Sustainable green electricity, technological innovation, and ecological footprint: Does democratic accountability moderate the nexus?

• Published in: Utilities policy 2023-06, Vol.82, p.101541, Article 101541
• Main Authors: Dai, Jiapeng, Ahmed, Zahoor, Sinha, Avik, Pata, Ugur Korkut, Alvarado, Rafael
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Democracy; Environmental sustainability; Green electricity consumption
• ISSN: 0957-1787; 1878-4356
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jup.2023.101541

Electricity generated through fossil fuels degrades the environment. Hence, the promotion of green electricity should be the foundation for sustainable development. In this context, the present work probes the impact of green electricity consumption (GEC), technological innovation (TEI), democracy (DEM), and economic growth (GR) on the ecological footprint (EF) and assesses the moderating effects of democracy on EF from 1995 to 2018 in six ASEAN nations. The empirical results show that renewable electricity, TEI, and DEM promote ecological quality. Interestingly, democracy not only alleviates the level of EF but also reinforces the favorable impacts of technological innovation on environmental quality. •Environmental impacts of green electricity & technological innovation are explored.•The moderating effects of democracy through the innovation channel are ascertained.•Technological innovation and green electricity curb ecological footprint (EF).•Democracy reduces footprint and also stimulates the impact of innovation at EF.•Policies to promote green electricity production are discussed.