Is there a Connection between Renewable Energy and Geopolitics? A Review

Abstract

This article attempts to capture the link between geopolitics and renewable energy by reviewing the literature. This topic has been carefully covered since 2010, although the 1970s marked the beginning of writing about the geopolitics of renewable energy. From the literature there can be extracted the following conclusions: the use of renewable energy has both possible advantages and disadvantages: on one hand, it leads to the abandonment of fossil fuels, so that the environment is protected and divergences between states are reduced; on the other hand, the need to use certain materials to achieve technologies that allow the transition to renewable energy gives rise to various scenarios. Moreover, among the countries of the world, winners and losers can be identified in relation to renewable energy, but there are ways to change the situation in the future for some countries. There are 6 forces that favor the transition to the circular economy, with a different impact for each country, but that can influence relations between states in the future when fossil fuels will no longer be preferred in the energy production process.