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Solar Photovoltaics as a Contested Geopolitical and Diplomatic Tool in Late 20th-Century China
Tue, July 14, 2:30 to 4:00pm, EICC, Floor: Level 1, Harris Suite 2English Abstract
This paper offers a history of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology in late 20th-century China, complicating the reductive narrative that characterizes solar PV as a decentralized technology. Drawing on archival research and fieldwork in China’s Northwest region, I argue that solar PV was deployed as a multi-functional tool for frontier governance and diplomatic maneuvering, revealing often-contested uses beyond its role in rural electrification at the time.
In China’s borderlands, such as Tibet and Xinjiang, solar PV for rural electrification (e.g., Lighting Program) was driven by abundant solar resources and a lack of grid infrastructure. While solar-powered lighting was a popular PV application, PV-enabled communication facilitated the dissemination of central ideology and strengthening frontier guardianship. This reveals how basic electrification simultaneously became an instrument for territorial consolidation, demonstrating a plurality of motivations for PV deployment.
Early international collaborations also exposed entangled motivations. A Japanese company donated a solar power station in Yuzhong County, Gansu, for instance. Although it was short-lived due to sociotechnical reasons, it served diplomatic ties and facilitated the company’s effort to establish PV factories and a market in China. Concurrently, US-based organizations collaborated with Chinese governments on household PV electricity systems in Gansu, highlighting a complex interplay between development goals and geopolitical interests.
By illuminating these entangled layers of state strategy, industrial pragmatism, international relations, and local resistance, this paper contributes to understanding the multiplicity of solar PV’s role and implications. It offers a critical re-estimation of how sociotechnical history can challenge singular narratives of renewable energy technology.