Cited by 99Global Energy Security and PolicyGlobal Energy and Sustainability ResearchRenewable Energy and Sustainability

The complicated geopolitics of renewable energy

Open access
Paltsev, Sergey·2016·Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Abstract

A recent UN climate agreement has the potential to shift global energy consumption from a mix dominated by fossil fuels to one driven by low-carbon technologies. It is clear that if this happens, fossil-fuel-producing countries will have to adjust their economies to reflect lower export earnings from oil, coal, and natural gas. The rise of renewable energy may also create new centers of geopolitical power. As renewable resources become widely distributed, supply-side geopolitics are expected to be less influential than in the fossil-fuel era. Instead of focusing on just two major resources, oil and natural gas, low-carbon energy geopolitics may depend on many additional factors, such as access to technology, power lines, rare earth materials, patents, storage, and dispatch, not to mention unpredictable government policies. Despite uncertainty, there is no question that the balance of power in energy geopolitics is shifting from fossil-fuel owners to countries that are developing low-carbon solutions.

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Authors
Paltsev, S.
Affiliations
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
Corresponding author
Paltsev, Sergey
Venue
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Published
2016-10-04
Volume
72
Issue
6
Pages
390-395
ISSN
  • 0096-3402 (ISSN-L)
  • 1938-3282
OpenAlex
W2527733487
Cited by
99
References
6
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 4
FWCI
14.64
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (publishedVersion)
  • DSpace@MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Energy › General Energy › Global Energy Security and Policy
  • Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Global Energy and Sustainability Research
  • Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Renewable Energy and Sustainability
Keywords
renewable energy, energy geopolitics, low-carbon energy, fossil fuels, balance of power, rare earth materials, energy storage, power transmission lines, climate policy

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