IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/juipol/v96y2025ics0957178725000876.html

Towards an ecologically sustainable electricity mix in South Africa: Evaluating the policy implications of renewable and nuclear energy

Author

Listed:
  • Nwani, Chinazaekpere
  • Omoke, Philip Chimobi

Abstract

Achieving a balance between meeting rising electricity demands and minimizing ecological impact is essential for advancing sustainability goals. Using dynamic and Kernel-based simulation techniques, we evaluate the effects of renewable and nuclear energy on ecological load capacity factor (EL) in South Africa from 1985 to 2022. The findings reveal that fossil-fuel-based electricity generation negatively impacts EL, while a transition to low-carbon energy, particularly renewables, offers significant ecological benefits. In contrast, nuclear energy shows minimal and statistically insignificant benefits. These findings call for targeted incentives to boost investments in renewable infrastructure and strategies for managing nuclear safety and waste.

Suggested Citation

  • Nwani, Chinazaekpere & Omoke, Philip Chimobi, 2025. "Towards an ecologically sustainable electricity mix in South Africa: Evaluating the policy implications of renewable and nuclear energy," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:juipol:v:96:y:2025:i:c:s0957178725000876
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jup.2025.101972
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0957178725000876
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jup.2025.101972?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Muhammad Shahbaz & Rashid Sbia & Helmi Hamdi & Ilhan Ozturk, 2014. "Economic growth, electricity consumption, urbanization and environmental degradation relationship in United Arab Emirates," Post-Print halshs-01902764, HAL.
    2. Soren Jordan & Andrew Q. Philips, 2018. "Cointegration testing and dynamic simulations of autoregressive distributed lag modelsJournal: Stata Journal," Stata Journal, StataCorp LLC, vol. 18(4), pages 902-923, December.
    3. Chunzi Qu & Rasmus Noss Bang, 2024. "Metals at the nexus: renewable vs. nuclear energy systems, metal import requirements, and energy security in the European Union," Mineral Economics, Springer;Raw Materials Group (RMG);Luleå University of Technology, vol. 37(1), pages 101-119, March.
    4. Friedrichs, Jörg & Inderwildi, Oliver R., 2013. "The carbon curse: Are fuel rich countries doomed to high CO2 intensities?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 1356-1365.
    5. Jin, Guangzhu & Huang, Zhenhui, 2023. "Asymmetric impact of renewable electricity consumption and industrialization on environmental sustainability: Evidence through the lens of load capacity factor," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 514-522.
    6. Cosimo Magazzino, 2024. "Ecological footprint, electricity consumption, and economic growth in China: geopolitical risk and natural resources governance," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 66(1), pages 1-25, January.
    7. Kinyar, Ali & Bothongo, Keith, 2025. "Public spending for environmental protection in the UK: The environmental impact of environmental taxes, renewable energy, and nuclear energy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 314(C).
    8. Dzikuć, Maciej & Piwowar, Arkadiusz, 2016. "Ecological and economic aspects of electric energy production using the biomass co-firing method: The case of Poland," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 856-862.
    9. Salahuddin, Mohammad & Gow, Jeff & Ozturk, Ilhan, 2015. "Is the long-run relationship between economic growth, electricity consumption, carbon dioxide emissions and financial development in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries robust?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 317-326.
    10. Hainmueller, Jens & Hazlett, Chad, 2014. "Kernel Regularized Least Squares: Reducing Misspecification Bias with a Flexible and Interpretable Machine Learning Approach," Political Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(2), pages 143-168, April.
    11. M. Hashem Pesaran & Yongcheol Shin & Richard J. Smith, 2001. "Bounds testing approaches to the analysis of level relationships," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 16(3), pages 289-326.
    12. Katharina Biely & Sabrina Chakori, 2025. "Sustainability transition theories: Perpetuating or breaking with the status quo," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(1), pages 52-68, February.
    13. Sumayya Goga, 2024. "Economic Power and the Transition to Renewables in South Africa," Advances in African Economic, Social and Political Development, in: Ishmael Ackah & Charly Gatete (ed.), Energy Regulation in Africa, pages 491-507, Springer.
    14. Liddle, Brantley, 2015. "What Are the Carbon Emissions Elasticities for Income and Population? Bridging STIRPAT and EKC via robust heterogeneous panel estimates," MPRA Paper 61304, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. McCombie, Charles & Jefferson, Michael, 2016. "Renewable and nuclear electricity: Comparison of environmental impacts," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 758-769.
    16. Dai, Jiapeng & Ahmed, Zahoor & Sinha, Avik & Pata, Ugur Korkut & Alvarado, Rafael, 2023. "Sustainable green electricity, technological innovation, and ecological footprint: Does democratic accountability moderate the nexus?," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kinyar, Ali & Bothongo, Keith, 2025. "The impact of natural gas, biomass, and energy from waste on CO2 and PM2.5 emissions in the UK: Does eco-innovation matter?," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 249(C).
    2. Leyla Ergene & Nurullah Altıntaş & Muhammet Yeniyurt, 2025. "The ınfluence of financial markets, financial ınstitutions and economic growth on environmental quality and sustainability: Testing the LCC hypothesis in the case of China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 27(8), pages 20229-20262, August.
    3. Roy, Arup, 2023. "Nexus between economic growth, external debt, oil price, and remittances in India: New insight from novel DARDL simulations," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    4. Xiaohua Sun & Danish Khan & Yubai Zheng, 2024. "Articulating the Role of Technological Innovation and Policy Uncertainty in Energy Efficiency: an Empirical Investigation," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(3), pages 14597-14616, September.
    5. Roy, Arup, 2024. "Impacts of economic development, globalization, and gross capital formation on natural resources rents: Evidence from India," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    6. Zhou, Runyu & Abbasi, Kashif Raza & Salem, Sultan & Almulhim, Abdulaziz.I. & Alvarado, Rafael, 2022. "Do natural resources, economic growth, human capital, and urbanization affect the ecological footprint? A modified dynamic ARDL and KRLS approach," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    7. Kartal, Mustafa Tevfik & Pata, Ugur Korkut & Kılıç Depren, Serpil & Depren, Özer, 2023. "Effects of possible changes in natural gas, nuclear, and coal energy consumption on CO2 emissions: Evidence from France under Russia’s gas supply cuts by dynamic ARDL simulations approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 339(C).
    8. Rashid Sbia & Muhammad Shahbaz & Ilhan Ozturk, 2017. "Economic growth, financial development, urbanisation and electricity consumption nexus in UAE," Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(1), pages 527-549, January.
    9. Shahzad Mushtaq & Faisal Sultan Qadri, 2026. "Nexus between tourism, renewable energy, and unemployment in South Africa. Insight from KRLS analysis," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 59(1), pages 1-29, February.
    10. Mustafa Tevfik Kartal & Serpil Kılıç Depren & Uzair Ali & Zhanar Nurgazina, 2024. "Long-run impact of coal usage decline on CO2 emissions and economic growth: Evidence from disaggregated energy consumption perspective for China and India by dynamic ARDL simulations," Energy & Environment, , vol. 35(5), pages 2357-2381, August.
    11. Ourania Dimitraki & Kyriakos Emmanouilidis, 2024. "Analysis of the Economic Effects of Defence Spending in Spain: A Re-Examination Through Dynamic ARDL Simulations and Kernel-Based Regularized Least Squares," Defence and Peace Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(7), pages 908-930, October.
    12. Chen, Yichun & Subhan, Mohammad & Ahmad, Gayas & Adil, Mohd & Zamir, M.N., 2024. "Unveiling the linkages among digital technology, economic growth, and carbon emissions: A resource management perspective," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    13. Ullah, Sami & Lin, Boqiang, 2024. "Green energy dynamics: Analyzing the environmental impacts of renewable, hydro, and nuclear energy consumption in Pakistan," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 232(C).
    14. Dan Ioan Topor & Andreea Marin-Pantelescu & Adela Socol & Oana Raluca Ivan, 2022. "Decarbonization of the Romanian Economy: An ARDL and KRLS Approach of Ecological Footprint," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 24(61), pages 664-664, August.
    15. Tajoui Mounir & Ritahi Oussama & Echaoui Abdellah, 2025. "Focus on the Impact of the Knowledge Economy on Economic Growth in the Moroccan Context: Evidence from the Novel Dynamic ARDL Simulation (DYNARDL) and Kernel-Based Regularized Least Squares (KRLS)," Economic Studies journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 5, pages 78-100.
    16. Oktay Özkan & Andrew Adewale Alola & Kayode Kolawole Eluwole, 2025. "Dynamic environmental quality effect of nuclear energy intensity, structural changes, and natural resources in Pakistan: testing load capacity factor hypothesis evidence," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 27(11), pages 26783-26800, November.
    17. Chinazaekpere Nwani, 2021. "Taking Venezuela back to the sustainability path: The role of financial development and economic integration in low‐carbon transition," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 45(1), pages 37-62, February.
    18. McCloud, Nadine & Ivey, Wendel, 2025. "Do international capital flows discourage labour productivity in the Caribbean? An empirical investigation of Jamaica," International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    19. Ali, Wajid & Dash, Devi Prasad & Dagar, Vishal & Kagzi, Muneza & Elmawazini, Khaled, 2025. "Financial development for energy access: Evidence from credit rationing and carbon emission in MENA region," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    20. Ping Dong & Chinazaekpere Nwani & Festus Victor Bekun, 2025. "Technological Innovation and Sustainability: Do Homegrown Innovations Foster Greater Ecological Sensitivity? Simulation‐Based Insights From South Africa," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(4), pages 6198-6214, August.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:juipol:v:96:y:2025:i:c:s0957178725000876. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/utilities-policy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.