Green change: renewable energies, policy mix and innovation

A far-reaching transformation to green, CO2–free solutions is needed to achieve the ambitious climate policy target of limiting the global temperature rise to not more than 2°C. With this in mind, the GRETCHEN project explored the impacts of the policy mix on innovation in renewable power generation technologies in Germany at three levels: the micro level, focusing on the perspective of individual companies, the meso level, examining industry structures and the innovation system, and the macro level, modelling macroeconomic effects and CO2 emissions. The impact of the policy mix was analysed at these three levels for the following aspects: political targets to expand power generation from renewable energy sources, technology push, demand pull and systemic instruments as well as their interaction within the instrument mix, and the consistency and credibility of the policy mix and the coherence of political processes. The policy mix needed for a green transformation of the energy system can be considered holistically and valuated with regard to its innovation impact based on the policy mix concept developed in the GRETCHEN project. The corresponding findings are synthesized in this report on the results of the GRETCHEN project concerning the influence of the policy mix on technological and structural change in renewable power generation technologies in Germany.