Does energy technology R&D save energy in OECD countries?

The relationship between energy technology R&D and energy consumption has remained an unsettled empirical issue. This study investigates whether accumulative energy technology R&D investments have contributed to decreases in final energy and fossil fuel consumption in 19 OECD countries over the period 1975–2020. We ask whether an increase in energy technology R&D stocks has contributed to decreases in final energy and fossil fuel consumption and hence may effect energy savings. Methodologically, we treat the accumulation and depreciation of energy technology R&D investments as R&D stocks, and we use state-of-the-art estimation methods for dealing with cross-sectional dependence, nonstationarity, heterogeneity and time-varying coefficients that often plague panel-time-series models. Across our heterogeneous dynamic models, we find those estimators that properly account for cross-sectional dependence yield negative and significant coefficients on energy technology R&D stocks. Our time-varying estimates on energy technology R&D stocks confirm the above findings and feature two turning points—i.e., the 1979 oil shock, the Fukushima accident—in effecting energy savings. These two turning points provide strong evidence that the sample countries are subject to common shocks. The evidence we present supports the environmental sustainability orientated view that energy technology R&D is playing a prominent role in making energy savings.