Trends in Renewable Energy Adoption for Climate Change Mitigation: A Bibliometric Analysis

The shift to renewable energy sources is widely seen as a promising way to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change. The abundance of renewable energy resources in Africa has enormous potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote climate resilience. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of research trends in the adoption of renewable energy systems for climate change mitigation in Africa from 1993 to the first quarter of 2025. The results showed a steady growth in publications during the 2000s, with a growing annual rate of approximately 12.7%, reaching a peak in 2024, indicating increasing research interest in Africa. The thematic analysis highlights key but underdeveloped and emerging themes, including climate change mitigation, renewable energy sources, greenhouse gas assessment, climate change, energy policy, economic growth, carbon emissions, energy consumption, rural electrification, and energy transformation for further investigation. These findings also revealed regional disparities, highlighting the need to strengthen institutional capacity, develop clear long-term policies, and develop innovative financing mechanisms to expedite the deployment of renewable energy. Additionally, results from network analysis and emerging keyword detection revealed that enhanced regional and international cooperation, grid modernization, and technological innovation, such as energy storage and digital solutions, are vital in the developmental efforts to enhance optimized resource utilization and ensure energy access and security. The study thus provides insights into existing research gaps and future research directions, which will benefit policymakers, academics, and related stakeholders in their efforts to utilize Africa’s renewable energy potential to mitigate climate change, enable sustainable development, and achieve energy security throughout the continent.