scholarly journals Role of government funding in fostering collaboration between knowledge-based organizations: Evidence from the solar PV industry in China

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 509-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita MM Liu ◽  
Otto Xinning Liang ◽  
Martin Tuuli ◽  
Isabelle Chan

As a knowledge-based industry, the structure of the solar photovoltaic industry is influenced continuously by transformations which originate from technosciences. This paper adopts the notion of the ‘science’ community to include universities and research institutes to examine government funding impact on science–industry collaboration in the Chinese solar photovoltaic industry. The triple helix model of university–industry–government relations for explaining structural developments in knowledge-based economies is often used to depict integration among functions of knowledge creation, business production and governance control at the interfaces in these knowledge-based organizations. Through comparisons between subsidized and nonsubsidised R&D activities, based on 10,366 scientific publications derived from the databases of Web of Science during the period from 2003 to 2013, the impact of government funding on their research collaboration is examined in the solar photovoltaic industry take-off phase and acceleration phase. The findings show that the three helices interact to foster collaboration between the knowledge-based organizations where the government–science link and the government–industry link are fairly strong, but the science–industry link is relatively weak. In consequence, policy-makers should develop more effective mechanisms to foster knowledge diffusion between science and industry.

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 669-682 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Mensah Sackey ◽  
De-Graft Owusu-Manu ◽  
Richard Ohene Asiedu ◽  
Adam Braimah Jehuri

Purpose Ghana has recently reviewed its renewable energy Act 835 with an objective of providing 10% of its energy from renewables by 2020 (Ackah and Asomani, 2015). Meanwhile, solar Photovoltaic (PV) accounts for less than 2% of the energy mix (Energy Commission, 2018). In combating environmental issues such as climate change and meeting these policy targets, there is the urgent need to increase investment into the renewable sector. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to critically examine the impeding constraints to photovoltaic investment in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach The Literature evaluation was carried out of critical constraints surrounding PV investments. Questionnaire was developed and administered online using Google form. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the features of each constraint. In addition, inferential analysis using relative importance index was used to rank these indicators. Again, one sample t-test was used to test the significance of the indicator. Multiple indicators were used to measure the latent constructs. Finally, independent test of mean equity was used to test relationship between the working experiences of despondence who have worked with solar PV below five years and those who worked from five years to ten years. Findings The research has highlights high installation and maintenance costs, lack of access to long-term capital finance, access to affordable consumer finance and lack of support to research and development as the major investment obstacles to solar PV investment in Ghana. Research limitations/implications It is recommended that the Government of Ghana should provide incentives such as tax waivers, which will encourage entrepreneurs, invest into PV. In addition, it is recommended that solar PV companies must collaborate with financial institutions to provide low interest and flexible consumer financing schemed that can enable home users to purchase the technology. Future research should complement this work by focusing on the impact of domestic currency volatility on PV investment. The scope of this study is constrained to the PV industry in Ghana. Practical implications This study will serve as a guide to the private sector business owners to help make critical PV investment decisions. It has also brought to the forefront the reason why solar PV account for a small fraction of Ghana’s energy mix. Originality/value This paper seeks to espouse the prevailing constraints to PV investment in Ghana and seeks to contribute to already existing literature that will make profound changes in state policy around PV investment. By understanding these difficulties, driving pointers can be recognized to encourage effective future venture inside the sustainable power source area. In this way, the research leads to a better understanding of the impeding factors that hinders PV investment in Ghana. Again, the paper has achieved new discovery with regards to variations between years of experience with PV use. The variation being less than five years with over five years of PV use. By understanding these difficulties, driving pointers can be recognized to invigorate effective future ventures.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-300
Author(s):  
Abhinav Alakshendra ◽  
Arjun Kumar ◽  
Simi Mehta

India is urbanizing at an alarming rate and the impact of climate change is becoming more visible each passing day. The rapid urbanization and climate change have severe direct and indirect consequences, such as increasing poverty, inequality, massive displacement, public health concerns, and challenges of urban governance, among others. This paper identifies some of the most pressing issues faced by urban India in the context of climate change. It also details the interventions undertaken at the local, national, and international levels to counter the effect of the climate change. In addition, it critically evaluates the role of government organizations, especially in terms of undertaking regulatory and planning functions. The paper argues that the implementation of institutional reforms would enable the government to reach out to the private sector to improve urban service delivery. It also provides examples of best practices from India and the world in combating climate change through adaptation and mitigation approaches.Abstrak. India mengalami urbanisasi pada tingkat yang mengkhawatirkan dan dampak perubahan iklim menjadi terlihat setiap hari. Urbanisasi yang cepat dan perubahan iklim memiliki konsekuensi langsung dan tidak langsung yang parah, seperti antara lain meningkatnya kemiskinan, ketimpangan, pengungsian besar-besaran, masalah kesehatan masyarakat, dan tantangan tata kelola kota. Makalah ini mengidentifikasi beberapa masalah paling mendesak yang dihadapi oleh perkotaan India dalam konteks perubahan iklim. Makalah ini juga merinci intervensi yang dilakukan di tingkat lokal, nasional, dan internasional untuk melawan dampak perubahan iklim. Selain itu, secara kritis makalah ini mengevaluasi peran organisasi pemerintah, terutama dalam menjalankan fungsi pengaturan dan perencanaan. Makalah ini berpendapat bahwa pelaksanaan reformasi kelembagaan akan memungkinkan pemerintah menjangkau sektor swasta untuk membantu meningkatkan pelayanan perkotaan. Makalah ini juga memberikan contoh praktik terbaik dari India dan dunia dalam memerangi perubahan iklim melalui pendekatan adaptasi dan mitigasi.Kata kunci. Urbanisasi, perubahan iklim, keterkaitan, tata kelola kota, mitigasi.


Author(s):  
E Manikandan ◽  
K Mayandi ◽  
M Sivasubramanian ◽  
N Rajini ◽  
S Rajesh ◽  
...  

Solar energy is a major renewable energy resource used in power production, heating processes, and other applications such as domestic and industrial utilization. It is an abundant form of green energy. Different techniques have been made for energy conversion and one among them is solar photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system. Unfortunately, the greatest cause of concern is the rise in temperature of solar PV cells, which will have a negative effect on electrical performance. Thereby, eliminating excess heat on PV cells with heat transfer fluids to lower the temperature of the cells can improve electrical efficiency. A nanofluid is a promising heat transfer fluid to effectively enhance the system efficacy compared with conventional fluids. As the nanoparticle size is very small, the surface area of the nanoparticle is large so it enhances the heat transfer rate. Thereby, recently it has taken on a new dimension for research studies to enhance its thermal behavior for engineering application. This review paper discusses about the importance of nanofluid in solar PV/T system and advantages of employing nanofluid in PV/T system which has high thermo-physical properties. Nanoparticle and nanofluid preparation methods were presented. The thermo-physical properties like thermal conductivity, viscosity, density, and specific heat capacity were also discussed.


Electronics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 965
Author(s):  
Giuseppe D’Aniello ◽  
Matteo Gaeta ◽  
Francesco Orciuoli ◽  
Giuseppe Sansonetti ◽  
Francesca Sorgente

A smart city can be defined as a city exploiting information and communication technologies to enhance the quality of life of its citizens by providing them with improved services while ensuring a conscious use of the available limited resources. This paper introduces a conceptual framework for the smart city, namely, the Smart City Service System. The framework proposes a vision of the smart city as a service system according to the principles of the Service-Dominant Logic and the service science theories. The rationale is that the services offered within the city can be improved and optimized via the exploitation of information shared by the citizens. The Smart City Service System is implemented as an ontology-based system that supports the decision-making processes at the government level through reasoning and inference processes, providing the decision-makers with a common operational picture of what is happening in the city. A case study related to the local public transportation service is proposed to demonstrate the feasibility and validity of the framework. An experimental evaluation using the Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT) has been performed to measure the impact of the framework on the decision-makers’ level of situation awareness.


2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 83-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Yellowlees

summary Over the last decade, telehealth in Australia has been primarily facilitated and driven by government funding. The government now has a major policy initiative in online health. However, in pursuing the broad initiative there is a danger that some of the smaller components can get lost, and this is probably what has happened to telehealth. There appear to be a number of steps required if telehealth in Australia is to keep up the pace of development that occurred in the 1990s, as we move into what is now being called the era of e-health, involving broadband Internet health service delivery. This area is changing extremely rapidly and is increasingly migrating away from the public sector in Australia, where most of the developmental work has occurred, and into the private sector. Many of the issues that require consideration within the domain of e-health in Australia are also relevant to other countries. E-health will significantly change the way that health-care is practised in future, and it is clear that it is the human factors that are more difficult to overcome, rather than the technological ones.


2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 203-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiahuan Lu

This article examines the impact of government funding on nonprofit participation in policy advocacy. Previous literature has proposed that government funding may either encourage or inhibit nonprofit involvement in policy advocacy. This study, using a meta-analysis of 38 existing studies with 218 effect sizes, finds a slight positive association between the level of government funding a nonprofit receives and the level of policy advocacy the nonprofit participates in. Government funding could be a weak catalyst, rather than an obstacle, for nonprofits to participate in the policy process. Furthermore, the study finds that this effect of government funding might be generalizable to non-U.S. countries. Government funding is also associated with nonprofits’ increasing use of insider advocacy strategy. Overall, government funding seems not a key predictor of the level of nonprofit advocacy engagement. Nonprofit leaders should not consider government funding a barrier for them to fulfill their critical advocacy obligations.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 358-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minhyun LEE ◽  
Taehoon HONG ◽  
Choongwan KOO ◽  
Chan-Joong KIM

Despite the steady growth and price reductions of solar photovoltaic (PV) market in the United States (U.S.), the solar PV market still depends on financial support and incentives due to its high initial investment cost. Therefore, this study aimed to conduct a break-even analysis and impact analysis of residential solar PV systems by state in the U.S., focused on state solar incentives. Three indexes (i.e., net present value, profitability index (PI) and payback period) were used to evaluate the investment value of the residential solar PV systems considering state solar incentives. Furthermore, PI increase ratio was used to analyze the impact of state solar incentives on the economic feasibility of the residential solar PV systems in each state. As a result, it was found that 18 of the 51 target cities have reached the break-even point and seven of the 51 target cities showed great improvement of the economic feasibility of solar PV systems in the U.S. due to excellent state solar incentives. The results of this study can help policy makers to evaluate and compare the economic impacts of the residential solar PV systems by state in the U.S.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Atul Kumar1 ◽  
Srivastava Manish2

Electricity generation around the world is mainly produced by using non-renewable energy sources especially in the commercial buildings. However, Rooftop solar Photovoltaic (PV) system produced a significant impact on environmental and economical benefits in comparison to the conventional energy sources, thus contributing to sustainable development. Such PV’s system encourages the production of electricity without greenhouse gas emissions that leads to a clean alternative to fossil fuels and economic prosperity even in less developed areas. However, efficiency of rooftop solar PV systems depends on many factors, the dominant being geographical (latitude, longitude, and solar intensity), environmental (temperature, wind, humidity, pollution, dust, rain, etc.) and the type of PV (from raw material extraction and procurement, to manufacturing, disposal, and/or recycling) used. During the feasibility analysis of the environment, geographical conditions are keep in well consideration, but the pollution level of the city is always overlooked, which significantly influences the performance of the PV installations.           Therefore, this research work focused on the performance of rooftop solar PV installed in one of the most polluted city in India. Here, the loss in power generation of rooftop solar PV has been studied for the effect of deposited dust particles, wind velocity before and after the cleaning of the panels. The actual data has been utilized for the calculation of the energy efficiency and power output of the PV systems. According to the results, it has been concluded that dust deposition, wind speed and pollution level in city significantly reduces the efficiency of solar photovoltaic panel. Hence, an overview of social and environmental impacts of PV technologies is presented in this paper along with potential benefits and pitfalls.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 12707
Author(s):  
Weijiang Liu ◽  
Yue Bai

To promote the National Mid-andLong-Term Scientific and Technical Development Program, utilizing the technical innovation data from 30 provinces of China from2002–2016, this paper evaluates the inter-provincial differences of China’s regional innovation efficiency from four aspects of technical efficiency, efficiency index change, returns to scale, and projection analysis by using the DEA-Malmquist index method and constructs of the DEA-Tobit random response model to explore the impact of government funding on regional innovation efficiency. The research results show that: (1) The local development of regional innovation efficiency in China is unbalanced, and the level of pure technical efficiency restricts the improvement of innovation efficiency. (2) In the prophase of the scientific and technical development plan, technological progress has led to the growth of total factor productivity, resulting in the formation of scale effect; in the later stage, the scale return shows an overall increasing trend, and the continuous expansion of technological scale and opportunities has improved the regional innovation efficiency. (3) The R&D fiscal and tax subsidies have policy sustainability, and the direct government funding can significantly improve innovation efficiency, while the enterprises investment is opposite, and the pretax additional deduction has a negative but not significant impact. The government should give priority to direct subsidy and supplemented by tax preference, making reasonable policy allocations to expand the policy effect.


2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (45) ◽  
pp. 11867-11872 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyuan Li ◽  
Fabian Wagner ◽  
Wei Peng ◽  
Junnan Yang ◽  
Denise L. Mauzerall

Solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation is expanding rapidly in China, with total capacity projected to be 400 GW by 2030. However, severe aerosol pollution over China reduces solar radiation reaching the surface. We estimate the aerosol impact on solar PV electricity generation at the provincial and regional grid levels in China. Our approach is to examine the 12-year (2003–2014) average reduction in point-of-array irradiance (POAI) caused by aerosols in the atmosphere. We apply satellite-derived surface irradiance data from the NASA Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) with a PV performance model (PVLIB-Python) to calculate the impact of aerosols and clouds on POAI. Our findings reveal that aerosols over northern and eastern China, the most polluted regions, reduce annual average POAI by up to 1.5 kWh/m2per day relative to pollution-free conditions, a decrease of up to 35%. Annual average reductions of POAI over both northern and eastern China are about 20–25%. We also evaluate the seasonal variability of the impact and find that aerosols in this region are as important as clouds in winter. Furthermore, we find that aerosols decrease electricity output of tracking PV systems more than those with fixed arrays: over eastern China, POAI is reduced by 21% for fixed systems at optimal angle and 34% for two-axis tracking systems. We conclude that PV system performance in northern and eastern China will benefit from improvements in air quality and will facilitate that improvement by providing emission-free electricity.


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