Measuring regional variations and analyzing determinants for global renewable energy

Abstract

The extensive application and continuous innovation of renewable energy are propelling the transformation of the global energy system. This study deeply analyzes the regional differences, convergence and influencing factors of global renewable energy from the perspective of space and time. The findings are as follows: Firstly, the global level of renewable energy development has shown a steady upward trend. North American and Asian countries such as China and Japan have demonstrated remarkable achievements in renewable energy development, whereas most countries in South America and Africa remain at a relatively low level. Secondly, the imbalance in the development of global renewable energy primarily originates from regional structural differences, and the global gap in per capita renewable energy production is narrowing. Thirdly, the low-low agglomeration areas of per capita renewable energy are not only distributed in East Asia and South Asia but also extend to South America and Southeast Asia, the high-high concentration areas are distributed in countries such as Ireland, Norway and Sweden. Fourthly, environmental pressure promotes the development of renewable energy in Southeast Asia, gasoline prices and industrial development have a positive impact on the development of renewable energy, with a stronger effect in the western regions than in the eastern ones. The energy structures and foreign investment in North America and Europe inhibit the development of renewable energy.