Renewables and Sustainable Economic Growth

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

Albert Einstein

Dear Colleagues,

Energy is one of the most crucial factors in achieving sustainable economic growth, but the current state of the global economy is in jeopardy due to factors such as increased energy demand caused by an increasing global population and industrialization, which has resulted in the rapid consumption of traditional energy resources such as oil, coal, and natural gas (Armeanu et al.,2017). However, the continued reliance on such fuels to meet the rising energy demand would only expedite environmental deterioration. For instance, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has predicted that global energy consumption will increase by 48 percent by 2040; as a result, there is an obvious need for low-carbon solutions (Gottschamer & Zhang, 2016). To combat this issue, policymakers must act quickly to implement effective environmental measures that will benefit both current and future generations.

Sustainable growth attempts to achieve intergenerational equity while also safeguarding the environment. From this perspective, renewable energy is seen as a clean source of energy with minimal greenhouse gas emissions that contributes to environmental protection. The relevance of the aforementioned issue can be seen in the focus of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Accordingly, most of the SDGs focus on sustainable development targets, such as Good Health and Well-being (SDG3), Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG6), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG7), and Climate Action (SDG13). In this Special Issue, we aim to publish articles regarding the aforementioned phenomena in order to fully comprehend them. Themes may include but are not limited to:

• Renewable energy and sustainable growth;
• Sustainable economy;
• Green growth;
• Sustainability and clean energy exploration and consumption;
• Green energy and green finance;
• Energy efficiency, climate change, and sustainable development;
• Renewable energy systems for smart cities;
• Renewable energy sources and technologies;
• Technologies for carbon neutrality;
• Energy economics and markets;
• Economy transition;
• Energy policy;
• Renewable energy evolution and transition.

References

Armeanu, D.S.; Vintila, G.; Gherghina, S.C. Does renewable energy drive sustainable economic growth? multivariate panel data evidence for EU-28 countries. Energies 2017, 10, 381.

Gottschamer, L.; Zhang, Q. Interactions of factors impacting implementation and sustainability of renewable energy sourced electricity. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 2016, 65, 164–174.

U.S. Energy Information Administration. International Energy Outlook 2016. Available online: https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/ieo/pdf/0484(2016).pdf (accessed on 8 August 2022).

Prof. Dr. Simplice A. Asongu
Dr. Festus Victor Bekun
Dr. Muhammad Saeed Meo
Guest Editors

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