Assessing the Sectorial Effects of the Deployment of Renewable Energy
Technologies: When Product Identity Matters

Investment in renewable energy technologies (RET) produces impacts on
economic activity and job creation that are fundamental to increase their social
acceptability. This paper proposes a methodology to assess the transformative
impact of a new energy technology, more precisely the effect of onshore wind
deployment on the existing industry. The paper combines contributions from
literatures such as sustainability transitions, socioeconomic impacts of RET and
economic complexity. We develop a conceptual approach to the way technology
deployment can lead to changes in the industrial structure, centred on the notion
of product heterogeneity. We apply this approach to the case of wind energy in
Portugal (a successful fast follower), compared to three other main wind energy
producers (Spain, Denmark, Germany). The results show a relationship between
deployment of technology and the sophistication and the competitiveness of the
“cloud of products” composing the industrial value chain. We propose measures
for assessing the effects of energy technology innovations on the industrial
structure, with relevance to policy. This article will be published soon in the Portuguese Journal of Social Science.