TY - JOUR
T1 - China’s role in the next phase of the energy transition: Contributions to global niche formation in the Concentrated Solar Power sector
AU - Gosens, Jorrit
AU - Binz, Christian
AU - Lema, Rasmus
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - The role that emerging economies, and China in particular, play in the global energy transition appears to be transforming. Transition literature to date characterizes the formation of cleantech sectors in emerging economies as being heavily dependent on foreign inputs of knowledge and other key resources. This article argues that in the, currently unfolding, next phase of the global energy transition, Chinese actors may play a more central role in global niche development for high-tech industries, including in constructing innovative and effective socio-technical configurations. This argument is illustrated with a case study of the Chinese Concentrated Solar Power industry, which is found to have developed largely independently of foreign resources. The case is used to highlight a number of specificities of the Chinese environment that set it apart from niche formation environments in OECD countries, and may allow China to open up technological trajectories unlikely to develop in those OECD countries
AB - The role that emerging economies, and China in particular, play in the global energy transition appears to be transforming. Transition literature to date characterizes the formation of cleantech sectors in emerging economies as being heavily dependent on foreign inputs of knowledge and other key resources. This article argues that in the, currently unfolding, next phase of the global energy transition, Chinese actors may play a more central role in global niche development for high-tech industries, including in constructing innovative and effective socio-technical configurations. This argument is illustrated with a case study of the Chinese Concentrated Solar Power industry, which is found to have developed largely independently of foreign resources. The case is used to highlight a number of specificities of the Chinese environment that set it apart from niche formation environments in OECD countries, and may allow China to open up technological trajectories unlikely to develop in those OECD countries
U2 - 10.1016/j.eist.2019.12.004
DO - 10.1016/j.eist.2019.12.004
M3 - Article
VL - 34
SP - 61
EP - 75
JO - Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions
JF - Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions
SN - 2210-4224
IS - 1
ER -