Berlin 2012 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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SOE: Fachverband Physik sozio-ökonomischer Systeme

SOE 9: Energy and Environment

SOE 9.3: Vortrag

Dienstag, 27. März 2012, 11:45–12:00, H 0110

Empirical distributions for firms' energy consumption and energy saving behaviour — •Patrick Plötz and Tobias Fleiter — Fraunhofer-Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung ISI, Breslauer Straße 48, 76139 Karlsruhe

A simple and often cost-effective way to reduce energy consumption and green house gas emissions is a more efficient use of energy. It is generally assumed that firms of different size behave differently when adopting energy-efficiency measures. A few studies have tried to identify a net effect of firm size and other firm characteristics. However, detailed empirical results of the influence of firm size on adoption of energy efficiency measures are still missing. Here, we study empirical distributions of firm size and adoption rates and how these interact. We identify general empirical trends by using data from different countries and industry branches. Thus, a more detailed picture of the adoption behaviour of firms of different size is obtained including the large diversity that prevails among firms and that dominates firms' adoption decision. This is a first step towards a more realistic consideration of diversity among firms and needed for building complex models of firm behaviour and interaction. The revealed broad empirical trends have consequences for the future design of models and policies to understand and influence the adoption of energy efficiency measures in industry.