EXAMINING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF SOLAR ENERGY PRODUCTS AT MACRO SCALE USING: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS

Date

2025-9-19

Author

Ateşok, Ayşe Yağmur

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This study examines the international competitiveness of solar energy products from 1990 to 2021. The Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) index was initially applied to assess the international competitiveness of solar energy products, and panel data analysis was subsequently employed to identify the economic, environmental, and policy factors influencing countries' exports. The study covers 31 countries, 17 HS codes, and five independent variables, providing a comprehensive evaluation of trade performance and the determinants of competitiveness in the solar energy products. According to RCA analysis, 11 countries had more dominant comparative advantages than the others, as the average RCA values were higher than 1. The findings show that the dominant countries in the solar energy sector not only have a comparative advantage in photovoltaic cells but also specialization across complementary sectors, such as optical components, mechanical parts, thermal systems, and assembly infrastructure. For panel data analysis, RCA and export rate of HS-854140 code were selected as dependent variables, and GDP, solar radiation, CO₂ emissions per capita, R&D expenditure, and application of FiT were chosen as explanatory variables. The econometric diagnostics included panel unit root, Hausman, cross-sectional dependency, autocorrelation, and heteroskedasticity tests. The results indicate that R&D expenditures increase the RCA of the HS-854140 code, while GDP has a statistically significant and negative effect. Conversely, GDP substantially increases the export rate of HS-854140, but solar radiation and the application of FiT have statistically significant and negative impacts on the export rate of HS-854140 codes.

Subject Keywords

Revealed Comparative Advantage Index, Panel Data, International Trade, Competitiveness, Solar Energy Products

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/115671

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis