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The task of substituting the entire global fossil-fueled energy system by renewables is increasingly discussed in the energy literature, but in the social sciences academy it is widely viewed as impossibly large within any meaningful timeframe. In this article we argue that such pessimism is ill-founded. Taking as our starting point the material and energy requirements of existing operating systems such as the Shams1 Concentrating Solar Power plant, we scale these up to generate the real resource demands of a renewable electrical energy system to supply the entire planet – and find these to be feasible, particularly if it is China that takes on the manufacturing challenge. We argue that such results need to be promoted more vigorously by energy and carbon management scholars.

Renewable energies are advancing across many fronts – and now a new front has opened up in the form of dispatchable concentrating solar power (CSP). It is in emerging markets such as China, India and countries in North Africa and the Middle East as well as South America and southern Africa that CSP power plants with 24/7 dispatchable power are starting to be viewed as a viable way forward. The emerging CSP industrial value chain in China, India, southern Africa and elsewhere is expected to exert its consequent dramatic impact on cost reductions, which will in turn drive the diffusion of CSP around the world as a key challenger and alternative to nuclear and fossil fuel power. In this paper, we review these developments and discuss the effects attributable to the emerging learning curve, combined with technology progress involving molten salt heat transfer and reductions in water requirements, as well as patenting trends in the global CSP industry.

The world is on the cusp of major transformations of energy systems, with solar photovoltaic (PV) systems providing one of the most promising alternatives to fossil fuels. Amongst the countries moving to take advantage of the new production possibilities thus being opened up is Taiwan, employing in this new sector its characteristic strategies of fast followership that it has perfected in earlier industrial shifts involving semiconductors, ICT products and flat panel displays. This paper provides an interim assessment of Taiwan's early entry strategies, involving a focus on mainstream crystalline silicon solar cells, as well as entry into emerging niche sectors such as thin-film second-generation cells and concentrated solar cells utilizing novel semiconductor materials. Taiwan firms’ fast-follower strategies are highlighted and assessed in light of the literature on industrial dynamics and catch-up processes generally. The paper makes a contribution to theory in building nine propositions regarding fast ...

This study investigates the developmental trajectories of seven renewable energy technologies, namely geothermal, ocean, hydro, solar thermal, photovoltaic, thermal-PV hybrids, and wind energies, as well as the technological innovation capabilities of the global major players and countries. By using a set of patent classifications dedicated for renewable energies, this study identifies and analyses a total number of 127,705 renewable energy patent grants between 1970 and 2013. The results show that the technological development of renewables evolved as a consequence of, and focused on, solar thermal in the 1980s but it has extended to photovoltaic in the 2000s. Using the Relative Growth Rate indicator, our results reveal the developmental trends of future renewable energies in relation to R&D concentration in major countries. This study also demonstrates the various technological innovation capabilities of major countries, such as the US, Japan, Germany, China, and Korea in developing the seven above-mentioned renewable energy industries, by means of Relative Patent Position and Revealed Patent Advantage. One of our striking findings is China's astonishing accomplishments in patenting activities in relation to renewable energies, which have surpassed those of Western technologically advanced countries since the year 2000. China is now ranked first in terms of renewable patenting activities, demonstrating China's ambition in leading not only the production power house of the world but also that it is a pioneer in global renewable energy technologies.