GRETCHEN

Description

GRETCHEN investigates the impact of climate, renewable energy and innovation policies (the “policy mix”) on technological and structural change in renewable power generation technologies. GRETCHEN uses an innovative research design based on three pillars: the combination of environmental and innovation economics, a multi-method approach and an integrated analysis on three empirical levels. These empirical levels are: a micro-level, which examines the influence of the policy mix on company-internal invention, innovation and diffusion; a meso level, which addresses the impacts on innovation networks and market structures; and a macro level, which derives macroeconomic statements by endogenizing technological change. The project results and the derived policy recommendations for designing the policy mix are addressed to decision-makers from academia, politics and industry.

The project acronym “GRETCHEN” reflects the title of the research project:
The impact of the German policy mix on technological and structural change in renewable power generation technologies

Partners

The project is conducted by researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (Fraunhofer ISI), the Institute of Economic Structures Research (GWS mbH) and the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena (FSU Jena) and coordinated by Fraunhofer ISI and runs from March 2012 until February 2015.

Team (Chair of Microeconomics – FSU Jena)

Prof. Dr. Uwe Cantner, PD Dr. Holger Graf, Johannes Herrmann, Dr. Martin Kalthaus

Duration

2012-2015

Funding

GRETCHEN was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBFExternal link) within its funding priority “Economics of Climate ChangeExternal link” and administered by the unit Environment, Culture, Sustainability in the German Aerospace Center Project Management AgencyExternal link (PT-DLR).

Publications

• Rogge, K.S., Breitschopf, B., Mattes, K., Cantner, U., Graf, H., Herrmann, J., Kalthaus, M., Lutz, C., Wiebe, K.S., 2015. Green change: renewable energies, policy mix and innovation. Karlsruhe: Fraunhofer ISI. https://www.isi.fraunhofer.de/content/dam/isi/dokumente/ccx/gretchen/GRETCHEN_report.pdfExternal link
• Rogge, K.S., Breitschopf, B., Mattes, K., Cantner, U., Graf, H., Herrmann, J., Kalthaus, M., Lutz, C., Wiebe, K., 2015. Grüner Wandel: Erneuerbare Energien, Policy Mix und Innovation – Ergebnisse des GRETCHEN-Projektes zum Einfluss des Policy Mixes auf technologischen und strukturellen Wandel bei erneuerbaren Stromerzeugungstechnologien in Deutschland. https://www.isi.fraunhofer.de/content/dam/isi/dokumente/ccx/gretchen/GRETCHEN_Endbericht.pdfExternal link
• Cantner, U.; Graf, H.; Herrmann, J.; Kalthaus, M. (2016): Inventor networks in renewable energies: The influence of the policy mix in GermanyExternal link. Research Policy, Vol. 45, No. 6, P. 1165-1184.
• Graf, H; Kalthaus, M. (2016): International Research Networks: Determinants of Country Embeddedness. Jena Economic Research Papers #2016 – 016External link.
• Herrmann, J., Töpfer, S., 2014. Structural similarity and dependency of research networks in the German PV-industry. Presentation at the 14 th IAEE European Energy Conference in Rome, October 2014