Relatedness, digital economy and renewable energy product evolution—based on product space perspective

Renewable energy products refer to equipment, ancillary components, and related materials used to contribute to the production and utilization of renewable energy. By using the product space theory, this paper explores the path-dependent characteristics in national renewable energy product diversification and focuses on whether the digital economy entails countries to further break path-dependent trajectories for path creation. The results indicate that renewable energy product evolution is path-dependent, and countries tend to branch out into products related to their original production structure to develop into new renewable energy products. Moreover, the digital economy reduces the impact of correlation on product evolution to lead to path creation in national renewable energy products. In addition, solar products are more affected by the digital economy than other renewable energy sources, and the path-creating effects of the digital economy are more pronounced in countries with a weak productive capacity. The study provides an effective reference for countries on how to break the constraints of production capacity of renewable energy products and contributes to promoting the synergies between digitalization and green low-carbon transition.