A network analysis of global competition in photovoltaic technologies: Evidence from patent data

Junfeng Ding, Debin Du, Dezhong Duan, Qifan Xia and Qiang Zhang

Applied Energy, 2024, vol. 375, issue C, No S030626192401393X

Abstract: Technological factors have significant impacts on the geopolitics of energy transition and climate governance, yet little scholarly attention has been given to international technological competition. This paper constructs a global photovoltaic technological competition network based on patents from 1970 to 2018 to capture the international competitive dynamics at multiple scales. The results reveal a continuous expansion of the global photovoltaic technological competition network. The network has an ideal core-periphery structure, while the competition between peripheral countries has been intensifying. Competition at the regional level is strongly related to Europe due to the high innovation capacity and foreign patenting rate of European countries. The elevating position of East Asia and the rest of the world since 1990 reflects the shifting landscape of global photovoltaic production. The United States and Japan have alternatively dominated the global photovoltaic technological competition, while Germany's influence is declining. Two catching-up players, South Korea and China, have significantly improved their status. The vast majority of developing countries, especially those that rely heavily on fossil fuels, are lagging far behind and exposed to the risk of “carbon lock-in”.

Keywords: Competition pattern; Complex network; Energy transition; Geopolitics; Patent; Photovoltaic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030626192401393X
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:appene:v:375:y:2024:i:c:s030626192401393x

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 405891/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.124010

Access Statistics for this article

Applied Energy is currently edited by J. Yan

More articles in Applied Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().