Technological Innovation and the Geopolitics of Energy

Author(s): Severin Fischer
Editor(s): Oliver Thränert, Martin Zapfe
Series Editor(s): Andreas Wenger
Book Title: Strategic Trends 2018: Key Developments in Global Affairs
Series: Strategic Trends
Pages: 45-63
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich
Publication Year: 2018
Publication Place: Zurich

Technological change has a tremendous impact on societies in general, including international politics. This chapter discusses the most important recent and upcoming technological advancements in energy – horizontal drilling with hydraulic fracturing, photovoltaics, and batteries – and their possible influence on geopolitical dynamics. For different reasons, China and the US will have the biggest impact on the way we will discuss the geopolitics of energy in the future.

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Graphics:

US Oil and Gas Production from 1980 - 2020

Price Range of Electricity Costs by Source, 2010 and 2016

The Steep Decrease in Prices of Lithium-Ion Batteries