Urban heat islands and energy consumption patterns: Evaluating renewable energy strategies for a sustainable future

The Urban Heat Island phenomenon, in which city residents experience warmer temperatures than those in neighboring rural areas, is a serious environmental concern since it stems from the fact that urban meteorology, building materials, and urban structure all contribute to increased urban energy consumption. This study examines the factors affecting urban China's energy usage from 1975 to 2022. The results of the Generalized Methods of Moments show negative relationships between urban energy consumption, land utilization (-3.613 %, p < 0.017), building materials (-1.428 %, p < 0.000), metrological factors (-12.621 %, p < 0.000), and urban form (-1.083 %, p < 0.030). However, renewable energy systems (1.516 %, p < 0.000) fulfill urban energy demands while lowering fossil fuel usage and energy consumption. These results alert policymakers and urban planners to the urban heat Island's harmful effects on energy use. Granger causality tests revealed intriguing causal relationships between variables. While energy efficiency, land use, and building materials are Granger sources of climate change, land usage affects urban form one way. Urban layout, climate, land use, and efficiency programs affect energy usage. Construction materials and urban forms were mutually interdependent. The impulse response function research predicts that urban form and metrological factors will minimize energy use in the next decade. Construction materials and land use will increase energy demand by 2028 and 2030. Urban energy usage is expected to decrease by 2030 using energy efficiency initiatives. Implementing sustainable energy policies and practices gives cities and governments fundamental ways to decrease urban heat islands. This analysis shows how other emerging economies may manage the complicated interaction between urban heat islands and energy dynamics, ensuring China's cities' sustainability. • Factors influencing urban energy consumption in China from 1975 to 2022 are examined. • Negative relationships found between urban form, meteorology, materials, land use, and energy consumption. • Integrating renewable energy reduces fossil fuel dependence and lowers energy consumption while meeting urban needs. • Land use impacts urban form, while energy efficiency, land use, and building materials affect meteorological factors. • Urging UHI mitigation, sustainable urban strategies, and energy-efficient policies for a greener future.