Role of sustainable finance, geopolitical risk and economic growth in renewable energy investment: Empirical evidence from China

ABSTRACT

The global economic recession caused by COVID-19 has posed a severe threat to the feasibility of renewable energy projects, hampering the United Nation (UN) sustainable development goals. Sustainable financing (SF) is a crucial instrument for promoting investment in renewable energy (IRE) sources, as it is regarded as a crucial aspect in achieving long-term sustainability. This study sheds insight on the impact of SF, geopolitical risk (GPR), economic growth (EG), and environmental regulation (ER) on IRE sources by evaluating 10 years of data from 35 Chinese energy businesses from 2012 to 2021. The data analysis is done by utilizing quantile regression and dynamic analytic techniques, demonstrating that SF, EG, and ER have a significant positive effect on IRE sources. However, GPR has a significant detrimental impact on IRE in China. This is one of the early studies to examine the crucial role of SF, GPR, EG, and ER in IRE, which is critical for environmental sustainability. In addition, it provides policymakers and environmentalists with crucial insights for developing and executing environmental strategies that can deliver long-term benefits and meet SD goals.