The co-opetition relationships of critical mineral resources for the solar PV industry between China and the world major powers

Under the background of carbon neutrality, the solar PV will usher in a rapid development stage. The international co-opetition for solar PV critical mineral resources is getting unprecedentedly intense especially among the world's major powers. Based on the niche theory and a panel dataset of chromium, gallium, copper and platinum in 2008–2020, this research has created an evaluation system for the ecological co-opetition in solar PV critical mineral resources, then analyzed the dynamic evolution trends of China, United States, Japan and European Union using eco-niche models. The results demonstrate that: (1) Distinct differences exist in the overall competitive advantages for solar PV critical minerals between these four countries. The competitive advantage rankings from strong to weak are USA, China, Japan and the EU; However, the EU possesses most available critical mineral resources, followed by the USA and Japan, whereas China has the least, revealing a complex competition pattern among the four major powers; (2) The competition for solar PV critical mineral resources between these nations has intensified since 2017. The competition between the United States and Japan is the most intense; in terms of the competition China is faced with, the United States is the most competitive, followed by Japan and the EU; and (3) The technological innovation in solar PV critical minerals has a significant impact on the ecological niche of these countries with a great heterogeneity. Finally, this research puts forward corresponding policy recommendations.