The global energy transition marks a historic paradigm shift—from fire-based fossil and nuclear systems to a solar-electric civilisation built on nanoscience and digital technologies. Photovoltaics, power electronics, batteries and smart grids enable a flexible, decentralised energy economy with unprecedented efficiency and scalability. While emerging economies adopt these technologies rapidly, incumbent industrial powers resist change, constrained by outdated institutions and vested interests. International relations must foster cooperation, skill development and fair adaptation to manage shifting comparative advantages and ensure a just global transformation.

Ruggero Schleicher-Tappeser (2023): The Paradigm Shift in Energy Policies – Challenges for International Relations
Panel: Geopolitics of Renewable Energy, TUM, Hochschule für Politik an der TU München, 18.01.2023. Presentation