How has external knowledge contributed to lithium-ion batteries for the energy transition?

Annegret Stephan; Laura Diaz Anadon; Volker H Hoffmann

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2020.101995

How has external knowledge contributed to lithium-ion batteries for the energy transition?

iScience. 2020 Dec 29;24(1):101995. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101995. eCollection 2021 Jan 22.

Authors

Annegret Stephan^{1

2}, Laura Diaz Anadon^{3

4

2}, Volker H Hoffmann¹

Affiliations

¹ Group for Sustainability and Technology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich), Zurich 8092, Switzerland.
² Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy, University College London (UCL), London WC1E 6JA, UK.
³ Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance, Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 9EP, UK.
⁴ Harvard Kennedy School, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.

Abstract

Innovation in clean-energy technologies is central toward a net-zero energy system. One key determinant of technological innovation is the integration of external knowledge, i.e., knowledge spillovers. However, extant work does not explain how individual spillovers come about: the mechanisms and enablers of these spillovers. We ask how knowledge from other technologies, sectors, or scientific disciplines is integrated into the innovation process in an important technology for a net-zero future: lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), based on a qualitative case study using extant literature and an elite interview campaign with key inventors in the LIB field and R&D/industry experts. We identify the breakthrough innovations in LIBs, discuss the extent to which breakthrough innovations-plus a few others-have resulted from spillovers, and identify different mechanisms and enablers underlying these spillovers, which can be leveraged by policymakers and R&D managers who are interested in facilitating spillovers in LIBs and other clean-energy technologies.

Keywords: Energy Engineering; Energy Policy; Energy Storage.