Windows of Opportunity and Technological Capabilities:

Catching-Up Processes in Argentina’s Wind Sector (2000–2024)

Abstract

In semiperipheral contexts, the productive pillar of the energy transition hinges on how accumulated capabilities, learning mechanisms, and the governance of global value chains articulate, shaping the use of windows of opportunity within unstable institutional settings. Building on this premise, the article analyzes technological catching-up in Argentina’s wind sector (2000–2024) through a sectoral case study that combines secondary sources with semi-structured interviews. Three waves emerge: (i) local design and manufacturing of turbines, constrained by misalignment with the global cycle and intermittent policies; (ii) entry into lower-complexity components leveraged by joint ventures and RenovAr/MATER, yet conditioned by demand volatility and OEM coordination; and (iii) O&M digitalization, with data-driven developments opening selective opportunities. The study also identifies latent capabilities and transferable learning.

Findings underscore the state’s role in creating demand and strengthening technology supply, and the need for policy continuity and anticipation to identify and seize early-phase windows. Exogenous factors and path dependence also matter: the effectiveness of windows is mediated by accumulated technological and non-technological capabilities and by contractual governance. Overall, the case contributes to thinking the productive pillar of a sustainable energy transition model in semiperipheral countries, showing how the interplay among windows, learning, and governance conditions technological catching-up trajectories