Políticas industriais e sustentabilidade: um estudo sobre a energia solar fotovoltaica nos Estados Unidos, China, Alemanha, Índia, Japão e Brasil

Abstract

This study examines the extent to which industrial policies directed at the photovoltaic solar energy sector have promoted technological development and productive linkages in the United States, China, Germany, Japan, India, and Brazil within the context of the energy transition. Grounded in the theoretical contributions of Chang, Andreoni, Rodrik, Mazzucato, Mathews, and Altenburg, the study conceives solar energy as a strategic vector for the structural transformation of economies. The methodology combines documentary analysis of laws, plans, programs, and energy and industrial policy instruments with the analysis of indicators of installed capacity, generation, employment, and foreign trade, based on data from IRENA, the IEA, COMTRADE, and WIPO. The results indicate that countries that combined demand-side stimulus with direct support policies for production and innovation, such as the Chinese Five-Year Plans, the German Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz, and fiscal and regulatory incentives, consolidated robust productive chains, higher export activity, and innovative capacity, as evidenced by patenting activity. By contrast, India and Brazil advanced in the diffusion of the technology through auctions and distributed generation, but remained heavily dependent on imports and exhibited low levels of technological internalization. The study suggests that the effectiveness of green industrial policies depends on the state’s capacity to coordinate energy and industrial policy instruments within a long-term strategy. In the Brazilian case, it concludes that transforming solar potential into an industrial and technological advantage requires stronger coordination among support for production, research and development, local content, and regulatory stability.