Review of Social Sustainability Assessments of Electricity Generating Systems

Abstract

In the quest for sustainable development, the energy sector must address the three pillars of sustainability: economic, environmental, and social. However, compared to the other pillars, research on social sustainability has been relatively limited. A systematic literature review was conducted covering 143 peer-reviewed articles (after initial screening) to explore the current state and opportunities in the social sustainability assessment of electricity generating systems. The contributions of this research are two-fold: first is the analysis of the elements of social sustainability assessment, particularly the explicit and implicit definitions of social sustainability as well as the roles and nature of involvement of stakeholders. Second is the analysis of the intersections among framework elements. The insights provided serve as a valuable resource in conducting social sustainability assessments of electricity generating systems as well as inform researchers and stakeholders concerning future research directions.