Energy Innovation Policy Explorer
This Policy Explorer helps governments to take inspiration and lessons from their peers around the world, providing a sound basis for trying new approaches and learning more rapidly from experience
Effective energy innovation systems typically take action across four distinct policy pillars to translate research into technological change
Governments around the world are using a wide range of tools to enhance energy innovation. In many cases, well-known instruments such as research grants are being creatively adapted to new priorities and continually refined in response to prior experience. However, these examples are not always widely known at the international level, and such policies have not been systematically compiled.
Energy innovation is inherently risky and often requires a variety of different types of support as an idea is translated into a commercially viable product or process, and then honed in the marketplace. International experience suggests that the countries making the largest impacts though energy technology innovation actively cultivate four complementary pillars: resource push, knowledge management, market pull and socio political support.
The Energy Innovation Policy Explorer is intended to help governments and other stakeholders explore existing and new energy technology innovation policies through these pillars. The data in this explorer is limited to government interventions whose primary target is to develop technologies (or technology ideas) that could support energy policy goals, but whose products still carry technology risk. Policies can also be explored selecting a specific country, economy or region.
This resource was compiled as a companion to the annual State of Energy Innovation report. Each policy included in the Explorer can also be found in the IEA’s wider policy database, which is less tailored to energy innovation policy makers’ needs. If you have any feedback, or would like to submit new energy innovation policies, please contact: EnergyInnovation@iea.org.
Navigating energy technology innovation policy ecosystems
The Energy Innovation Policy Explorer allows users to view the energy innovation policies that are featured each year in State of Energy Innovation in one place, and to filter the information by country and category. Each policy included in the Explorer can also be found in the IEA’s wider policy database, which is less tailored to energy innovation policy makers’ needs. The methodological paper below explains our classification system, policy selection process and presentation choices, providing an overview of the various stages and stakeholders involved in innovation policy ecosystems.