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

Doile de Doyle, G.N., Rotella Junior, P., Souza Rocha, L.C., Gonzaga Carneiro, P.F., Santana Peruchi, R., Janda, K., Aquila, G. (2022). ‘ Impact of regulatory changes on economic feasibility of distributed generation solar units.’ Working Paper No. 2/2022. Prague: Institute of Economic Studies, Charles University.

Janda, K., Benes, O. (2022). 'Biofuel technologies and policies .’ Working Paper ZBW. Kiel: Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.