2018/11/13 by Indra Øverland · 10 citations
Energy · Business, Management and Accounting · #Global Energy Security and Policy #State Capitalism and Financial Governance #Global Energy and Sustainability Research
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.erss.2018.10.018
openalex publication_date 2018/11/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
This article seeks to nip in the bud four emerging myths about the geopolitics of the rise of renewable energy and the concomitant increase in electricity usage. The article presents alternative perspectives, arguing that (1) the risk of geopolitical competition over critical materials for renewable energy is limited; (2) the resource curse as we know it from the petroleum sector will not necessarily reappear in many countries in connection with renewable energy; (3) transboundary electricity cut-offs will mostly be unsuitable as a geopolitical weapon; and (4) it is not clear that growing use of renewable energy will exacerbate cyber-security risks. In all four areas, the evolving literature could place more emphasis on uncertainty and risks and less on one-sided scenarios and maximization of threats.