2026/01/02 by Aiping Wu, Xiaoping Zhang, Wenhua Lian +1 · 2 voices
Business, Management and Accounting · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Environmental Science · #Economic and Technological Innovation #Global trade, sustainability, and social impact #Photovoltaic Systems and Sustainability
paper · doi:10.1080/23792949.2026.2628173
openalex publication_date 2026/01/02 · openalex created_date 2026/03/06 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
Global photovoltaic (PV) trade has undergone profound restructuring under the low-carbon transition, but the evolution of its industrial chain competition remains underexplored. This paper analyses the evolution of the global PV product trade network from 2000 to 2021, revealing structural shifts and differentiated competition across the industrial chain. Utilising a Tobit regression model, we identify the key determinants that shape the competitive dynamics. The results show that: (1) the PV trade network has grown increasingly complex, with the midstream segment showing strong ‘small-world’ characteristics – the trade network displays a distinct core–periphery pattern, with China shifting from the periphery to the core; (2) multilayer network analysis indicates that PV competition is predominantly intra-layer and highly concentrated, with over 80% of global PV trade competition embedded in merely 10% of the relationships; (3) global PV competition is segmented, with advanced economies maintaining dominance in the upstream through technology and equipment, while China and other emerging economies leverage scale and innovation to gain ground in the midstream and downstream; and (4) the regression results indicate that upstream competition is driven by resource endowments and innovation capacity, midstream competition is shaped by cost structures and energy similarities, while downstream competition is influenced by heterogeneous economic conditions and varying decarbonisation needs. These insights advance understanding of the competitive dynamics in green global value chains and provide valuable evidence to inform coordinated international strategies in the low-carbon transition.