The evolution of international energy trade research between 2016 and 2025: systematic literature review

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 8 Sayı: 2, 63 - 81, 30.12.2025

Sultan Çoşkun Kaya , Nazlıcan Dindarik

Öz

This study examines trends in academic research on international energy trade between 2016 and 2025 using a systematic literature review method. A total of 45 articles, selected from the Web of Science (WoS) database and included in the analysis, were evaluated in terms of publication year, country, methodology, relation to sustainable development goals, and keyword usage. The findings indicate that scientific interest in international energy trade has increased over the years, with the majority of studies being empirical in nature. According to the keyword frequency analysis, the terms “energy security,” “energy import,” “energy trade,” and “renewable energy” are the most frequently used terms in the literature. A significant portion of the publications focuses on energy security, energy import dependency, geopolitical risks, and renewable energy trade. About a quarter of the studies address sustainable development goals related to energy, economy, and environment, particularly emphasizing climate action, affordable and clean energy, and economic growth. Country-based analyses reveal that the highest number of publications originate from China, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye. Findings from a systematic literature review indicate that research into international energy trade is deepening, particularly around topics such as the energy-water-environment relationship, geopolitical vulnerabilities, and renewable energy exports. These results demonstrate that academic output in the field is increasingly policy-oriented and reflects a growing interdisciplinary tendency toward sustainable energy transition.

Anahtar Kelimeler

International trade , international energy trade , systematic literature review , renewable energy

Etik Beyan

In this study, all the rules specified in the "Higher Education Institutions Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive" have been complied with. "We declare that this research is one of those that does not require ethics committee approval.

Destekleyen Kurum

The study did not receive support from any institution.

Uluslararası enerji ticareti araştırmalarının 2016-2025 dönemine ilişkin evrimi: Sistematik literatür taraması

Öz

Çalışma, 2016–2025 yılları arasında uluslararası enerji ticareti alanındaki akademik araştırmaların yönelimlerini sistematik literatür taraması yöntemiyle incelemektedir. Web of Science (WoS) veri tabanından belirlenen ve analize dâhil edilen 45 makale, yayın yılı, ülke, yöntem, sürdürülebilir kalkınma amaçlarıyla (SKA) ilişkisi ve anahtar kelime kullanımı açısından değerlendirilmiştir. Bulgular, uluslararası enerji ticaretine yönelik bilimsel ilginin yıllar içinde artış gösterdiğini ve çalışmaların büyük çoğunluğunun ampirik nitelikte olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Anahtar kelime frekans analizine göre “energy security”, “energy import”, “energy trade” ve “renewable energy” kavramları literatürde en sık kullanılan terimlerdir. Yayınların önemli bir kısmı enerji güvenliği, enerji ithalat bağımlılığı, jeopolitik riskler ve yenilenebilir enerji ticareti konularında yoğunlaşmıştır. Çalışmaların yaklaşık dörtte biri enerji, ekonomi ve çevre temalarıyla ilişkili SKA’nı; özellikle iklim eylemi, erişilebilir ve temiz enerji, ekonomik büyümeyi temel almaktadır. Ülke bazında yapılan analizlerde, en fazla yayının Çin, Suudi Arabistan ve Türkiye kökenli olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Sistematik literatür taramasına ilişkin bulgular, uluslararası enerji ticareti araştırmalarının özellikle enerji-su-çevre ilişkisi, jeopolitik kırılganlıklar ve yenilenebilir enerji ihracatı gibi konular etrafında derinleştiğini göstermektedir. Bu sonuçlar, alandaki akademik üretimin politika yapıcılar açısından uygulamaya dönük bir yön kazandığını ve sürdürülebilir enerji geçişine ilişkin disiplinler arası bir eğilimin güçlendiğini ortaya koymaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Uluslararası ticaret , uluslararası enerji ticareti , sistematik literatür taraması , yenilenebilir enerji

Etik Beyan

Yapılan bu çalışmada “Yükseköğretim Kurumları Bilimsel Araştırma ve Yayın Etiği Yönergesi” kapsamında uyulması belirtilen tüm kurallara uyulmuştur.” “Bu araştırmanın etik kurul izni gerektirmeyen araştırmalardan olduğunu beyan ederiz.

Destekleyen Kurum

Çalışma herhangi bir kurum tarafından destek almamıştır.

Kaynakça

• *Adamczyk, P. (2022). Does the volatility of oil price affect the structure of employment? the role of exchange rate regime and energy import dependency. Energies, 15(19), 6895.
• *Adewuyi, A.O., & Awodumi, O.B. (2021). Environmental pollution, energy import, and economic growth: evidence of sustainable growth in South Africa and Nigeria. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(12), 14434-14468.
• Akdemir, I.O. (2011). Global energy circulation, Turkey's geographical location and petropolitics. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 19, 71-80.
• *Alola, A.A., Eluwole, K.K., Alola, U.V., Lasisi, T.T., & Avci, T. (2020). Environmental quality and energy import dynamics: the tourism perspective of the coastline Mediterranean countries (CMCs). Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, 31(3), 665-682.
• *Andreeva, E.L., Ratner, A.V., & Sobolev, A.O. (2021). Impact of renewable energy development in Germany on Russian energy export. Contemporary Europe, 4(104), 71-82.
• Aykırı, M. (2017). Enerjide dışa bağımlılık ve sağlıklı büyüme: Türkiye örneği. Aydın İktisat Fakültesi Dergisi, 3(2), 50-67.
• *Bayramov, S.V., Mehdiyeva, G.Y., Eyvazov, A.A., & Mustafayev, E.R. (2021). Diversification rate of energy balance and energy export demand risk impacts on economic growth: the case of Azerbaijan. Cuestiones Políticas, 39(68), 290-314.
• Bayraç, H.N. (2009). Küresel enerji politikaları ve Türkiye: petrol ve doğal gaz kaynakları açısından bir karşılaştırma. Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 10(1), 115-142.
• Bayraç, H.N. (2018). Uluslararası doğalgaz piyasasının ekonomik yapısı ve uygulanan politikalar. Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi, 13(3), 13-36.
• *Berdysheva, S., & Ikonnikova, S. (2021). The energy transition and shifts in fossil fuel use: the study of international energy trade and energy security dynamics. Energies, 14(17), 5396.
• *Borozan, D. (2025). Assessing the impact of geopolitical risk, energy import dependence, and economic policy uncertainty on energy consumption. Energy Efficiency, 18(59), 1-19.
• *Cai, H., Huang, S., & Wu, Z. (2023). The impact of COVID-19 on the international energy trade network centrality and community structures. Applied Economics Letters, 30(8), 1042-1046.
• Campos, A., & Fernandes, C.P. (2017). The geopolitics of energy. In Geopolitics of Energy and Energy Security (ss. 23–40). Instituto da Defesa Nacional, Lisboa, Portugal.
• *Chen, X., Gao, W., Jin, W., & Sun, Y. (2025). The COVID-19 pandemic and international energy trade: an empirical analysis based on gravity model. Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, 62(1), 164-191.
• *Daoudi, M., Mou, A.A.S., & Ait Naceur, L. (2022). Analysis of the first onshore wind farm installation near the Morocco-United Kingdom green energy export project. Scientific African, 17, e01388.
• Doğan, E., & Narin, M. (2024). Enerji sektöründe dijitalleşme ve blokzincir teknolojisindeki gelişmenin ekonomik etkileri. Uluslararası Ekonomi ve Yenilik Dergisi, 10(1), 125-148.
• *Duan, C., & Chen, B. (2017). Energy–water nexus of international energy trade of China. Applied Energy, 194, 725-734.
• *Elustu, S. (2021). Energy security of the European union: the relationship between energy import dependency and economic growth. Istanbul Journal of Economics, 71(1), 133-162.
• Erkan, A.Ç. (2023). Küresel enerji denklemindeki değişimler ve Türkiye'nin yükselişi. Novus Orbis: Siyaset Bilimi ve Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi, 5(1), 46-74.
• *Fan, W., Huang, S., Xu, Y., Zhu, C., & Chen, J. (2023). Drivers of global energy export dependency: a decomposition analysis. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 187, 113758.
• Kablamacı, B. (2008). Dünya ham petrol fiyat değişimlerinin makroekonomik etkileri: Türkiye örneği. Yayınlanmamış Doktora Tezi. İstanbul Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü. İstanbul.
• *Khan, Y., Oubaih, H., & Hassan, T. (2024). Assessing the role of energy depletion and energy import with carbon dioxide emissions in belt and road countries. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 15(2), 7852-7872.
• *Kukharets, V., Hutsol, T., Kukharets, S., Glowacki, S., Nurek, T., & Sorokin, D. (2023). European Green Deal: the impact of the level of renewable energy source and gross domestic product per capita on energy import dependency. Sustainability, 15(15), 11817.
• *Lee, J., Kwak, G., Jung, Y., & Choi, W. (2025). Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of conventional and alternative steel production methods in countries dependent on energy import: A South Korean case study. Energy Conversion and Management: X, 25, 100865.
• *Li, D., Jiao, J., Wang, S., & Zhou, G. (2024). Energy import resilience evaluation considering maritime transport disruptions: a case of China. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 133, 104242.
• *Llop, M. (2020). Energy import costs in a flexible input-output price model. Resource and Energy Economics, 59, 101130.
• *Majd, A.A., Farjah, E., Rastegar, M., & Bacha, S. (2021). Generation and transmission expansion planning for bulk renewable energy export considering transmission service cost allocation. Electric Power Systems Research, 196, 107197.
• *Murshed, M., Mahmood, H., Alkhateeb, T.T.Y., & Bassim, M. (2020). The impacts of energy consumption, energy prices and energy import-dependency on gross and sectoral value-added in Sri Lanka. Energies, 13(24), 6565.
• *Nguyen, D.T., & Ngo, Q.T. (2022). The impact of corporate social responsibility, energy consumption, energy import and usages and carbon emission on sustainable economic development: evidence from ASEAN countries. Contemporary Economics, 16(2), 241-256.
• *Ntinas, G.K., Dannehl, D., Schuch, I., Rocksch, T., & Schmidt, U. (2020). Sustainable greenhouse production with minimised carbon footprint by energy export. Biosystems Engineering, 189, 164-178.
• *Okadera, T., Chaowiwat, W., Boonya‐aroonnet, S., Tipayarom, D., & Yoochatchaval, W. (2016). Global water scarcity in relation to the international energy trade of Thailand. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 20(3), 484-493.
• *Qiao, H., Qin, P., Liu, Y., & Yang, Y. (2023). International energy trade and inflation dynamics: The role of invoicing currency use during the low carbon transition. Energy Economics, 128, 107178.
• Özkaya, S. Y. (2014). Yenilenebilir Enerji Kaynakları, Yenilenebilir Enerji Kaynakları / T.C. Dışişleri Bakanlığı (mfa.gov.tr), (Erişim Tarihi: 10.11.2025).
• Öztürk, O., Kocaman, R., & Kanbach, D.K. (2024). How to design bibliometric research: an overview and a framework proposal. Review of Managerial Science, 18(11), 3333-3361.
• Parmaksız, S. (2024). Makroekonomik değişkenler ile enerji piyasaları arasındaki ilişkinin keşfi: Türkiye örneği. Vizyoner Dergisi, 15(44), 1272–1298. doi:10.21076/vizyoner.1450934
• *Rasoulinezhad, E. (2019). Analyzing energy export patterns from the commonwealth of independent states to China: new evidence from gravity trade theory. The Chinese Economy, 52(3), 279-294.
• *Sahu, A.K., & Mahalik, M.K. (2024). Unveiling the nexus between energy import dependency and macroeconomic instability: panel evidence from emerging market economies. The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, 1-20. doi:10.1080/09638199.2024.2443401
• Sevım, C. (2012). Küresel enerji jeopolitiği ve enerji güvenliği. Yaşar Üniversitesi E-Dergisi, 7(26), 4378-4391.
• *Shao, S., Guo, L., Yu, M., Yang, L., & Guan, D. (2019). Does the rebound effect matter in energy import-dependent mega-cities? evidence from Shanghai (China). Applied Energy, 241, 212-228.
• *Shepard, J.U., & Pratson, L.F. (2020). Maritime piracy in the Strait of Hormuz and implications of energy export security. Energy Policy, 140, 111379.
• *SHURA Enerji Dönüşümü Merkezi. (2024). Türkiye enerji dönüşümü görünümü 2023. SHURA Enerji Dönüşümü Merkezi. https://shura.org.tr/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/SHURA-2024-04-Rapor-outlook-2023-rev.pdf
• *Sun, M., Wu, J., Ma, X., Cao, T., & Ren, F. (2025). Energy‐export decoupling in China: evolutionary trends, driving forces, and sectoral heterogeneity (2002–2022). International Journal of Energy Research, 2025(1), 6216311.
• *Sun, Q., Gao, X., Si, J., Xi, X., Liu, S., Zheng, H., & Liang, W. (2022). The evolution of the energy import dependence network and its influencing factors: taking countries and regions along the belt and road as an example. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 23(1), 105-130.
• *Sun, T., Qin, M., Su, C. W., & Zhang, W. (2024). The indispensable role of energy import: does its price really matter for German employment?. Energy Strategy Reviews, 55, 101495.
• *Tyquin, E., Weeks, C.S., Mehta, A., & Newton, C. (2024). Delivering an energy export transition: Impact of conflicting and competing informational contexts on public acceptance of Australia's hydrogen export industry. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 61, 226-237.
• *Ürkmez, İ., & Okyar, M.C. (2022). The effect of renewable energy on energy import dependence: an empirical analysis in Turkey. Siyasal: Journal of Political Sciences, 31(2), 443-462.
• *Xin, B., & Zhang, M. (2023). Evolutionary game on international energy trade under the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Energy Economics, 125, 106827.
• *Xu, H.C., Wang, Z.Y., Jawadi, F., & Zhou, W.X. (2023). Reconstruction of international energy trade networks with given marginal data: a comparative analysis. Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, 167, 113031.
• *Xu, Y., Ji, M., Klemeš, J.J., Tao, H., Zhu, B., Varbanov, P. S., ... & Wang, B. (2023). Optimal renewable energy export strategies of islands: Hydrogen or electricity?. Energy, 269, 126750.
• *Yadav, A., & Mahalik, M.K. (2024). Does renewable energy development reduce energy import dependency in emerging economies? evidence from CS-ARDL and panel causality approach. Energy Economics, 131, 107356.
• *Yan, Q., Wang, Y., Zhang, X., Du, X., & Huang, T. (2025, May). Energy import dependence, renewable energy deployment, and carbon emissions in G20 countries. In Natural Resources Forum (Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 1996-2024). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
• *Yang, J., Zhu, X., & Feng, C. (2025). Does climate legislation reshape international energy trade patterns?. Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, 61(13), 4014-4028.
• *Yüksel, S., Dinçer, H., & Meral, Y. (2019). Financial analysis of international energy trade: a strategic outlook for EU-15. Energies, 12(3), 431.
• *Zhang, J.C., Zhong, R., Zhao, P., Zhang, H.W., Wang, Y., & Mao, G.Z. (2016). International energy trade impacts on water resource crises: an embodied water flows perspective. Environmental Research Letters, 11(7), 074023.
• *Zhang, X., Meng, X., & Su, C.W. (2024). The security of energy import: do economic policy uncertainty and geopolitical risk really matter?. Economic Analysis and Policy, 82, 377-388.
• *Zubair, M., & Awan, A.B. (2021). Economic viability of solar energy export from the Middle East and North Africa to Europe and South Asia. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 23(12), 17986-18007.
• *Zubair, M., Awan, A.B., Baseer, M.A., Khan, M.N., & Abbas, G. (2021). Optimization of parabolic trough based concentrated solar power plant for energy export from Saudi Arabia. Energy Reports, 7, 4540-4554.
• *Zubair, M., Awan, A.B., Praveen, R.P., & Abdulbaseer, M. (2019). Solar energy export prospects of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, 11(4), 045902.
• Not: Kaynakların önünde “*” işaretli olanlar sistematik literatür taramasında kullanılan kaynakladır.