Geels (2002: 1261)

Socio-technical transitions Regime alignments Source: Geels (2004: 912)

Sources of images in reference list at end

Expectation 2 Expectation 1 ‘Second-order’ learning ‘First-order’ learning ‘Starting’ point Socio-technical expectations and learning Sources of images in reference list at end

Technological and Economic Trade-Offs User Needs Institutions Infrastructures Supply Maintenance Training Finance Repair Retail Regulations Government Policy Product Functionality Product Aesthetics Product Characteristics Material Technology Engineering Practices Physical Properties Exploited Engineering Skills Engineering Procedures Engineering Heuristics Production Process Technologies Scientific Knowledge Socio- Technical Paradigm Socio- Technical Trajectory User Preferences User Practices User Requirements Socio-technical paradigm and trajectory (based on Byrne 2011: 210)

Socio-technical transitions Niche building Source: Berkhout et al. (2010: 264) Socio-technical niche development and trajectory carried by local projects

Conclusions and speculations Innovation system builders –Connecting, coordinating, learning, political work… Public and private sector roles –Public sector can bear risks of learning, private sector replicates… Market development to industrialisation Local innovation capabilities help poverty reduction needs?

References Bell, M. (1990) Continuing Industrialisation, Climate Change and International Technology Transfer, Report prepared in Collaboration with the Resource Policy Group, Oslo and Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, Brighton, December Berkhout, F., G. Verbong, A. Wieczorek, R. Raven, L. Lebel and X. Bai (2010) “Sustainability experiments in Asia: innovations shaping alternative development pathways?”, Environmental Science & Policy 13(2010): Byrne, R. (2011) Learning drivers: rural electrification regime building in Kenya and Tanzania, DPhil thesis, University of Sussex, Brighton Geels, F. (2002) “Technological transitions as evolutionary reconfiguration processes: a multi-level perspective and a case-study”, Research Policy 31(2002): 1257–1274 Geels, F. (2004) “From sectoral systems of innovation to socio-technical systems: Insights about dynamics and change from sociology and institutional theory”, Research Policy 33(2004): Watson, J., R. Byrne, A. Mallett, M. Stua, D. Ockwell, Z. Xiliang, Z. Da, Z. Tianhou, Z. Xiaofeng and O. Xunmin (2011) UK-China Collaborative Study on Low Carbon Technology Transfer, Final report for UK Department of Energy and Climate Change, SPRU, University of Sussex, Brighton and Laboratory for Low Carbon Energy, Tsinghua University, Beijing, April

References Images on slides 8 and 9 Africa-charity-solar-panels: Batteries: Biofuel: Crowd (21/10/12) Hydro in china: Lantern: Maasai Pastoralist: Maasai: Peru microhydro: SESA Massai Uday: Sizewell b: Small wind turbine: Solar home light: Solar modules various: Solar power plant: Wavepower: Windpower:

Thank you