Is renewable energy technology trade more or less conflictive than other trade?

Climate change is real, a threat to humanity and man-made. Multiple international agreements show that there is a consensus on these matters and states are already committed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change. To do so, trade policy is a crucial instrument. How Renewable Energy Technology is traded and why trade conflicts emerge on them is widely investigated. However, it remains unclear if and how these conflicts differ from the numerous other conflicts in the international trade system. This is relevant as they are usually assessed as a separate category. Moreover, it indicates how policy makers should approach trade conflicts on Renewable Energy Technology. Using a quantitative empirical approach this study investigates if and how trade conflicts about Renewable Energy Technology, differ from other trade conflicts. The results of the analysis display that trade conflicts on Renewable Energy Technology differ from other international trade conflicts regarding the likelihood for trade barriers to emerge, their intensity and their length. Thereby this research is closing a gap as it illustrates that it is useful to analyze them as a separate category. Moreover, it depicts the advantages of an approach comprehensive in technologies and countries. Additionally, the results underline the need for practitioners to further engage on trade agreements specifically tackling Renewable Energy Technology.