Asymmetric impact of renewable electricity consumption and industrialization on environmental sustainability: Evidence through the lens of load capacity factor

Guangzhu Jin and Zhenhui Huang

Renewable Energy, 2023, vol. 212, issue C, 514-522

Abstract: This research investigates the asymmetric impact of renewable electricity energy usage and industrialization on the environmental sustainability of South Africa. The load capacity factor (LF) is a more extensive measure of environmental deterioration when compared to carbon emissions and the ecological footprint, which cover a range of both the demand on and supply of nature. The series dataset used for the empirical analysis spans between 1990 and 2019. The study also investigates the effect of human capital, industrialization, and economic growth on load capacity factor. The result of the NARDL estimator reveals that the increase in renewable electricity energy usage increases LF in the long and short term. However, the decline in renewable electricity energy usage has a neutral impact on LF. Furthermore, the results indicate that industrialization and economic growth impact LF negatively. Lastly, human capital improves environmental quality due to the increasing effect on LF. The spectral Granger causality approach outcomes show that all the parameters can forecast load capacity factors in the long term. Some policy implications, restrictions, and potential future study pathways have been explored in light of this paper's results.

Keywords: Renewable electricity; Human capital; Industrialization; South Africa; Load capacity factor (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:212:y:2023:i:c:p:514-522

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2023.05.045

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