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The past decade has seen an increase in renewable energy sources in the energy mix due to global environmental and supply security concerns. This paper aimed to investigate renewable energy effects on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP). The investigation is from 1988 to 2018, using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL), Nonlinear ARDL (NARDL), and fully modified OLS (FMOL) techniques. Based on empirical analyses of ARDL and FMOLS, it was found that both renewable and nonrenewable energies have a positive impact on economic growth in the Southern African power pool. However, the NARDL estimation indicates that neither renewable nor nonrenewable energy has a significant effect on economic growth in Southern African power pool. Therefore, based on the findings from both ARDL and FMOLS, the growth hypothesis is supported regarding the connection between renewable energy and economic growth in the Southern Africa power pool. Centered on the results, some policy implications were drawn for SAPP for sustainable economic growth, which includes measures to increase renewable energy in the energy mix, and also to encourage the optimization of cross-border connections where energy production from countries within SAPP that are not restricted by natural resources can be relied on to export sustainable energy. Additionally, building a more sustainable integrated power system in the region will assist SAPP with sustainable energy access and reduce the dependence on nonrenewable energy within the interconnected countries soon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relationship between nanotechnological innovations, renewable energy consumption, economic growth, and ecological footprint for G7 countries within the framework of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. The study employs panel cointegration tests with structural breaks from 1990-2018. Nanotechnology is expected to reduce environmental degradation by increasing renewable energy consumption and energy saving. In this context, nanotechnological innovations are an essential tool for sustainable development. However, the literature also emphasizes that nanoparticle emissions from nanotechnology can negatively impact human and environmental health in the long term, and these need to be analyzed. In this context, this study is the first to empirically examine the relationship between nanotechnological innovations, renewable energy consumption, economic growth, and ecological footprint within the framework of the EKC hypothesis. The outcomes affirm that all variables are integrated with the long term. The results show that the EKC hypothesis is valid only in the USA. Nanotechnological innovations have a reducing effect on environmental degradation in the USA, whereas; they have an increasing impact on environmental degradation in Italy and the United Kingdom. Renewable energy consumption enhances environmental quality in Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the USA. Based on these empirical findings, the government should pioneer to development of new the lowest nanoparticle-emitting nanotechnologies. And that way, it will be possible to encourage energy savings and renewable energy consumption more safely, and the effectiveness of sustainable development policies will increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of solar energy production on financial development and economic growth in 11 leading countries in solar energy production over the period 2000–2019. The results of the analysis indicated that solar energy production had a positive and significant impact on financial development, however, not on economic growth. It was found that the impacts of capital and direct investment variables on financial development and economic growth were positive and significant. According to Dumitrescu-Hurlin's causality test results, a bidirectional causality relationship was determined to exist between solar energy production and financial development. Furthermore, a unidirectional causality relationship running from economic growth to solar energy production was detected. In this context, the analysis results confirmed the conservation hypothesis. The results could be a guide on solar energy production policies. By considering the impacts of solar energy production on financial development and economic growth, more effective policy decisions could be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental degradation has become a severe concern across South Asia. Hence, it is imperative to model the macroeconomic determinants of environmental quality across this region. The traditional fossil fuel dependency of the major South Asian nations is alleged to have persistently deteriorated the quality of the environment across this region. Under such circumstances, it can be hypothesized that intra-regional trade within South Asia can facilitate renewable electricity trade to enhance environmental well-being. Accordingly, this study aims to evaluate the impacts of intra-regional trade integration, renewable energy transition, economic growth, and foreign direct investment inflows on the ecological footprints of selected South Asian economies. The econometric methods used in this study are suited for handling cross-sectionally dependent heterogeneous panel datasets. The overall results reveal that promoting intra-regional trade, stimulating renewable energy transition, expediting economic growth, and impeding inflows of dirty foreign direct investments are imperative for reducing the ecological footprint figures of the South Asian nations of concern. Besides, the results also verify the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis for the South Asian panel as well as for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan but not for India and Pakistan. Moreover, the pollution haven hypothesis is also verified for both the panel and the individual South Asian countries. In line with these findings, several environmental welfare improvement-related policies are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2008, the South African economy has experienced several power cuts (unplanned or as part of a load-shedding schedule), presumably because of the inability of the electricity supply to cover the demand. This paper examines the impact of such a demand-supply mismatch on the country's economic growth within a production function framework. To do so, we use an Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL) for the period 1985 to 2019. The paper finds that a positive mismatch (or surplus) of electricity (supply>demand) boosts economic growth in the long run. This finding provides evidence that supports the necessity of electricity supply expansion and the promotion of energy efficiency measures that both will create a mismatch (surplus) conducive to economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relationship between Information and Communication Technology (ICT) penetration, electricity consumption, economic growth, and environmental pollution within a multivariate framework. A panel of 16 EU countries was analyzed over the 1990–2017 period. The results of the Dumitrescu-Hurlin panel causality tests reveal the existence of a one-way causality running from ICT usage and electricity consumption and which, in turn, causes a rise in CO2 emissions and improves GDP. Panel Mean-Group regression results highlight that economic growth is also an important driver of electricity demand as a 1% economic growth rate is associated with a 0.13% increase in per capita electricity consumption. These results demonstrate for the first time in the literature a single assessment on the linkages among ICT, electricity use and environmental pollution with a novel focus on the EU. Based on these results, adequate measures should encompass the adverse environmental effects of ICT, while energy saving policies must be carefully implemented in order not to hinder economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the causal link between foreign direct investment inflows, ecological footprint, and economic growth using panel estimators from five Southeast Asian countries from 1990 to 2017. Results show that technological innovation, ecological footprint, and FDI inflows all have a positive impact on economic growth. Technological innovation and economic growth are both significant and positive determinants of FDI inflows. While FDI inflows, tourism, and the effects of economic growth are all positive factors, they all contribute to Southeast Asia's ecological footprint. Moreover, we have found two-way causal link between ecological footprint and tourism, technological innovation, and ecological footprint. The results also revealed a one-way causal relationship between FDI inflows, industrialization, technological innovation, and tourist arrivals. Therefore, ASEAN countries are encouraged to foster environmental awareness among travel service providers by incorporating environmental concerns into their operations and activities, such as green restaurants, green hotels, green destinations, and green transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of oil resources endowment, measured by proven reserves and oil rents, on the economic growth in the presence of quality of governance factors. To address this issue, we first summarize the previous research by reviewing, from the economic literature, the main explanations of what many regard as 'curse' of petroleum resource and, in a larger context, evoke the different relationships between natural resources and economic growth. Then, a panel data econometric model is fitted to a dataset consisting of 40 countries and sampled over a period of 17 years. The empirical results confirm, on one hand, the main hypothesis that proven oil resources negatively explain the economic growth. On the other hand, it is shown that oils rents are slightly positively correlated to the economic growth. The manipulation of the set of explanatory variables in the model does not change this overall negative correlation between growth and petroleum endowment, thus proving the counter-intuitive assumption that oil wealth limits the opportunities for economic growth. The results also confirm the old hypothesis that natural resources are negatively correlated to the countries' GDP through the quality of their economic and financial institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignite has long dominated Greece's electricity system, boosting economic growth and energy security, given the abundant domestic resources. In line with its national and international commitments to climate action and sustainable development, the country is currently facing the urgent need to transform its energy system, overcome its technological lock-ins, and transition to a low-carbon economy. Drawing from the need to secure a sustainable transition that considers the impacts of a lignite phase-out on local economies, this study builds upon the Multi-Level Perspective framework and further focuses on the phase-out of the dominant fossil fuel, rather than solely exploring the phase-in of new technologies. By delving into the landscape that established lignite as the mainstream energy resource in Greece, as well as the factors sustaining its dominance despite niche technologies and innovations challenging the regime, we discuss how the envisaged decarbonization can be socially just and effective across multiple sustainability dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the relationship between solar energy production and economic growth for top 10 countries with the highest installed solar energy production capacity as of 2017 (China, the USA, Japan, Germany, Italy, India, the UK, France, Australia, and Spain, respectively) using data over the period 1999–2015. For this purpose, the paper employs panel cointegration and causality methods that are robust to cross-sectional dependence. The findings imply that the coefficient of solar energy is insignificant in the empirical model and that there is no causality between solar energy and GDP, indicating the neutrality hypothesis prevails for solar energy. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]