De Montfort University is a global academic hub chair and as such publishes a progress report on both the individual United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as well as a comprehensive report on all the goals.
Our 2025 report will show what the university has been doing in terms of research, teaching, partnerships and engagement in helping to meet those targets and raising awareness of the progress towards the 2030 aims.
This is the progress report for SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy. The full report on all the SDGs can be viewed here.
UN PROGRESS REPORT ON SDG 7 in 2025
SDG 7 is the best performing of all the goals with 40% of the targets expected to be met by 2030 and a further 40% showing moderate progress. A further 20% of the targets show marginal progress.
THE UN report for 2025 says: “The world has made considerable progress towards Goal 7.
“Global electricity access reached 92 per cent… up from 84 per cent in 2010. Meanwhile, access to clean cooking fuels and technologies rose from 64 to 74 per cent.
“Renewable energy is the fastest-growing energy source today, and was projected to surpass coal as the primary electricity source in 2025.
“However, achieving Goal 7 targets demands substantially increasing clean-energy investments, particularly in developing economies.”
MAJOR DMU NEWS ON SDG 7 IN 2025
DMU leads as experts kick-start clean energy programme for sub-Saharan Africa
DIPLOMATS, academics and industry leaders have met in London to forge ahead with multi-million-pound plans to generate clean energy and tackle e-waste issues in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Led by Professor Muyiwa Oyinlola of De Montfort University, the event at the renowned Chatham House think-tank, was part of a four-day programme designed to kick-start the £3.5 million project by the Circular Economy Powered Renewable Energy Centre (CEPREC).
CEPREC’s Director is Muyiwa Oyinlola, Professor of Innovation for Sustainable Development at DMU, and a chartered engineer who has dedicated his career to engineering sustainable solutions for low-and middle-income countries.
Older polluting log burners could be a thing of the past thanks to DMU-led research
A DEVICE that can be retrofitted to older log burners to prevent them from spreading harmful toxins in homes is being developed by a research team at DMU.
The device, known as the Helixtractor, sits in a chamber that is retrofitted to existing devices. It has a heat recovery coil that creates a small whirlpool, which transports the toxins out of the firebox and into the flue chimney, where they get extracted from the plume.
The project has received government funding from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) via the Innovate UK Small Business Research Initiative scheme.
MAJOR DMU RESEARCH ON SDG 7 IN 2025
Analysing the barriers to renewable energy adoption in Ghana using Delphi and fuzzy synthetic approach
James, G. A., Ahiabor, F. S., and Abalo, E. M. (2025)
THIS study investigates the critical barriers to renewable energy adoption in Ghana, where reliable and sustainable energy access remains critical to achieving development goals and addressing climate change.
Drawing from the existing literature, 44 barriers were identified and grouped into six categories: policy, institutional, economic/financial, structural/technical, political/legal/regulatory, and social.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2025.101667
Optimizing heat transfer in a solar parabolic trough collector absorber
Limboonruang, Teerapath (2025)
THIS research focuses on optimizing the thermal performance of solar parabolic trough collector (SPTC) systems that are specifically tailored to Thailand’s unique climatic and economic conditions.
The study combines experimental and numerical methodologies to evaluate innovative designs for solar absorber tubes through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations.
The research focuses on two key optimization approaches to improving the efficiency of solar absorber tubes: external fined solar absorber tubes and looped solar absorber tubes.
Optimizing heat transfer in a solar parabolic trough collector absorber
Advancing Sustainable Housing in Latin America: A Critical Review of Energy Efficiency, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Policy. Sustainability
Vázquez-Torres, C.E., Ozawa-Meida, L., Bienvenido-Huertas, D., Bassam, A. (2025)
WHILE interest in indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in Latin American housing has been growing over the past decade, the COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted its critical importance due to increased residential occupancy time, exposure to indoor pollutants, and their implications for health.
Recognising the climatic, cultural, infrastructural, and socio-economic diversity of the region, this study presents a bibliometric review of research and policy advances with the aim of examining progress towards effective pathways for sustainable housing, focusing on the integrated vision of energy efficiency, IEQ, and regulations as the key thematic axes.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su17136139
The potential role of Vertical Plant Farms in contributing to the environmental sustainability and security of the global food system
Turner, David (2025)
VERTICAL plant farms (VPF), or more colloquially ‘vertical farms’ or ‘plant factories’ are innovative indoor crop production structures utilising the vertical dimension of space, usually with the application of artificial lighting and soil-less growing media.
There has been significant interest in the virtues of VPFs in the context of environmental sustainability and resource use efficiency in recent years.
VPFs have been demonstrated to utilise significantly less land, fertiliser, water and pesticides than conventional counterparts.
The potential role of Vertical Plant Farms in contributing to the environmental sustainability and security of the global food system
Enhancing Virtual Reality Experiences in Architectural Visualization of an Academic Environment
Durojaye, A., Kolahdooz, A. and Hajfathalian, A. (2025)
VIRTUAL Reality (VR) technology possesses the capability to transport users into immersive, alternative environments, providing them with a convincing sense of presence within a simulated world.
This project leverages VR to develop an interactive, educational system centered around the De Montfort University Queens Building, simulating key facilities and infrastructure through the integration of 360-degree imagery and Adobe Captivate software.
https://doi.org/10.4108/airo.8051
Examining Energy Efficiency and Retrofit in Historic Buildings in the UK
Sevim, Y.E.; Taki, A.; Abuzeinab, A. (2025)
THE energy efficiency potential of a considerable number of Europe’s historical buildings is noteworthy.
However, policymakers often express concerns about energy retrofits that may compromise the integrity of these structures and their surroundings.
On the contrary, various strategies exist for enhancing energy efficiency in historic buildings without compromising their architectural constraints.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su17073002
Hybrid deep learning based load forecasting and AI-driven energy management for grid-connected multi-microgrids
Zohaib, A. et al. (2025)
MICROGRIDS offer a promising paradigm for sustainable and decentralized energy management; however, they face operational challenges due to fluctuating load profiles and the intermittency of renewable energy sources.
This paper proposes a two-phase framework to address these challenges through accurate short-term load forecasting (STLF) and an advanced energy management system (EMS) for grid-connected multi-microgrids.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compeleceng.2025.110915
Rethinking end-of-life renewable energy assets as components of sustainable urban infrastructures
Tiwary, A., Olanrewaju, R. and Sung, K. (2025)
THIS study explores some plausible end-of-life decommissioning options for composite materials in renewable energy assets for developing low-cost public infrastructures.
This has been demonstrated through a case study for wind turbine blades.
The study presents outcomes of a survey that was deployed to understand consumer perception of the proposition to utilise the end-of-life wind turbine components as bus stop shelters.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17020604
Assessing thermal comfort in green and conventional office buildings in hot climates
Muhammad, A.H.; Taki, A.; Khattak, S. (2025)
GREEN buildings are recognised for their potential to reduce energy consumption, minimise environmental impact, and improve occupants’ well-being, benefits that are especially critical in rapidly urbanising regions.
However, questions remain about whether these buildings fully meet occupant comfort expectations while delivering energy efficiency.
This is particularly relevant in Africa, where climate conditions and energy infrastructure challenges make sustainable building operation essential.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su17157078
Energy Efficiency and Circular Economy in Glass Wool Fiberizing: Impact of Lightweight Refractory Design
Afzal, J., Forgerit, B., and Tiwary, A. (2025)
THIS paper presents an analysis of energy savings and sustainability measures to improve the environmental performance of glass wool fiberizing, the latter being the most energy intensive production step in manufacturing glass wool thermal insulation, involving conversion of hot molten glass into fibers.
The first part evaluates two refractory designs— business as usual (BAU) and modified (MOD), over four trials. BAU refractory has higher density whereas MOD is an innovative lightweight design, with lower density and improved thermal conductivity.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su18010135
Climate obstruction across the Global South
Faruque, M. O., McKie, R. E., Christel, L. G., Debucquois, C., Edwards, G., Gellert, P. K., Gutierrez, R. A., Hochstetler, K., Li, Y., Milani, C. R. S., Möhle, E., Oguntuase, O. J. and Walz, J. R. (2025)
THE Global South countries differ in their histories, development trajectories, political structures, and participation in multilateral organizations. They also differ in their vulnerabilities to climate change.
This identifies key actors and organizations undertaking climate obstruction activities in various sectors in the Global South. It examines these actors’ political aims, their alliances with other actors and organizations, and the strategies, tactics, and narratives they deploy to undermine both legislative and policy actions to address climate change.
https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197787144.003.0008
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy