Research Information System
RENEWABLE ENERGY, vol.178, pp.1370-1380, 2021 (Journal Indexed in SCI Expanded)
The global economic costs of environmental pollution increase the importance of renewable energy
sources. This paper analyzes the impact of financial development on renewable energy consumption in
34 upper middle income developing countries from 1994 to 2015. The long-term relationship between
variables is estimated by applying Panel Pedroni cointegration and Kao cointegration tests. The long run
effect of financial development on renewable energy consumption is investigated by using Fully-
Modified OLS (FMOLS) approach. The empirical results indicate the presence of long run relationship
between renewable energy consumption and financial development. Moreover, financial development
increases the demand for renewable energy. Economic growth has a negative effect on renewable energy
consumption, but consumer prices have a statistically insignificant impact on renewable energy consumption.
The empirical evidence reveals that financial development triggers in increasing demand for
environmentally friendly energy sources, i.e., renewable energy. Renewable energy consumption reduces
the amount of greenhouse gases in nature as opposed to fossil energy consumption. Therefore, to achieve
sustainable development goals, governments should implement incentives and tax policies that increase
the demand of enterprises for renewable energy resources. In addition, investment opportunities in
renewable energy resources to be created by public-private cooperation via financial arrangements
should be increased.