Reconfiguring global value chains for low-carbon technologies and critical minerals: Evidence from solar photovoltaics, batteries, hydrogen and mineral supply chains

The low-carbon transition is reorganizing global value chains (GVCs) for technologies and materials, yet existing evidence remains fragmented across individual sectors. This study conducts an integrated systematic–semantic review of solar photovoltaics, batteries, hydrogen and critical minerals. Based on 1934 Web of Science studies published during 2010–2025, it combines pruned exact linear time (PELT) change-point detection, Sentence-BERT semantic alignment, technology-specific qualitative coding and forecasting-oriented evidence synthesis. The results identify 2017 and 2021 as robust macro-breakpoints, marking a transition from the formation stage to accelerated expansion and then to a high-volume resilience-and-governance stage. Six thematic clusters structure the field: production, infrastructure and deployment; energy-system integration and transition; critical-material security and sourcing; life-cycle emissions and sustainability; modeling and economics; and supply networks. Technology-specific analysis identifies four reconfiguration mechanisms: mature-chain strategic diversification in solar PV, material-constrained circular scaling in batteries, coordinated chain formation in hydrogen and diversified upstream constraint governance in critical minerals. Semantic alignment is strongest with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 7, SDG 9 and SDG 12, whereas alignment with SDG 13 and SDG 17 remains comparatively weaker. Overall, the energy transition should be understood not only as technological substitution but also as a differentiated and interdependent global value-chain transition.