Sustainable Energy Efficient Green Campuses: A Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

A sustainable university campus uses energy that does not produce carbon dioxide, protects natural ecosystems, cuts down on the use of natural resources, and recycles or reuses waste in a useful way. The first steps toward a sustainable campus initiative are to use less energy from fossil fuels, use more energy sources that do not rely on carbon, use more energy-efficient technology, recycle waste, and add more greenery to the campus. The Higher Learning Institutes also have a social duty to help people understand the idea of sustainability better. This paper’s primary objective is to study the research and development trends in the realm of sustainable development objectives as they pertain to university campuses. The researchers have undertaken a comprehensive literature study and bibliometric analysis of the pertinent articles. Comprehensive use of the VOSviewer software to map current studies on sustainable energy-efficient green campuses. 707 scientific papers (published between 2012 and 2021) were obtained from SCOPUS for the bibliometric analysis for the influential authors, top-cited articles, and co-citation analysis, while 31 articles published in the United States and India were selected for the systematic literature review to assess the trends and future research directions on this subject. According to the findings, the most researched topics are carbon-neutral campuses, smart technology, food and waste management, transportation, and sustainable campuses, with future research focusing on less explored topics such as energy-efficient campus planning, green infrastructure, and landscape design, and photovoltaics. Since it identifies current research hotspots and new study routes, this paper will be a great resource for academics and practitioners interested in sustainable and energy-efficient green campuses.