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Sustainability
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Energy Economics: The Trade-Offs Between Economics, Energy, and Sustainability
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Energy Economics: The Trade-Offs Between Economics, Energy, and Sustainability

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 March 2026 | Viewed by 1585

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Mehdi Seraj

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Economics, Near East University, Nicosia, North Cyprus
Interests: energy economics; economic development; economic planning; environmental changes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue on "Energy Economics: The Trade-Offs Between Economics, Energy, and Sustainability" aims to explore the dynamic interactions between energy policies, economic growth, and sustainability goals. In a rapidly changing global landscape, nations face complex decisions in balancing energy demands with economic development and environmental stewardship. This issue welcomes research that addresses the economic trade-offs in the transition to sustainable energy sources, the impact of energy pricing on economic structures, and the role of innovation in minimizing the environmental footprint of energy consumption. It also seeks contributions that analyze the implications of energy-related policies on achieving long-term sustainability, especially in the context of economic growth and environmental preservation. Interdisciplinary approaches and case studies from diverse regions are highly encouraged.

Dr. Mehdi Seraj
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • energy economics
  • sustainability
  • energy transition
  • environmental economics
  • economic growth
  • renewable energy
  • energy policy
  • climate change
  • energy pricing
  • sustainable development

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 733 KiB  
Article
The Role of Human Capital and Energy Transition in Driving Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa
by Fatma Türüç-Seraj and Süheyla Üçışık-Erbilen
Sustainability 2025, 17(11), 4889; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17114889 - 26 May 2025
Viewed by 140
Abstract
This research investigates the role of fossil fuel energy, renewable energy, and education in terms of years of schooling and mean years of schooling on the economic growth of 19 selected Sub-Saharan African countries. The primary objective is to assess whether renewable energy [...] Read more.
This research investigates the role of fossil fuel energy, renewable energy, and education in terms of years of schooling and mean years of schooling on the economic growth of 19 selected Sub-Saharan African countries. The primary objective is to assess whether renewable energy and educational attainment serve as viable long-term drivers of economic development in a region still heavily reliant on fossil fuels. We employed the newly developed and robust econometric estimators, including “Residual Augmented Least Squares (RALS) co-integration”, to estimate long-term links among the facets of study. Moreover, “Pooled Mean Group–Autoregressive Distributed Lag model (PMG-ARDL) and Quantile Autoregressive Distributed Lag (QARDL)” econometric estimator was employed to estimate the long and short coefficients of the antecedents of study. The estimations obtained from the PMG-ARDL and QARDL estimators provide evidence that the coefficients of fossil fuel energy and renewable energy on economic growth are positive. But surprisingly, the magnitude of renewable energy is greater than fossil fuel energy in Sub-Saharan countries that still depend on fossil fuels. Moreover, human capital and capital stock boost economic growth in the countries studied. The outcomes reveal that not only quality but also quantity of education play a vital role in boosting economic development. To deepen the understanding of the observed effects, the study also explores the transmission channels through which renewable energy and education foster economic growth. Renewable energy contributes by lowering the marginal cost of electricity, encouraging green industrial transformation, and serving as a catalyst for technological innovation. Concurrently, improvements in education—measured by both expected and mean years of schooling—elevate labor productivity and facilitate the absorption and diffusion of new technologies across sectors, thereby stimulating sustained economic performance. The empirical results provide valuable insights for government officials and policymakers in specific Sub-Saharan African countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Economics: The Trade-Offs Between Economics, Energy, and Sustainability)
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22 pages, 1047 KiB  
Article
Seasonal Hydropower Storage Dams: Are They Cost-Effective in Providing Reliability for Solar PV?
by Joy N. A. Ashitey, Mehrshad Radmehr, Glenn P. Jenkins and Mikhail Miklyaev
Sustainability 2025, 17(9), 4076; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17094076 - 30 Apr 2025
Viewed by 251
Abstract
For a country to be able to sustain a policy of increasing the use of renewable energy sources to supply electricity, it must be able to continue to provide a reliable electricity supply service to its customers. Typically, electricity reliability is maintained by [...] Read more.
For a country to be able to sustain a policy of increasing the use of renewable energy sources to supply electricity, it must be able to continue to provide a reliable electricity supply service to its customers. Typically, electricity reliability is maintained by thermal electricity generation. To substitute solar PV for thermal electricity generation to a significant degree, it is imperative to determine the least-cost complementary technologies that will provide system reliability. In many parts of Africa and Asia, potential sites for seasonal storage dams are available or have been built. In the case studied here, maintaining service reliability by expanding the capacity of the generation plant of a seasonal storage dam in all scenarios is less costly than providing service reliability by a thermal alternative. However, maintaining service reliability while expanding generation by solar PV is in all cases costly. The levelized financial cost of the incremental energy supplied when a reliable service is maintained is between 30% and 89% greater than the levelized cost of a standalone solar PV plant. For the same set of scenarios, the range of the economic levelized cost is 28% to 85% greater with reliability than the standalone solar PV field without reliability. Given the circumstances of the electricity market, the least-cost technology to maintain a reliable service may be specific to the market. The analysis also shows that when the economic opportunity cost of funds increases from 2% to 11.5%, the levelized cost of renewable electricity generation systems doubles. Hence, if the developed countries of the world want low-income countries to maintain policies to reduce the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity, capital subsidies to low-income countries that are facing high economic opportunity costs of funds are likely to be necessary. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Economics: The Trade-Offs Between Economics, Energy, and Sustainability)
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21 pages, 1621 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Sustainable Financial Development and Green Energy Transition on Climate Change in the World’s Highest Carbon-Emitting Countries
by Mehdi Seraj and Fatma Turuc Seraj
Sustainability 2025, 17(9), 3781; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17093781 - 22 Apr 2025
Viewed by 393
Abstract
The increasing risks posed by climate change have turned CO2 emissions into a pressing global issue, prompting the widespread adoption of sustainable development policies. This study investigates the empirical drivers of CO2 emissions across 15 of the world’s highest carbon-emitting countries [...] Read more.
The increasing risks posed by climate change have turned CO2 emissions into a pressing global issue, prompting the widespread adoption of sustainable development policies. This study investigates the empirical drivers of CO2 emissions across 15 of the world’s highest carbon-emitting countries from 2000 to 2021, using a range of advanced panel data techniques. The core explanatory variables include green energy transition (GET), fossil fuel consumption (FFC), financial development (FD), mineral resource consumption (MRC), energy intensity (EI), and information and communication technology (ICT). By employing cross-sectional dependence tests, CIPS and CADF unit root tests, cointegration techniques (Westerlund and Dickey-Fuller), and Driscoll-Kraay standard error (DKSE) estimators, the study ensures robust and reliable inference. The findings reveal that a 1% increase in GET and FD leads to a 1.59% and 4.51% decrease in CO2 emissions, respectively, while higher energy efficiency (EI) also significantly reduces emissions. In contrast, greater use of fossil fuels, mineral resources, and ICT expansion contributes positively to emissions. These results demonstrate the critical role of financial systems, clean energy investments, and energy efficiency in mitigating environmental degradation. The study offers targeted policy insights for countries aiming to balance economic growth with climate goals and highlights the need for enhanced technology transfer and financing mechanisms in low- and middle-income countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Economics: The Trade-Offs Between Economics, Energy, and Sustainability)
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