WP1: Drivers of Social and Technology Innovations

Objectives 

  • To analyse consumer behaviour and preference heterogeneity in climate and energy models.
  • To examine new business/service models and innovative technologies in impact assessment modelling.
  • To achieve theoretical break-throughs in building behavioural foundations for climate change adaptation.
  • To address the challenges of rapid development of low-carbon technologies and renewable energy resources.

Task 1: Social innovation and the behavior of consumers and firms

We analyse energy demand and determinants of energy savings, including flexibility of demand with respect to time of use pricing and acceptance of high load restrictions. Consumer preferences and behavioural patterns investigated in this task combine economics and social-psychological behavioural theories, including rational inattention, bounded rationality, and other biases that potentially contribute to the energy efficiency gap. We examine barriers to and the potential for adoption of advanced low carbon technologies, including alternatively fuelled vehicles. We model uncertainty both on the demand and supply (technology) sides. This task also includes the estimation of parameters for climate change and energy transition modelling. The econometric techniques are investigated and their properties studied on a wide range of case studies. This task utilizes wide expertize of microeconomists at GEOCEP institutions.

Task 2: New business and services models

We investigate the potential for new business and services models of environmentally friendly and energy-efficient production connected with fundamental innovations in the energy industry and consumption (certification of origin for renewable energy, sharing goods), paying attention to the role of prosumers (prosumer-to-grid models), peer-to-peer models, small-scale smart grids, information and communication technologies and blockchain-based energy service models.  This task connects with management, psychology and other social sciences at GEOCEP institutions.

Task 3: Adaptive behaviour

This task model the adaptive behaviour of consumers and firms to minimise adverse effects of climate change (such as the installation of air-conditioning to reduce the impact of heatwaves, changing tourism patterns and vaccinations to reduce health risks from vector-borne diseases, etc.). We also analyse preferences for and acceptability of competing and complementary adaptation measures (nature-based, hard vs. soft measures). Approaches to the incorporation of adaptations into impact assessment and economic models are enriched in collaboration with WP 2 and with natural scientists at GEOCEP institutions.

Task 4: Renewable energy

This task addresses economic modelling of renewable energy resources, in particular solar, wind and bioenergy. We deal with the intermittency of wind and solar. We analyse the impact of public policies such as carbon taxes, feed-in tariffs and portfolio standards on renewable energy supplies. Our modelling approach also covers the use of biofuels in transport and competition in demand between power/heat and transport sectors for biofuels.

Published results 

Alberini, Anna, Levan Bezhanishvili, Milan Scasny, Milan. 2023. Published. ‘Heterogeneous Effects of Government Energy Assistance Programs: Covid-19 Lockdowns in the Republic of Georgia.’ Working paper 2023/37. Prague: Institute of Economic Studies, Charles University.

Benes, Ondrej, Karel Janda. 2022. ‘Environmental dimensions of biofuels’ Working paper ZBW. Kiel: Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.

Doile de Doyle, Gabriel Nasser, Paolo Rotella Junior, Luiz Célio Souza Rocha, Priscila França Gonzaga Carneiro, Rogério Santana Peruchi, Karel Janda, Giancarlo Aquila. 2022. ‘ Impact of Regulatory Changes on Economic Feasibility of Distributed Generation Solar Units.’ Working Paper 2/2022. Prague: Institute of Economic Studies, Charles University.

Harutyunyan, Artur, Karel Janda. 2022. ‘Multinationals and Sustainable Attitude to Nutrition and Eating Habits.’ Working paper. Kiel, Hamburg: ZBW–Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.

Janda, Karel, O. Benes. 2022. 'Biofuel Technologies and Policies .’ Working Paper. Kiel: ZBW-Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.

Janda, Karel, E. Michalikova, L.C.S. Rocha, Paolo Rotella Junior, B. Schererova, David Zilberman. 2023. ‘Review of the Impact of Biofuels on US Retail Gasoline Prices.’ Energies, 16(1): 428.

Janda, Karel, Ladislav Krištoufek, Barbora Schererova, David Zilberman. 2022. ‘Price transmission and policies in biofuels-related global networks.’ Working paper 5/2022. Prague: Institute of Economic Studies, Charles University.

Janda, Karel, Zhang, Binyi 2022. ‘The impact of renewable energy and technology innovation on Chinese carbon dioxide emissions.’ In Regulation of Finance and Accounting: 21st and 22nd Virtual Annual Conference on Finance and Accounting. Prague: Springer, pp. 177-189.

Janda, Karel, Eva Michalikova, Luiz Célio Souza Rocha, Paulo Rotella Junior, Barbora Schererova, Jan Sila, David Zilberman. 2022. ‘Impact of Biofuels on US Retail Gasoline Prices: A Systematic Literature Review.’ Working Paper 2022/31. Prague: Institute of Economic Studies, Charles University.

Kmetkova, Diana, Milan Scasny, Iva Zverinova, Vojtech Maca. 2023. ‘Exploring the Link Between Diet and Sustainability in Europe: A Focus on Meat and Fish Consumption.’ Working Paper 26/2023. Prague: Institute of Economic Studies, Charles University

Renoir, Clément. 2023. ‘Economic Development, Risk Management, and Climate Policy.’ PhD diss. Zurich: ETH Zurich.

Turdaliev, Salim, Karel Janda. 2023. ‘Increasing Block Tariff Electricity Pricing and Propensity to Purchase Dirty Fuels: Empirical Evidence from a Natural Experiment.’ Eastern European Economics, 1-21.

Wekhof, Tobias. 2024. ‘The role of open-ended questions in narrowing the intention behavior gap for sustainable retail investors.’ Social Science Research Network, Working paper 4838449.