Effect of government actions on technological innovation for SO2 control

This paper examines innovation in sulfur dioxide (SO2) control technologies for electric power plants. Innovation in these technologies has been influenced by government actions, ranging from government-sponsored R&D and pollution-control demonstration programs to regulation of emissions. Our analysis employs several complementary methods with which to understand innovation in SO2 control technologies. Innovative activities were investigated using: analysis of patenting activity; analysis of the technical content of conferences held for over twenty years to promote innovation in SO2 control technologies; analysis of the researcher networks formed by co-authorship in that conference; analysis of learning curves for U.S. power plants; and structured interviews of experts spanning a range of roles in SO2 control technology. Innovative outcomes were investigated through: analysis of observed improvements in newly installed technologies over time; evaluation of historic cost studies on standardized systems; and expert interviews. Several policy-relevant findings result from this research. (1) The existence of nationa