Altiparmak Suleyman Orhun
Social Sciences University of Ankara, Ankara, Turkey.
Chin Polit Sci Rev. 2022 Aug 25:1-20. doi: 10.1007/s41111-022-00227-3.
The energy market is shifting from fossil fuels to renewables. This transition is creating new geopolitical dynamics. In the past, traditional energy geopolitics focused on the concentrated distribution of fossil fuel resources and the conflicts and dependencies that this created. In contrast, the 'new' renewable energy geopolitics emphasises the dispersed distribution or decentralisation of production capacity and the independence of states this generates. However, the market for lithium, which is essential to renewable energy storage through being a key component of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, does not entirely fit theoretical conceptions of the renewable energy market's dynamics. By focusing on China as a critical case, this article shows that lithium geopolitics has potentially created new (inter)dependencies and opportunities for conflicts, while also paradoxically enhancing state interindependence in renewable technology energy production. Thus, this hybrid form of energy geopolitics necessitates revising conventional energy security explanations to match these new market conditions.
能源市场正在从化石燃料转向可再生能源。这一转型正在创造新的地缘政治动态。过去，传统能源地缘政治关注化石燃料资源的集中分布以及由此产生的冲突和依赖关系。相比之下，“新的”可再生能源地缘政治强调生产能力的分散分布或去中心化以及由此产生的国家独立性。然而，锂市场并不完全符合可再生能源市场动态的理论概念，因为锂作为锂离子电池的关键组成部分，对于可再生能源存储至关重要。通过将中国作为一个关键案例进行研究，本文表明锂地缘政治可能创造了新的（相互）依赖关系和冲突机会，同时也自相矛盾地增强了国家在可再生技术能源生产方面的相互独立性。因此，这种混合形式的能源地缘政治需要修正传统的能源安全解释，以适应这些新的市场条件。
