Mapping the intellectual landscape of consumer adoption in sustainable energy: A bibliometric analysis (2010–2025)

This study aims to systematically map the research landscape of consumer adoption in sustainable energy technologies (e.g., electric vehicles and renewable energy systems) through a bibliometric analysis, identifying 2010-2025 trends, key contributors, and knowledge gaps to address the urgency of global climate change mitigation. A total of 479 peer-reviewed articles were retrieved from the Scopus database, with the PRISMA framework guiding screening and selection, resulting in 36 included articles. VOSviewer enabled network visualization, and RStudio (bibliometrix package) was used for statistical analysis; outputs were categorized by publication trends, author and institutional contributions, thematic clusters, and keywords. Electric vehicles (11% of keywords), consumer behavior (8%), and energy efficiency emerged as dominant themes, with Chinese institutions leading output. Gaps include cross-cultural trust dynamics, AI integration in behavioral studies, and the underrepresentation of emerging markets and non-English contributions. The analysis highlights geographical concentrations and thematic evolutions, supporting shifts toward AI-driven models and inclusive research to accelerate global net-zero emissions goals. Integrating VOSviewer and RStudio, it visualizes the interdisciplinary intellectual structure and proposes future research directions. These insights guide policymakers in expanding infrastructure and incentives, while enabling industry stakeholders to develop culturally adapted marketing strategies to enhance regional adoption of sustainable energy technologies.