Risikokapital für nachhaltige Energietechnologien

• Research unit: SFOE
• Project number: 101389

Key words (German)

TP0088;F-Koordination

Short description (German)

Risikokapital für nachhaltige Energietechnologien

Final report (English)

Clean energy innovation suffers from a double-externality problem. This double-externality problem calls for government to take measures to avoid market failure in the form of a suboptimal level of investment in clean energy innovation. The low levels of venture capital investment in clean energy ventures in Switzerland tend to indicate a case of market failure. The transition to the expansion stage seems to be often a major barrier for clean energy ventures in Switzerland (marking the typical “technology valley of death”). Therefore, government should try to pay particular attention to facilitating interaction between players of different stages, and provide targeted funds to address these critical overlaps (e.g. pilot plants that bridge the gap from early-stage prototype development to commercial market introduction). In terms of indirect measures, a better coordination between Swiss and EU innovation policies with a particular focus on clean energy innovation is recommended. In addition policies that support the end market for clean energy deployment also play an important role.

Auftragnehmer/Contractant/Contraente/Contractor:
Institut für Wirtschaft und Ökologie, Universität St. Gallen

Autorschaft/Auteurs/Autori/Authors:
Bürer,Mary Jean
Wüstenhagen,Rolf

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