| This dissertation examines various aspects of technological innovation in the energy sector through a detailed study of the solar photovoltaics industry. Through this case study it seeks to advance understanding of the energy technology innovation process and of how various actors, institutions and policies interact to bring about the development of new technologies. One of the central goals of this work is to shed some light on the role of government in promoting the development and dissemination of environmentally sustainable energy technologies. It focuses on two causal pathways through which government policy can influence the innovation-related decisions of firms: demand-pull policies, which are aimed at creating or expanding markets for new technologies, and supply-push policies, which are aimed at increasing firm level investments in technological innovation. In addition, it places the technology development process in the context of evolving concerns about a range of potential policy drivers, such as energy security, resource constraints, competitiveness, and the environment.; In reviewing technology policies underlying the development of photovoltaics in the United States over the past three decades, this dissertation examines the range of initiatives pursued by the U.S. government and places these efforts in the context of policies and programs in a number of other countries. It specifically explores how two projects launched by the U.S. government during the 1990s (the Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology project and the Thin-Film PV Partnership project) have served to enhance the linkages between firms, universities, and national labs. This work also examines in detail the history of four photovoltaic firms (BP Solar/Solarex, Siemens/Arco Solar, AstroPower, and Evergreen Solar) and the process—including involvement in government-led projects—that led to the development of their respective photovoltaic technologies.; A key lesson for energy technology policy in the U.S. today, emerging from this dissertation, is that even in the absence of a broad public policy mandate to increase budgets for energy technology research and development or market creation, the government can still play an important role by focusing on mechanisms that help to improve the process of innovation itself. |
