Publication Trends, Key Findings, and Research Gaps in Renewable Energy Applications in Agriculture

The main aim of this study is to perform a bibliometric analysis (BA) examining the use of renewable energy sources (RESs) in agriculture. To fulfill this aim, several research tasks were outlined: (1) analyze the distribution of publications by year regarding the application of RESs in agriculture (agriculture as a consumer and producer of RESs); (2) identify the most cited articles in this area; (3) determine which countries have made the most significant contributions to the field through their research outputs; (4) highlight the main subject areas linked to RES use in agriculture; (5) explore various practical aspects of implementing RESs in agricultural practices; and (6) suggest potential future research directions in this domain. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to tackle these tasks. The data collection process was completed on 18 July 2024, using the Scopus database to access peer-reviewed sources. After filtering the results, a total of 317 journal and conference papers were selected for further analysis. The study’s key finding reveals that while renewable energy sources are already being integrated into agriculture, there is still a notable lack of comprehensive research in several critical areas. Specifically, it remains unclear whether the adoption of renewable energy in agriculture leads to enhanced operational efficiency, better cost-effectiveness, and improvements in environmental sustainability.