Energy Innovation Systems From the Bottom Up:
Technology Policies for Confronting Climate Change

A Project of the Clean Air Task Force and the Consortium for Science Policy and Outcomes at Arizona State University, in close cooperation with the project's sponsor, Bipartisan Policy Center's National Commission on Energy Policy.

About the project

Project dates: 2008-09

Much of what is known about technological innovation and progress has yet to be captured in discussions of climate change mitigation. Successful mitigation of climate change is not about finding "a solution," but developing appropriate institutional and policy options for technological innovation – options that allow experimentation and progress on multiple fronts, tolerate risk, accept that there will be both successes and failures, and focus on creating the initial conditions for progress.

To get a clearer view of the essential qualities of such an innovation system, the six-month project "Energy Innovation Systems from the Bottom Up: Technology Policies Confronting Climate Change" convened three workshops (see Further Reading) in Washington, D.C., in March and April 2009. These workshops, facilitated by The Keystone Center, brought experts on innovation and government policy together with experts in three technologies: solar photovoltaics; post-combustion capture of carbon dioxide from power plants; and direct removal of carbon dioxide from the Earth’s atmosphere. The workshops did not aim to achieve consensus, but to use the examples of the three technologies to probe and illustrate the complexities, uncertainties, and opportunities of energy-climate innovation policy. The workshops – which focused on photovoltaic technologies, post-combustion capture of carbon, and air capture of carbon – were attended by a wide range of experts, selected for their diverse experience and perspectives, to help us build a systems view of innovation rather than stipulating specific paths or outcomes.

The final report, Innovation Policy for Climate Change: A Report to the Nation, builds on the large body of knowledge concerning technological advance, the diffusion of innovations, and their integration into the economy, as well as insights generated during the workshops. However, the report is not a representation of the views, individual or collective, of workshop participants. The report is intended for United States policymakers, private sector leaders, and philanthropic decision makers.

Project Support

This project is funded principally through a grant from the Bipartisan Policy Center’s National Commission on Energy Policy, with additional support from the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes at Arizona State University, and the Clean Air Task Force.