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There is a rapid increase in energy demand across several developing economies all over the world. This can be attributed to population growth, industrialization, urbanization, globalization, and occasional unforeseen events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, in which operations, functions, and activities are mostly executed virtually. With a major transition to renewables by developed economies to meet their energy obligations and mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, developing economies are left with no choice but to join the transition in a bid to uphold the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG13-Climate Action). This study has identified and prioritized barriers to renewable energy transition in developing economies. The Hybrid Structural Interaction Matrix (HSIM) was utilized to employ the weight based prioritization model with hierarchical structural layout of the interacting renewable energy transition barriers. This study will be of great benefit to policymakers and academics in making informed decisions on measures to fast-track the transition to renewables in developing economies by considering weighted prioritized driving forces for optimum resource allocation.

With affordable and clean energy being one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG7), most developing economies are still caught up with the dilemma of inadequate power supply and heavy dependence on fossil fuel. This social menace is premised on rapid population growth, industrialization, modernization, etc. Even though these sources of power appear to be far-fetched from being sufficient, they are noted for creating a significant level of environmental pollution, global warming, and health-related risks. The Conference of Parties 26 (COP26) assembly held in Glasgow, United Kingdom, stressed the need to bring down the rising annual global temperatures to 1.5°, with developing economies having a significant role in achieving this target. This article has presented a review with insight into certain power generation metrics within the context of (SDG7). This span across the investigation of different energy modelling tools, their depth of effectiveness, the general pros and cons of energy policies premised on these tools, and progress made so far towards the development of an affordable and clean power sources mix in developing economies. A deduction was reached that there is an immense potential for power generation from affordable and clean energy sources as this bridges the enormous gap between power demand and supply as well as mitigates greenhouse gases (GHGs) effects.

The ever-increasing demand for electricity, as well as its impact on the environment, necessitates expanding the power generation mix of Nigeria by utilizing sustainable energy sources. Power generation planning that is sustainable and efficient must meet various objectives, many of which conflict with one another. Using multi-objective optimization, a model for Nigeria's power supply architecture was developed to integrate indigenous energy sources for a sustainable power generation mix. The model has three conflicting objectives: reducing power generating costs, reducing CO2 emissions, and increasing jobs. Hybrid Structural Interaction Matrix was utilized to compute the weights of the three objectives for the multi-objective model to be modified into a single-objective model. According to the simulations, Nigeria could address its power supply deficit by generating up to 2,100 TWh of power by 2050. Over the projected period, large hydropower plants and solar PV will be the leading option for Nigeria's power generation mix. Furthermore, power generation from solar thermal, incinerator, nuclear, gas plant, combined plant, and diesel engine will all be part of the power supply mix by 2050. In terms of jobs expected to be created, about 2.05 million jobs will be added by 2050 from the construction and operation of power generation plants. CO2 emissions will attain 266 MtCO2 by 2050. The cost of power generation will decline from a maximum of 36 billion US$ in 2030 to 27.1 billion US$ in 2050. Findings conclude that Nigeria can meet its power supply obligations by harnessing indigenous energy sources into an optimal power supply mix.