Identifying key obstacles and challenges to the development of renewable energies in European and Asian countries with a meta-synthesis approach

Taghipour, Peyman; Rostamzadeh, Reza; Esgandari, Karim; Sarhangi, Kamran

doi:10.22034/jrenew.2026.234592

Identifying key obstacles and challenges to the development of renewable energies in European and Asian countries with a meta-synthesis approach

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

peyman taghipour ¹

Reza Rostamzadeh ²

Karim Esgandari ³

Kamran Sarhangi ¹

¹ Department of Management, Urmia Branch, Islamic Azad University,Urmia, Iran.

² Department of Management, Urmia Branch, Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran.

³ Department of Public Administration, Payam Noor University, Tehran.Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/jrenew.2026.234592

Abstract

Given the depletion of fossil fuel resources and the production of pollutants, humanity is increasingly seeking to replace them with renewable energy sources. The aim of this study is to identify the key barriers and challenges in the development of renewable energy and the gradual phase-out of fossil fuels in European and Asian countries. This research is of a qualitative type and its data was collected according to the meta-synthesis method and in seven stages specified by Sandelovski and Barroso (2007). 50 studies have been used for evaluation in this research according to the quality of sources. The Kappa value in this research is 0.81, which indicates the reliability of the findings. The data was analyzed with MAXQDA software and as a result 9 dimensions, 17 components and 306 codes were identified. This study presents an innovative model for classifying the problems and barriers to the development of renewable energy. This model can be utilized by policymakers, technology innovators, and stakeholders in the field. The study also emphasizes the necessity of implementing shared power grids between neighboring countries and using the identified models in quantitative assessments. The model developed in this study can create a conducive environment for the growth of renewable energy and ensure long-term sustainability in global energy systems. International cooperation can effectively help address technical and regional limitations, thereby enhancing energy security and global sustainability.

Keywords

Renewable energies

Meta-synthesis

Development models

Challenges

Obstacles

Policymaking

Subjects

Renewable Energy

مراجع

[1] S. Pira, The importance of renewable energies with emphasize on wind power, Int. J. Eng. Res., vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 812-822, 2020.

[2] G. Richards, B. Noble, and K. Belcher, Barriers to renewable energy development, A case study of large-scale wind energy in Saskatchewan, Canada, Energy Policy, vol. 42, pp. 691–698, 2012.

[3] B. Gajdzik, R. Nagaj, R. Wolniak, D. Bałaga, B. Žuromskaitė, and W. W. Grebski, Renewable Energy Share in European Industry, Analysis and Extrapolation of Trends in EU Countries, Energies, vol. 17, no. 11, pp. 2476, 2024.

[4] W. F. Lamb, T. Wiedmann, J. Pongratz, R. Andrew, M. Crippa, J. G. J. Olivier, D. Wiedenhofer, G. Mattioli, A. A. l. Khourdajie, J. House, S. Pachauri, M. Figueroa, Y. Saheb, R. Slade, K. Hubacek, L. Sun, S. K. Ribeiro, S. Khennas, S. d. l. R. d. Can, L. Chapungu, S. J. Davis, I. Bashmakov, H. Dai, S. Dhakal, X. Tan, Y. Geng, B. Gu, and J. Minx, A review of trends and drivers of greenhouse gas emissions by sector from 1990 to 2018, Environ. Res. Lett., vol. 16, No. 7, p. 073005, 2021.

[5] B. Diouf, and E. Miezan, Unlocking the Technology Potential for Universal Access to Clean Energy in Developing Countries, Energies, vol. 17, no. 6, p. 1488, 2024.

[6] B. Gajdzik, R. Wolniak, W. W. Nagaj Rafałand Grebski, and T. Romanyshyn, Barriers to renewable energy source (RES) installations as determinants of energy consumption in EU countries, Energies, vol. 16, no. 21, p. 7364, 2023.

[7] Y. A. Solangi, C. Longsheng, and S. A. A. Shah, Assessing and overcoming the renewable energy barriers for sustainable development in Pakistan, An integrated AHP and fuzzy TOPSIS approach, Renew. Energy, vol. 173, pp. 209–222, 2021.

[8] G. Guðmundsson, Iceland: Transition to Clean Energy, Limitations of the Electric Transmission System, in School of Science and Engineering. Master’s Thesis, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, Iceland, 2017.

[9] S. E. Shmelev, and S. U. Speck, Green fiscal reform in Sweden, econometric assessment of the carbon and energy taxation scheme,

Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 90, pp. 969–981, 2018.

[10] B. Wang, Q. Wang, Y. M. Wei, and Z. P. Li, Role of renewable energy in China’s energy security and climate change mitigation, An index decomposition analysis, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 90, pp. 187–194, 2018.

[11] J. Charles Rajesh Kumar, and M. A. Majid, Renewable energy for sustainable development in India, current status, future prospects, challenges, employment, and investment opportunities, Energy, Sustain. Soc., vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 1–36, 2020.

[12] S. A. Sadat, M. V. Fini, H. Hashemi-Dezaki, and M. Nazififard, Barrier analysis of solar PV energy development in the context of Iran using fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS method, Sustain. Energy Technol. Assessments, vol. 47, p. 101549, 2021. (in Persian)

[13] N. Ghorbani, A. Aghahosseini, and C. Breyer, Assessment of a cost-optimal power system fully based on renewable energy for Iran by 2050,Achieving zero greenhouse gas emissions and overcoming the water crisis, Renewable Energy, vol. 146, pp. 125–148, 2020. (in Persian)

[14] S. Özgül, G. Koçar, and A. Erya csar, The progress, challenges, and opportunities of renewable energy cooperatives in Turkey, Energy Sustain. Dev., vol. 59, pp. 107–119, 2020.

[15] A. K. Raturi, Renewables 2019 Global Status Report, 2019.

[16] S. Ölz, Renewable Energy Policy Considerations for Deploying Renewables, Int. Energy Agency Paris, Fr, 2011.

[17] J. Hu, R. Harmsen, W. Crijns-Graus, E. Worrell, and M. v. d. Broek, Identifying barriers to large-scale integration of variable renewable electricity into the electricity market, A literature review of market design, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 81, pp. 2181–2195, 2018.

[18] S. Sen, and S. Ganguly, Opportunities, barriers and issues with renewable energy development, A discussion, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 69, pp. 1170–1181, 2017.

[19] O. Edenhofer, L. Hirth, B. Knopf, M. Pahle, S. Schlömer, E. Schmid, F. Ueckerdt, On the economics of renewable energy sources, Energy Econ.,vol. 40, pp. S12–S23, 2013.

[20] M. C. Mukeshimana, Z. Y. Zhao, M. Ahmad, and M. Irfan, Analysis on barriers to biogas dissemination in Rwanda, AHP approach, Renewable Energy, vol. 163, pp. 1127–1137, 2021.

[21] M. Diesendorf, and B. Elliston, The feasibility of 100% renewable electricity systems, A response to critics, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 93, pp. 318–330, 2018.

[22] X. Long, E. Y. Naminse, J. Du, and J. Zhuang, Nonrenewable energy, renewable energy, carbon dioxide emissions and economic growth in China from 1952 to 2012, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 52, pp. 680–688, 2015.

[23] M. Sharifi, J. K. Pool, M. R. Jalilvand, R. A. Tabaeeian, and M. G. Jooybari, Forecasting of advertising effectiveness for renewable energy technologies, A neural network analysis, Technol. Forecast. Soc. Chang., vol. 143, pp. 154–161, 2019.

[24] J. Gao, F. Guo, X. Li, X. Huang, and H. Men, Risk assessment of offshore photoVoltaic projects under probabilistic linguistic environment, Renewable Energy, vol. 163, pp. 172–187, 2021.

[25] L. Xu, Q. Zhang, K. Wang, and X. Shi, Subsidies, loans, and companies’ performance, evidence from China’s photovoltaic industry, Appl. Energy, vol. 260, p. 114280, 2020.

[26] P. G. V. Sampaio, M. O. A. González, R. M. d. Vasconcelos, M. A. T. d. Santos, P. d. C. J. Vidal, J. P. P. Pereira, and E. Santi, Prospecting technologies for photovoltaic solar energy, overview of its technical-commercial viability, Int. J. Energy Res., vol. 44, no. 2, pp. 651–668, 2020.

[27] M. Sandelowski, J. Barroso, and C. I. Voils, Using qualitative metasummary to synthesize qualitative and quantitative descriptive findings, Res. Nurs. Health, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 99–111, 2007.

[28] E. J. Erwin, M. J. Brotherson, and J. A. Summers, Understanding qualitative metasynthesis, Issues and opportunities in early childhood intervention research, J. Early Interv., vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 186–200, 2011.

[29] M. McHugh, P. Tanabe, M. McClelland, and R. K. Khare, More patients are triaged using the Emergency Severity Index than any other triage acuity system in the United States, Acad. Emerg. Med., vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 106–109, 2012.

[30] C. Kim, A review of the deployment programs, impact, and barriers of renewable energy policies in Korea, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 144, p. 110870, 2021.

[31] Z. T. Mirza, T. Anderson, J. Seadon, and A. Brent, A thematic analysis of the factors that influence the development of a renewable energy policy, Renewable Energy Focus, vol. 49, p. 100562, 2024.

[32] M. Ghiasi, M. Dehghani, T. Niknam, P. Siano, and H. Haes Alhelou, A detailed analysis of the barriers of using renewable energies and their roles in sustainable development in Iran, in Handbook of smart energy systems, pp. 1–24 : Springer, 2022. (in Persian)

[33] L. P. Ghimire, and Y. Kim, An analysis on barriers to renewable energy development in the context of Nepal using AHP, Renew. Energy, vol. 129, pp. 446–456, 2018.

[34] R. Zahedi, A. Zahedi, and A. Ahmadi, Strategic study for renewable energy policy, optimizations and sustainability in Iran, Sustainability, vol. 14, no. 4, p. 2418, 2022. (in Persian)

[35] A. Raihan, T. Sarker, G. Zimon, An Investigation on the Prospects, Challenges and Policy Consequences of Renewable Energy Technology Development for India’s Environmental Sustainability, WSEAS Trans. Environ. Dev., vol. 20, pp. 365–390, 2024.

[36] M. J. Rezaee, S. Yousefi, and J. Hayati, Root barriers management in development of renewable energy resources in Iran, An interpretative structural modeling approach, Energy Policy, vol. 129, pp. 292–306, 2019. (in Persian)

[37] Z. Wang, M. Yao-Ping Peng, M. K. Anser, and Z. Chen, Research on the impact of green finance and renewable energy on energy efficiency: The case study E−7 economies, Renew. Energy, vol. 205, pp. 166–173, 2023.

[38] T. S. Kabel and M. Bassim, Reasons for shifting and barriers to renewable energy: A literature review, Int. J. Energy Econ. Policy, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 89–94, 2020.

[39] S. Matallah, A. Matallah, L. Benlahcene, and Z. Djelil, The lure of oil rents and the lack of innovation, Barriers to the roll-out of renewable energy in oil-rich MENA countries, Fuel, vol. 341, p. 127651, 2023.

[40] A. Milani, F. Dessi, and M. Bonaiuto, A meta-analysis on the drivers and barriers to the social acceptance of renewable and sustainable energy technologies, Energy Res. Soc. Sci., vol. 114, p. 103624, 2024.

[41] A. Mostafaeipour, M. Alvandimanesh, F. Najafi, and A. Issakhov, Identifying challenges and barriers for development of solar energy by using fuzzy best-worst method, A case study, Energy, vol. 226, p. 120355, 2021.

[42] T. Spiess and C. De Sousa, Barriers to renewable energy development on brownfields, J. Environ. Policy Plan., vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 507–534, 2016.

[43] H. Kryszk, K. Kurowska, R. Marks-Bielska, S. Bielski, and B. Eźlakowski, Barriers and prospects for the development of renewable energy sources in Poland during the energy crisis, Energies, vol. 16, no. 4, p. 1724, 2023.

[44] J. P. Painuly and N. Wohlgemuth, Renewable energy technologies: barriers and policy implications, Renewable-Energy-Driven Future, pp. 539–562, 2021.

[45] H. Cai, J. Tang, and F. Feng, Barriers to Renewable Energy Share of the Grid in the Context of Big Data and Countermeasures, Appl. Math. Nonlinear Sci., vol. 9, no. 1, 2024.

[46] Y. Feng, M. Shoaib, R. Akram, I. Alnafrah, F. Ai, and M. Irfan, Assessing and prioritizing biogas energy barriers, A sustainable roadmap for energy security, Renew. Energy, vol. 223, p. 120053, 2024.

[47] S. Algarni, V. Tirth, T. Alqahtani, S. Alshehery, and P. Kshirsagar, Contribution of renewable energy sources to the environmental impacts and economic benefits for sustainable development, Sustain. Energy Technol. Assess., vol. 56, p. 103098, 2023.

[48] M. Soltani, F. Moradi Kashkooli, M. Souri, B. Rafiei, M. Jabarifar, K. Gharali, and J. S. Nathwani, Environmental, economic, and social impacts of geothermal energy systems, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 140, p. 110750, 2021.

[49] Y. Wang, D. Wang, L. Yu, and J. Mao, What really influences the development of renewable energy? A systematic review and meta-analysis, Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., vol. 30, no. 22, pp. 62213–62236, 2023.

[50] IPCC, Summary for Policymakers. In: Managing the risks of extreme events and disasters to advance climate change adaptation. C.B. Field, V. Barros, T. F. Stocker, D. Qin, D. J. Dokken, K. L. Ebi, M. D. Mastrandrea, K. J. Mach, G.-K. Plattner, S. K. Allen, M. Tignor, and P. M. Midgley (Eds.), A Special Report of Working Groups I and II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, and New York, NY, USA, pp. 1–19, 2012.