This paper analyzes the invention of feed-in tariffs for renewable energy support –the most effective policy for increasing the share of electricity from renewable energy source and therefore an important instrument for climate change mitigation. Based on the concept of Evolutionary Tinkering we argue that the invention of this policy instrument was a long process, starting with copying polices for co-generation power plants in the late 1970s and followed by small and seemingly irrelevant modifications in order to match the policy design to the needs of renewable energy producers. This process of policy invention and codification came to an end in the year 2000. We argue that only by unpacking the policy into its design elements, the process of policy invention can be adequately traced and understood. In the case of feed-in tariffs, policy makers adjusted the policy design over time based on trial and error and experimental learning. This was possible because the effects of the policy changes were underestimated and natural opponents were distracted by other policies and activities.
