Renewable Energy as a Strategic Mechanism for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: A Bibliometric Review

Abstract

This study offers a comprehensive bibliometric and scientific mapping review of the literature examining renewable energy as a strategic mechanism for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Drawing on a structured bibliometric review approach and advanced bibliometric methods, the analysis covers 278 peer-reviewed articles indexed in the Web of Science database. This study explores how research on the SDG–renewable energy nexus has evolved over time, highlighting publication trends, geographical patterns, influential journals and authors, and the intellectual structure of the field, with particular attention to developments observed after 2022. The results show a rapidly growing and increasingly interdisciplinary body of research in which renewable energy systems are consistently framed as core elements of sustainable development strategies, energy transition pathways, and policy-relevant frameworks. Beyond descriptive mapping, the study provides a mechanism-oriented interpretation of thematic clusters, explicitly linking renewable energy research trajectories to specific SDGs and their systemic interactions. By identifying dominant research themes, emerging directions, and existing research gaps, this review provides strategic insights that can support future academic research and inform policymakers and energy stakeholders involved in steering the transition toward sustainable energy systems.