Identification and Prioritisation of Factors Affecting the Transition to Renewables in Developing Economies

SUMMARY There is a rapid increase in energy demand amongst developing economies, which is attributed to population growth, industrialisation, urbanisation and unforeseen circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic, in which operations, functions and activities are mostly executed virtually. With a major transition to renewables by developed nations to meet their energy obligations and mitigate GHG emissions, developing nations are trailing in this renewable energy transition. This study will identify and prioritise factors holding back the transition into renewables by developing economies. The Hybrid Structural Interaction Matrix (HSIM) was utilized to employ the weight based prioritisation model with hierarchical structural layout of the interacting factors. This would guide and enable policy makers and researchers to make a more informed decision on addressing issues of renewable energy transition via the consideration of weighted prioritised driving factors for optimal allocation of resources