Before revision:  While this model contributes to the general understanding of technological change, the information in this work is intended to be used practically for the parameterisation of technology diffusion in large scale models of technology systems when measured data is unknown or uncertain, as is the case for new technologies, notably for modelling future energy systems and greenhouse gas emissions .
After revision:  While this model contributes to the general understanding of technological change, the information in this work is intended to be used practically for the parameterisation of technology diffusion in large scale models of technology transitions without the involvement of historical data fitting, making use of standard demography theory applied to technology at the unit level. The classic Lotka-Volterra competition system emerges from first principles from demography theory, its timescales explained in terms of technology lifetimes and industrial dynamics. The theory is discussed in the context of the multi-level perspective on technology transitions, where innovation and the diffusion of new socio-technical regimes take a prominent place, offering a bridge between qualitative and quantitative descriptions .