Abstract for: Modelling Wind Turbine Diffusion: A Comparative Study of California and Denmark 1980 - 1995

In order for policy makers to effectively manage the process of the diffusion of renewable energy technologies, it is important to understand the mechanisms behind the diffusion process of such technologies. Most of the literature on innovation diffusion focuses on static or relatively simple dynamic models of diffusion. Recently, researchers have argued that analyzing innovation diffusion needs new methods, allowing for a more comprehensive dynamic analysis. With this aim in view, this research used system dynamics modelling as a dynamic tool for modelling wind turbine diffusion. To be able to see to what extent system dynamics is able to capture the underlying mechanisms of diffusion processes, a known case of wind turbine diffusion in California and Denmark was chosen as a comparative case study. The results showed that Denmark was more successful due to various reasons: high oil prices, strong networks enabling knowledge sharing, and determination of the government. This research also showed that system dynamics is a promising approach for understanding innovation diffusion in a holistic manner.