Interrelationship between decentralization of energy sources and their renewability: A bibliometric analysis of research trends and thematic evolution

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Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
Decentralization and renewable energy have gained significant global attention due to their potential to enhance energy security, promote sustainability, and democratize energy access. This study aims to provide a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of research trends, key contributors, and thematic developments in the field of the decentralization of energy sources and their renewability. The research methodology involves a bibliometric analysis based on data extracted from the Scopus database, covering publications from 1973 to 2025. The analysis reveals exponential growth in research output, particularly after 2014, with over 3,700 publications recorded in 2023 alone. Citation trends indicate that foundational studies on decentralized microgrids and distributed energy systems remain highly influential, while recent works on blockchain-based energy trading and AI-driven energy management are gaining prominence. The study identifies China (11.7% of total publications), the United States (6.5%), and India (5.7%) as the leading contributors, with significant research activity also observed in European countries. Additionally, journals such as Applied Energy, Renewable Energy, and Energies serve as the primary publication platforms in this domain. Thematic analysis highlights a shift from bioenergy and land-use studies toward smart grids, energy storage, artificial intelligence, and decentralized finance for energy markets. Furthermore, co-authorship and international collaboration have increased significantly, with 25% of papers involving multi-country research efforts. Keyword analysis indicates growing research interest in emerging topics such as hydrogen energy, demand-side management, and digitalization in decentralized energy systems. These findings underscore the increasing interdisciplinary nature of decentralized energy research, integrating technological, economic, and policy dimensions.

Acknowledgment
This study was prepared as part of the project IZURZ1_224119/1 (Swiss National Science Foundation).

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    • Figure 1. Annual scientific production of scientific publications related to the decentralization of energy sources and their renewability
    • Figure 2. Bibliometric indicators related to citation trends for research on the decentralization of energy sources and their renewability over time
    • Figure 3. Core sources, according to Bradford’s Law, publishing the most research on decentralization of energy sources and their renewability
    • Figure 4. Ten of the most cited references within the analyzed dataset, dedicated to energy sources’ decentralization and renewability
    • Figure 5. Evolution of key research terms in the field of decentralization of energy sources and their renewability over time
    • Figure 6. Thematic evolution of core topics in decentralization and renewable energy
    • Figure 7. Fractal multidimensional analysis of the relationship between key research topics in decentralization of energy sources and their renewability
    • Figure B1. Thematic map of key research themes related to the decentralization of energy sources and their renewability during 1973–2000
    • Figure B2. Thematic map of key research themes related to the decentralization of energy sources and their renewability during 2001–2013
    • Figure B3. Thematic map of key research themes related to the decentralization of energy sources and their renewability during 2014–2024
    • Figure B4. Thematic map of key research themes related to the decentralization of energy sources and their renewability during 2025–2025
    • Table 1. Completeness of metadata of the sample of documents related to the interaction between the decentralization of energy sources and their renewability
    • Table A1. Key bibliometric indicators for top academic journals publishing research on decentralization and renewable energy sources
    • Table A2. Key bibliometric indicators for the most influential authors in decentralization and renewable energy research
    • Table A3. List of institutions with 100 or more publications related to the decentralization of energy sources and their renewability
    • Table A4. Most active countries in research output on the decentralization of energy sources and their renewability
    • Table A5. Top 10 most globally cited documents focus on the decentralization of energy sources and their renewability
    • Table A6. Top 10 most locally cited documents focus on the decentralization of energy sources and their renewability
    • Conceptualization
      Anargul Belgibayeva, Artem Artyukhov, Viera Kubičková, Miroslava Čukanová, Iuliia Myroshnychenko, Ihor Ruzhytsky, Serhiy Lyeonov
    • Validation
      Anargul Belgibayeva, Iuliia Myroshnychenko, Serhiy Lyeonov
    • Writing – original draft
      Anargul Belgibayeva, Artem Artyukhov, Viera Kubičková, Miroslava Čukanová, Iuliia Myroshnychenko, Ihor Ruzhytsky, Serhiy Lyeonov
    • Writing – review & editing
      Anargul Belgibayeva, Artem Artyukhov, Viera Kubičková, Miroslava Čukanová, Iuliia Myroshnychenko, Ihor Ruzhytsky, Serhiy Lyeonov
    • Funding acquisition
      Artem Artyukhov, Viera Kubičková, Miroslava Čukanová
    • Resources
      Artem Artyukhov, Viera Kubičková, Miroslava Čukanová
    • Visualization
      Artem Artyukhov, Ihor Ruzhytsky, Serhiy Lyeonov
    • Software
      Viera Kubičková, Iuliia Myroshnychenko, Serhiy Lyeonov
    • Methodology
      Iuliia Myroshnychenko, Serhiy Lyeonov
    • Data curation
      Serhiy Lyeonov
    • Formal Analysis
      Serhiy Lyeonov
    • Investigation
      Serhiy Lyeonov
    • Project administration
      Serhiy Lyeonov
    • Supervision
      Serhiy Lyeonov