Recombinant invention in solar photovoltaic technology: can geographical proximity bridge technological distance?

Abstract

This paper explores the emergence of new combinations of unrelated technologies at the regional level. The analyses show that for solar photovoltaic inventions, such unrelated technologies are more likely to be recombined when they strongly co-locate in the same region rather than in different regions. Furthermore, we show that this pattern is common to renewable energy inventions, although different dynamics are observed in different types of renewable energy technology. The results highlight the importance of place-based capabilities in facilitating breakthrough inventions in renewable energy technologies.