Material flows and the geopolitics of PV: Constructing the geographies of the EU research networks for solar PV technologies

Efi Nakopoulou, Stathis Arapostathis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Our article links EU-funded research for photovoltaic (PV) technologies to the material flows and geopolitics of these technologies along the entire production chain. Our entry point is the EU-funded research programmes for renewable energy technologies (RES) from 1975 to 2013, with a focus on PV. The installation targets set in the 1997 White Paper led to the silicon (Si) crisis in PV, which reoriented EU research priorities and activities for PV. In analysing the networks’ responses to the Si crisis, we argue that geopolitics was not included in the PV research agenda and did not impact the networks’ responses. We argue that although mining activities have transferred to regions in the Global South, these regions do not have access to these technologies and have been “left behind” in the transition to RES, reproducing the Global North–South divide for certain regions (e.g., Peru, Chile). However, China is becoming geopolitically empowered by accumulating control along the PV production chain, resulting in the establishment of complex geopolitical dynamics.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)148-179
JournalICON
Volume28
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Keywords

  • NLA

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