Evolution of global research on renewable energy policy: A bibliometric and content analysis (2010–2024)

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric and content analysis of global research on renewable energy law and policy, utilizing 845 peer-reviewed documents indexed in the Scopus database from 2010 to 2024. Employing a rigorous PRISMA-guided methodology, the research first mapped the field's temporal evolution through keyword co-occurrence analysis. An in-depth content analysis was then performed on a selected subset of 32 core documents to model the policy trajectory. Quantitative results indicate steady growth in publication volume, with European countries such as Italy and Switzerland leading the field. Qualitatively, the analysis mirrors a four-stage global policy evolution, shifting from the Mass Deployment phase, characterized by the dominance of the Feed-in Tariff, toward the Market Integration and Corporate Decarbonization phases, marked by the emergence of competitive instruments like Auction, Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), and Policy Mix. The study contributes a data-backed knowledge map of the field, offering stage-specific policy implications for jurisdictions navigating the energy transition, and identifying critical future research directions.