Renewable Electricity Consumption and Economic Growth: A Comparative Study of South Africa and Zimbabwe

Abstract

The study conducts a comparative analysis of the relationship between renewable electricity consumption and economic growth in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The study utilises time series data spanning from 1990 to 2019 collected from the World Bank and International Energy Agency (IEA). The study performed the Dickey-Fuller Generalised Least Squares and Phillips-Perron unit root test, ARDL Bounds test for cointegration and optimal lags models. Empirical results revealed that in the short run renewable electricity consumption has a negative impact on economic growth in both countries. In the long run, however, in South Africa it has a negative statistically significant effect in South Africa and a positive statistically insignificant effect in Zimbabwe on economic growth. The study recommends the revision of renewable electricity policies in both countries to boost economic growth significantly in both countries.