The global transition to renewable energy sources is a cornerstone of efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change and achieve carbon neutrality. However, the spatial diffusion of renewables, including wind, solar, hydro, and biomass, has been highly uneven, both between and within countries. This session seeks to explore the diverse geographical patterns of renewable energy adoption, focusing on the institutional, socio-technical, and economic factors that either facilitate or hinder this transition across different contexts.
We invite contributions from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives, encompassing theoretical reflections and empirical case studies. We are particularly interested in papers that address:
- Spatial patterns in the adoption and diffusion of renewable energy technologies, including regional case studies or comparative analyses across scales.
- The role of institutional frameworks, policy incentives, and governance structures in accelerating or delaying the renewable energy transition.
- Socio-technical barriers and enablers, including public perceptions, political resistance, and technological innovations.
- Contributions from GIS and spatial analysis that map or model the geographic spread of renewables, identifying correlations between energy diffusion and regional characteristics such as socio-economic status, infrastructure, or physical geography.
- Insights from economic geography on how market dynamics, investment flows, and supply chains impact renewable energy systems and their spatial distribution.
This session aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and encourages submissions from geography, energy policy, environmental studies, and related fields. By incorporating diverse methodologies and perspectives, we hope to build a comprehensive understanding of the spatial dimensions and institutional challenges surrounding the global shift toward renewables.
Participants are invited to share research reflecting on renewable energy diffusion, contributing to the broader discourse on sustainable development and climate action.