The emergence of renewable energy technologies at country level: relatedness, international knowledge spillovers and domestic energy markets

Abstract

Global sustainable development critically depends on a fundamental transformation of our current energy systems. This paper looks at how countries develop different types of renewable energy technology to achieve this transformation. We highlight the place-dependence in the global innovation systems of renewable energy technologies by focusing on how countries benefit from local and global knowledge. We show that both the relatedness of a country’s knowledge base, and international knowledge spillovers contribute to the development of renewable energy technologies. For low- and middle- income countries, domestic markets for renewables play a crucial role in absorbing and utilising these international knowledge spillovers. The results provide a better understanding of how countries can acquire new knowledge in renewable energy technologies.