In this talk, Dr. Chien will discuss her recent paper that looks at how 2050 zero emissions goals have put tremendous pressure on Taiwan's manufacturing sector to decarbonize its energy sources. In the paper, Dr. Chien focuses on sustainability chain governance, scrutinizing the formation, codification, and implementation of renewable energy procurement, and its impacts on the renewable energy market at the production end of supply chains.

By following the transactions guided by global brands (e.g. Apple, Google etc.) and global initiatives (e.g. RE 100), and their impact on the emerging renewable energy market in Taiwan, Dr. Chien aims to answer three critical questions about sustainability chain governance. Firstly, how was supply chains' decarbonization guided by the rules and norms formed by the global disclosure regimes? How was decarbonization translated differently by the global brands and their suppliers? Secondly, how was renewable energy made into a tradable commodity through the marketization process of Taiwan's energy system? Finally, how have the materialities of renewable energy conditioned the marketization of renewable energy in Taiwan?

Through focusing on the nexus of global sustainability chain governance and the marketization of renewable energy, Dr. Chien demonstrates that the renewable energy market has become the new site of struggle between local renewable project developers, the grid operator, local/global renewable energy buyers, and the state.

About the Speaker
Kerhsuan Chien is an assistant professor at the Institute of Technology Management at National Tsing Hua University. Her research interests are energy transition, industrial policy, and regional development.