How do trade patterns of renewable energy products affect sustainable development goals? Evidence from Belt and Road countries

Xiaoli Hao, Ke Li, Yuhong Li and Haitao Wu ()

Renewable Energy, 2025, vol. 247, issue C

Abstract: The trade pattern of renewable energy products is continuously evolving, offering a novel pathway for countries to achieve the harmonization of green energy supply, environmental protection, carbon reduction, pollution control, and economic sustainability. Based on the 2007–2021 data of 54 countries along the Belt and Road, this study constructs the Renewable Energy Products Trade Network (BRREPTN) through social network analysis. To examine how trade intensity and centrality affect the Sustainable Development Goal Index (SDGI). The following conclusions can be drawn: (1) Overall, BRREPTN exhibits a tightly integrated and concentrated structure. There is notable "hub countries" within the network. (2) Empirical results indicate that an increase in trade intensity and centrality of countries positively impacts SDGI. (3) Mechanism analysis reveals that import and export trade facilitate the development of renewable energy infrastructure, with import intensity and centrality contributing to enhanced electricity access levels. However, renewable energy technology exerts a negative mediation effect. (4) Heterogeneity tests demonstrate that import trade and centrality assist low- and middle-income countries, as well as those with low resource dependence, in achieving sustainable development. Conversely, other countries exhibit advantages in export trade intensity. Based on these findings, this paper recommends that countries develop import and export strategies for renewable energy products based on their respective developmental conditions. Specific policy suggestions include establishing technology transfer platforms, integrating import trade with the cultivation of local industrial chains, among others.

Keywords: Renewable energy products trading network; SDG index; Countries along the "Belt and Road"; Underlying mechanisms; Heterogeneity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148125006858
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:247:y:2025:i:c:s0960148125006858

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.123023

Access Statistics for this article

Renewable Energy is currently edited by Soteris A. Kalogirou and Paul Christodoulides

More articles in Renewable Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().