"Reduzir os riscos" ou descarbonizar? A política energética da União Europeia e a dependência de recursos chineses para a transição verde entre 2019 e 2023

Abstract

This work seeks to understand the challenges of the European Union's dependence on China for green technologies, such as photovoltaic solar panels and lithium-ion batteries, in the face of its energy transition objectives, focusing on the period between 2019 and 2023. Considering that the European green technology industry is one of the most dependent on Chinese resources and, at the same time, one of the most ambitious in terms of accelerating local production and consumption of clean energy sources, it is essential to analyze the impacts of dependence on China and, in more depth, the alternatives that the EU can consider to reverse this scenario. To this end, the research carries out a case study of a period that demarcates a context of systemic rivalry between the parties, and concludes that there is a growing dependence on Chinese photovoltaic solar panels and lithium-ion batteries, this being a trend that cannot be reversed so quickly when considering Europe's industrial disadvantages during the period and its limited alternatives in the short and medium term.