The dataset covers 16 solar PV products traded between 65 countries along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) from 2001 to 2022. These products are identified using 6-digit HS codes, as shown in Table 3 . The 6-digit HS codes and their corresponding product descriptions are essential for international trade and customs purposes.
During the last two decades, the solar PV industry experienced decisive changes of its global business network configurations where Chinese firms comparatively have gained competitive advantages. Chinese inter-organizational business network patterns differ from their competitors originated in the United States of America and Canada.
The study reveals that the solar PV products trade network is characterized by a lack of mutually beneficial trade sectors, isolated nodes, and either surplus or deficit sectors. The trade network is primarily export-focused and exhibits a singular nature, with many countries having limited trade links, resulting in numerous isolated trade plates.
A total of 18 Chinese companies were selected in the top 20 list, with a total output of more than 270GW in 2022, gradually taking over the global PV module market with their unique advantages. LONGi, the king of the PV industry, supplied 46.76GW of modules in 2022, up 21% year-on-year.
The well-established trade network provides a mature trading framework for solar PV products, aligning with the expectations laid out by Hypothesis 3. Facility interconnection: The study unveils a noteworthy revelation that the disparity in distance networks between countries significantly and positively impacts solar PV products trade.
The outcomes of the social network analysis (see Table 5) offer a coherent depiction of the solar PV trade network’s dynamics from 2001 to 2022, revealing trends in both overall density and reciprocity that reflect the evolving nature of trade interactions. Table 5. The density and reciprocity of the solar PV products trade network.