Entrepreneurship in the renewable energy sector: A systematic literature review of types, characteristics, and sustainability impacts

Despite the potential impact and critical nature of entrepreneurship on decarbonization and energy justice, interdisciplinary research in this field is still scarce. Start-ups in the renewable energy sector require special academic attention due to their significant impact on sustainability and the challenges these ventures face, which are deeply rooted in the complex and high-barrier nature of the sector. Using a systematic approach, an initial sample of over 2600 academic articles was collected and narrowed down to 142 relevant articles focused on entrepreneurship in the renewable energy sector, which were analyzed in detail. Based on this comprehensive review, the entrepreneurship literature has been categorized into three types, each characterized by its unique features and sustainability implications. The in-depth content analysis revealed that the literature deals extensively with developing and implementing new decarbonization technologies, but transformative approaches are neglected, depending on the type of entrepreneurship. This review shows that numerous success factors for entrepreneurship in the renewable energy sector have been identified, and their targeted promotion and implementation are crucial for further development. The results form the basis for a new framework that highlights antecedents, success factors, and outcomes of technology entrepreneurship in the renewable energy sector. This cross-disciplinary review contributes to the existing literature by providing a comprehensive research agenda for this emerging field to pave the way for future empirically based entrepreneurship studies in this sector.