Early integration of solar energy considerations into urban planning/design is necessary to ensure that future cities do not only consume but also produce energy locally through solar. Yet, strategies for this integration remain a key challenge for urban planners and city administrators. Using a scientometric and systematic literature review approach, the objective of this review is to examine the state-of-the-art and current research gaps that constrain such integration. We find that while interests in the interrelationships between solar energy and urban planning have spanned several decades, the two remain largely unintegrated. Though a socio-technical process, the socio-political and socio-demographic aspects of solar urban planning have not received much scholarly attention. Consequently, whereas many software tools for analyzing solar insolation on existing surfaces have been developed, there is a lack of methods and decision support systems to integrate the results into urban planning practice. There is limited research on the subject in the global South despite significant opportunities for solar urban planning in this region. Also, a limited application of theoretical frameworks was found in existing studies. Future research exploring solar urban planning from the socio-technical transition theoretical perspective will significantly enhance the realization of this concept.

This study examined how the regional manifestations of climate change effects and students’ involvement in various climate-related clubs and activities influenced their knowledge and awareness of climate change. Key knowledge gaps and their implications for climate action were also examined. A cross-sectional survey was adopted for the study whilst a snowball sampling technique was used to select the respondents. A total of 300 students from 26 African countries participated in the survey. Descriptive statistics, relative importance index (RII) method and the chi-square test of independence were used to analyze the data. Results showed that regional manifestations of climate change effects and students’ involvement in climate change-related workshops and campaigns significantly influenced their knowledge levels whilst their membership of climate-related student clubs had no significant influence. Key knowledge gaps with regards to how factors such as meat consumption and waste generation could lead to climate change were also identified. Students were also less knowledgeable about how climate change affects key issues such as conflicts, gender inequalities and job insecurity. Intensification of climate change education beyond the most common causes and effects is highly recommended among the youth. Various environment-related student clubs are also encouraged to tailor their activities in this direction.

Actors play a crucial role in sustainable energy development yet interaction in different contexts is an area that has not received much scholarly attention. Sustainable energy transitions theories such as the Multi-Level Perspective, for instance, have been criticized for not describing precisely the nature of the interactions between actors and institutions within socio-technical systems. The goal of this study was to empirically examine local actors’ engagement and its impact on the planning and implementation of sustainable energy initiatives in the villages and remote areas in Ghana. Using the mixed methodology approach, interviews were performed, focus discussion groups were held, and archival data were collected, and social network modeling and case study analysis was performed. Our findings showed that sustainable energy development at the local level depends on an interplay between local government agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), central government agencies, local communities, and private sector organizations. Despite being the focal point at the local level, local government involvement in sustainable energy planning is limited. In the case of Ghana, sustainable energy planning remains centralized and is manifested in a low level of awareness of local actors on national energy plans. The implication for decision makers is that energy planning functions should be devolved to the local government. Such devolution is expected to ensure the integration of sustainable energies into local government plans for the well-coordinated implementation and effective monitoring of sustainable energy projects.