Research on the Spillover Effect of Different Types of Technological Innovation on New Energy Industry: Taking China’s Solar Photovoltaic as an Example

Abstract

Technological innovation has always played a very important role in the development of new energy industries. This paper takes the solar photovoltaic industry as an object of study, taking into account the diffusion of technological advances and the different roles of different technological innovations, and uses a spatial econometric SDM model to analyze the spillover effects of different types of technological advances on the solar industry in China. It is found that for the PV industry, efficiency-enhancing technological advances have the most significant impact, with efficiency-enhancing technologies contributing significantly to the annual electricity production of the PV industry; safety-enhancing technological advances having the second highest impact on the industry’s development; and cost-reducing technological advances have no significant impact on the industry. The study also found that due to the positive externalities of technological innovation, the spillover effect of technological innovation between regions has a significant impact on the development of the regional solar PV industry. In the long term, the direct effect of efficiency-enhancing technological innovation on the development of the PV industry is significantly positive, while the direct effect of safety-enhancing technological innovation on the development of the PV industry is significantly negative. Therefore, in the future, China’s solar energy industry should combine the capital investment of different types of science and technology into research and development, fully consider the impact of regional and technological spillover on industrial development, use technological innovation spillover to promote technological exchange and progress, and continuously improve the level of equipment operation safety, output efficiency, and electricity cost.