Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/10419/331736 Year of Publication:
2025
Citation:
[Conference:] Industrial decarbonization and hydrogen: The politics and economics of sustainable structural transformation, Potsdam, 28.10.2025 bis 29.10.2025 [Year:] 2025
Publisher:
ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, Kiel, Hamburg
Abstract:
With the transition to renewable energy, global production cost patterns for industrial materials and products are shifting, potentially creating what has been termed the renewables pull. This paper conducts a systematic review to identify and synthesise the growing body of scientific literature on this emerging topic. Out of 4,813 studies screened, 81 peer-reviewed journal articles were found to be relevant. Most of these were published after 2020, with the number of publications increasing every year since then – indicating rapidly growing research interest in the field. Most studies originate from countries such as Germany or Australia, which are also identified as a potential major importer or exporter, respectively, within newly emerging renewable-based trade patterns. In contrast, while Japan and South Korea are frequently identified as potential importers, relatively few studies originate from these countries. Most of the identified literature conducts techno-economic analysis assessing the location-specific production costs of hydrogen-based derivatives and materials such as ammonia, methanol or steel produced using solar and wind electricity. Overall, the existing literature regards the renewables pull as potentially significant, although several studies emphasise that its realised impact depends on complementary locational factors, such as financing costs and policy context. Future research should expand the methodological approaches applied to this young and rapidly evolving field to assess the implications of the renewables pull for global production locations and value chain configurations, trade dynamics, and broader macro- and socioeconomic as well as geopolitical developments.
Subjects:
renewables pull
green relocation
green leakage
renewable energy
net-zero transition
locational factors
energy-intensive industry
decarbonization
green relocation
green leakage
renewable energy
net-zero transition
locational factors
energy-intensive industry
decarbonization
JEL:
F18
L61
L65
O14
O33
O57
Q42
Q56
L61
L65
O14
O33
O57
Q42
Q56
Additional Information:
This article accompanies an oral presentation held at the conference on “Industrial decarbonization and hydrogen: The politics and economics of sustainable structural transformation” in Potsdam, Germany on October 28th, 2025. The conference was jointly organised by the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), the Centre for Sustainable Structural Transformation (CSST), and the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS). We thank the organisers of the conference for accepting our work for oral presentation and for the fruitful discussion.
Document Type:
Conference Paper
Document Version:
Manuscript Version (Preprint)
Appears in Collections:
Files in This Item:
File
Description
Size
Format
Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.