Qualitative mapping of barriers to the renewables’ development against energy literacy dimensions: A case study of Pakistan

The development of renewable energy (RE) has been recognized as a promising way for solving the energy security problems in future. However, there are various barriers that hinder the development of RE. The awareness of the decision-makers about these barriers can lead to designing the appropriate strategies for overcoming them using the focused index of energy literacy. Energy literacy is a critical component of the fourth sustainable development goal (SDG) for achieving social aspect of energy security (SDG-7). The purpose of this effort is to emphasize the critical nature of energy literacy in tackling the challenges to RE development. Thus, the barriers to the RE development in Pakistan are defined and classified according to their political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal dimensions. By holding focus group meetings with energy and outcomes-based education (OBE) theory specialists, these barriers are mapped with dimensions and sub-dimensions of energy literacy. The analysis of qualitative mapping reveals that the affective dimension of energy literacy is critical for overcoming the majority of the barriers encountered. It is manifested that energy literacy can play a critical role in building a sustainable future by positively tackling the barriers.