Jørgen Finstad

• Finstad, Jørgen & Andersen, Allan Dahl (2026). How do multi-purpose technological innovation systems expand? Insights from carbon capture technology. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions. ISSN 2210-4224. 60. doi: 10.1016/j.eist.2026.101120. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Multi-purpose technologies that interconnect and shape multiple sector transitions are central to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century. Yet we know little about how such technologies expand into new user sectors. This paper develops a framework for examining multi-purpose technological innovation system (TIS) expansion by extending the TIS value-chain approach. We conceptualize markets as cross-sectoral interfaces consisting of structural couplings—institutional, organizational, and technological—and theorize shifts in user sectors as the stepwise creation and stabilization of these interfaces. We apply the framework to a case study of the Norwegian carbon capture (CC) TIS, focusing on the shift from earlier applications toward new “hard-to-abate” sectors. We find that expansion began by reframing CC as a key solution for industrial decarbonization and by the emergence of shared cross-sector directionality that legitimized collaboration with new sectors. This enabled coupling work to proceed through government-backed projects, shared piloting and knowledge development tailored to new user constraints, and the rise of interface actors that reduced coordination and competence burdens. Through these coupling processes, both the CC-TIS and the new user sectors underwent structural change and became more aligned, mobilizing legitimacy, knowledge, capital, and early demand. The paper contributes a framework that links multi-purpose TIS growth to market formation as cross-sector interface building, refining understandings of market formation, institutional coherence, and life-cycle dynamics under heterogeneous demand.

• Nordholm, Amber Joy; Finstad, Jørgen & Andersen, Allan Dahl (2026). ‘Lumpy’ technological innovation systems and net-zero transitions: The impact of technology characteristics on the carbon capture innovation system in Norway. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. ISSN 0040-1625. 223. doi: 10.1016/j.techfore.2025.124436. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  While past research indicates that technology characteristics matter for deployment and policymaking, especially for lumpy technologies, these insights have not yet been integrated with more comprehensive understandings of socio-technical diffusion. This is problematic because some net-zero decarbonization challenges require lumpy technologies (e.g., cement). To address this knowledge gap, we articulate a ‘lumpy’ technological innovation systems (TIS) approach by merging literatures on technology characteristics and TIS, deriving three important technology characteristics dimensions for analyzing lumpy technology diffusion: size, complexity, and level of customization. We then test the usefulness of this framework by analyzing the case of carbon capture (CC) innovation for decarbonization of process industrial plants in Norway. These types of CC units, with their large size, high complexity, and high customization requirements, have been notoriously difficult to deploy despite technological maturity. From our analysis, we demonstrate the usefulness of our framework through an empirical case of lumpy technology characteristics directly impacting TIS structures and functions. Theoretically, our findings demonstrate the usefulness of treating the material dimensions of technology as a TIS structure and draw attention to the seldom used materialization function's importance for diffusion of lumpy technologies. Our findings reveal an iterative process by technology developers to alter the characteristics of CC technology, challenging past notions of technology-inherent characteristics. Moreover, our findings confirm the importance of considering technology characteristics in policymaking for net-zero transitions and we contribute a novel approach for policymakers to assess the characteristics of focal technology and why they matter for diffusion.

• Hansen, Teis; Andersson, Johnn; Finstad, Jørgen; Hanson, Jens; Hellsmark, Hans & Mäkitie, Tuukka [Vis alle 8 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2024). How aligned are industry strategy and government policy for the decarbonization of energy-intensive process industries? Climate Policy. ISSN 1469-3062. 24(9), s. 1149–1162. doi: 10.1080/14693062.2024.2363490. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Decarbonization of energy-intensive process industries (EPIs) is a central unresolved challenge for limiting global warming to 1.5°C or well-below 2°C. In this article, we investigate the alignment between government policy and applicable industry strategy in decarbonization efforts across six European countries – Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. We distinguish between ‘target alignment’ (How comparable are the size of the emission reduction commitments?), ‘temporal alignment’ (How closely do the timelines match?) and ‘solution alignment’ (Are the same types of solutions prioritized?). Based on an analysis of national policy documents, company strategies of the 10 largest emitting EPI plants in each country, as well as secondary sources, we find high target alignment. However, we find substantially lower temporal alignment as emitters are reluctant to commit to intermediate targets that match the decarbonization timelines laid out in national government policy. Solution alignment is intermediate across all six countries as emitters generally pursue the decarbonization options prioritized in policy, but with most emitters remaining at the level of ambitions or plans and few examples of commercial investments so far.

• Steen, Markus; Andersen, Allan Dahl; Finstad, Jørgen; Hansen, Teis; Hanson, Jens & Jordal, Aina Benedikte Kristin [Vis alle 10 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2024). CCS technological innovation system dynamics in Norway. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control. ISSN 1750-5836. 136. doi: 10.1016/j.ijggc.2024.104171. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) is today seen as a key technology to cut carbon emissions in many hard-to-abate sectors such as energy-intensive processing industries and the waste sector. Although CO2 capture is technically possible, key challenges for realizing CCS persist. Over the past decade, CCS has taken a new direction with more focus on application in energy-intensive industries rather than the energy sector. For CCS value chains to materialize, innovation and implementation thus needs to occur amongst an array of actors, with different innovation modes, institutions, and policy regimes, and with varying sectoral capacities for adaptation and change. There has so far been limited social science research on CCS innovation dynamics, which we suggest approaching as a socio-technical change process. To better understand this process, we draw on the sustainability transitions research field and employ the Technological Innovation System (TIS) framework to study the CCS innovation system in Norway. We find that, overall, the Norwegian CCS TIS displays systemic weaknesses for example in the form of market formation and resource mobilization, yet recent developments suggest a relatively positive momentum for this technological field which is key to meeting Norwegian and global climate mitigation targets.

• Finstad, Jørgen & Andersen, Allan Dahl (2023). Multi-sector technology diffusion in urgent net-zero transitions: Niche splintering in carbon capture technology. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. ISSN 0040-1625. 194. doi: 10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122696. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Transitioning to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century requires rapid diffusion of low-carbon technologies across numerous sectors. Multi-purpose technologies are expected to solve sustainability problems in several sectors. Given the mid-century deadline, diffusion of such technologies must happen in multiple sectors simultaneously instead of sequentially. Since different sectors have their own set of preferences, technical needs, and institutional characteristics, simultaneous interactions with several sectors increases the complexity of diffusion processes. We contribute a new perspective on the diffusion of multi-purpose technologies in the context of urgent grand challenges. Drawing on insights from the ‘niche anchoring’ and ‘technology speciation’ literatures, we present a framework that puts actors and their sense-making at the centre of the diffusion process. The framework is applied to the case of carbon capture in Norway, which has recently been applied in multiple new user sectors simultaneously. We find that diversity in needs, expectations, and technological solutions leads to increased uncertainty and ‘niche splintering’, which hampers rapid anchoring and diffusion of carbon capture. In addition to our framework for multi-sector technology diffusion, the paper also contributes by highlighting challenges for diffusing carbon capture to multiple sectors at the rate seen in many net-zero strategies and mitigation scenarios.

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• Nordholm, Amber Joy; Finstad, Jørgen & Andersen, Allan Dahl (2023). Unravelling the sociotechnical dynamics of technology characteristics: Insights from the development and diffusion of carbon capture technology. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Nordholm, Amber Joy; Finstad, Jørgen & Andersen, Allan Dahl (2023). Unravelling the sociotechnical dynamics of technology characteristics: Insights from the development and diffusion of carbon capture technology. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Finstad, Jørgen & Andersen, Allan Dahl (2022). Diffusion of multi-sector technologies in sustainability transitions: The case of carbon capture technology. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Steen, Markus; Andersen, Allan Dahl; Finstad, Jørgen; Hansen, Teis; Hanson, Jens & Jordal, Aina Benedikte Kristin [Vis alle 10 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2022). A socio-technical perspective on CCS innovation system dynamics in Norway. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Finstad, Jørgen; Andersen, Allan Dahl & Thune, Taran Mari (2026). Multi-Sector Diffusion of Lumpy Decarbonization Technologies: Carbon Capture in Norway. Universitetet i Oslo. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Achieving the Paris Agreement and net-zero targets requires the rapid diffusion of multiple decarbonization technologies. Several of these technologies are expected to expand across heterogeneous sectors simultaneously. Carbon capture is one such technology. Once primarily framed as a solution for emissions from coal- and gasfired power plants, carbon capture is now framed as a technology for handling emissions across a variety of sectors. This includes waste incineration, biopower, blue hydrogen, and various process industries, like cement. While many mitigation scenarios envision an expansion from today’s limited carbon capture capacity to capturing several billion tonnes of CO₂ annually within decades, real-world deployment has been slow and uneven. Despite the technology’s potential importance across several sectors, social science research on carbon capture has largely focused on public acceptance rather than broader innovation and diffusion dynamics. From innovation studies, we know that how technologies are shaped, developed, and spread stems from both individual actors and firms and from the broader context – including specific technological characteristics, actor networks, and institutional and economic structures. These broader structures of actors, networks, and institutions are what we refer to as a technology’s innovation system. Similarly, we know that different sectors and industries have distinct characteristics and innovation modes. They consist of different actors and networks, and individual sectors have different opportunities and ways of doing things. For instance, some sectors are resource-rich, innovative, and accustomed to taking risks, while others have lower profit margins and are more risk-averse. These differences in characteristics imply that when a technology spreads and its innovation system starts to integrate a variety of sectors – all with their own particular needs, wants, and ways of doing things – the technology and its innovation system (its actors, actor networks, and institutions) may have to change and adapt to be compatible with the sectors’ way of doing things. With this in mind, this thesis explores how interactions with multiple sectors influence carbon capture technology, the broader innovation system around it, and its diffusion dynamics. Rooted in the fields of innovation studies and sustainability transitions, this thesis investigates (1) how a multi-purpose decarbonization technology, like carbon capture, diffuses to new user sectors, (2) how simultaneous interactions with multiple sectors reshape the technology and its innovation system, and (3) how material characteristics of the technology (like its size and complexity) both influence and are influenced by these processes. Empirically, the thesis draws on a series of qualitative case studies of carbon capture in Norway during a period where the focus shifted from natural gas and power generation to waste-to-energy, cement, hydrogen production, and other energyintensive industries. The thesis draws on a range of academic literatures, theoretical frameworks, and key concepts, including the technological innovation systems (TIS) framework, research on technological diffusion and technology characteristics, and scholarship on how innovation systems and technologies couple with and embed in new user sectors. Building on these strands, several of my papers develop analytical frameworks to examine how technologies such as carbon capture expand into new sectors and how concurrent cross-sector interactions shape both the technologies themselves and the innovation systems surrounding them. As such, the thesis provides conceptual tools for analyzing multi-sector interactions and the diffusion dynamics of multi-purpose technologies. By employing these frameworks in its case studies, the thesis contributes to the technological innovation systems and diffusion literatures by foregrounding sectoral interactions in diffusion and the co-evolution of technology characteristics and innovation systems. The thesis finds that diffusing across multiple sectors simultaneously is a complex process that pulls an innovation system in different directions. This leads to changes in both the broader innovation system (e.g., in terms of which actors are involved, how actors are organized, project structures, contract types, how and which knowledge is developed, etc.) and to the material characteristics of the technology itself, as technology developers try to adapt to new users. Spreading to new user sectors becomes a long, expensive process as actors try to align the structures of the innovation system and the characteristics of the technology to the structures and needs of new user sectors and vice versa. When spreading across multiple sectors simultaneously, this process becomes even more challenging, as differing visions of the future pull the innovation system in different directions, complicating the process and risking fragmentation into multiple segments. To reduce risk, cost, and uncertainty, technology developers actively work to adapt the technology to the new users’ needs. Since these processes can be long and resource-intensive, a strong shared directionality (in terms of actors’ beliefs and motivations) is key to initiating and maintaining the diffusion process. For example, in the case of carbon capture, actors in both the innovation system and the new user sectors adopted and maintained the narrative that carbon capture is a key technology for industrial decarbonization. By studying carbon capture, the thesis also contributes by unpacking the innovation and diffusion dynamics of a potentially important decarbonization technology that has received limited attention in social science studies. By studying how carbon capture spread and was affected by its adoption in new sectors in Norway, I derive a few lessons for supporting the further development and diffusion of carbon capture and similar technologies. This includes focusing on policies that de-risk the diffusion process for first-mover actors in new user sectors, e.g., through governmentsupported demonstration projects in new sectors, or contracts for difference. or through sector-specific policies. The thesis also highlights the importance of being attentive to user-sector characteristics when designing policies to support mitigation technologies. Since user sectors may have different institutional challenges, technology-focused policies alone may fall short. In some cases, measures tailored to specific user sectors may be more effective at promoting the diffusion of a technology than technology-specific policies. For example, green procurement programs for cement can incentivize carbon capture in the cement sector.

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