School of Economics and Management, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China.
Beijing Key Laboratory of New Energy and Low-Carbon Development, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Sep;30(43):98106-98126. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-29211-3. Epub 2023 Aug 22.
Challenges in adopting renewable energy have become significant roadblocks to the country's sustainable progress. There is a shortage of studies examining how adopting biogas energy plants affects entrepreneurship in Pakistan's off-grid areas. This study aims to address this gap in the literature by investigating bioenergy as an entrepreneurial opportunity for the sustainable economic development of an emerging economy. Primary data comprising 305 respondents was used in Punjab Province by employing an inclusive questionnaire survey. The partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique validates the model and analyzes the designated hypotheses. Empirical outcomes reveal that enhanced social and entrepreneurial prosperity adopting biogas plants, sustainable economic development of entrepreneurial businesses adopting biogas plants, and adoption in entrepreneurship improve the standard of living positively and significantly associated with intention to enhance entrepreneurship performance through biogas energy adoption. On the contrary, the production-cost reduction of adopting biogas plants in entrepreneurial businesses had no significant effect on intention to improve entrepreneurship performance through biogas energy adoption. Meanwhile, the intention to enhance entrepreneurship performance through biogas energy adoption positively mediates the relationship among enhanced social and entrepreneurial prosperity adopting biogas plants, sustainable economic development of entrepreneurial businesses adopting biogas plants, biogas plant adoption in entrepreneurship improves the standard of living, and economic development of entrepreneurial activities adopting biogas technology. Correspondingly, social media and word of mouth significantly moderate the relationships between the intention to enhance entrepreneurship performance through biogas energy adoption and the economic development of entrepreneurial activities adopting biogas energy. The results of this study show how crucial it is to change societal norms surrounding entrepreneurship, raise entrepreneurs' awareness of these issues, reform regulatory systems, and emphasize the benefits of entrepreneurial activities offered by biogas energy plants that grow entrepreneurs' standard of living. Finally, the study's limitations and recommendations for additional studies are highlighted.
采用可再生能源面临的挑战已成为该国可持续发展的重大障碍。目前，缺乏研究探讨采用沼气能源工厂如何影响巴基斯坦离网地区的创业活动。本研究旨在通过调查生物能源作为新兴经济体可持续经济发展的创业机会，填补这一文献空白。该研究在旁遮普省使用包含 305 名受访者的原始数据，通过采用包容性问卷调查的方式进行。偏最小二乘结构方程模型（PLS-SEM）技术验证了模型并分析了指定的假设。实证结果表明，采用沼气工厂提高了社会和创业繁荣、采用沼气工厂的创业企业可持续经济发展、以及创业活动中的采用都与通过沼气能源采用提高创业绩效的意图呈正相关且显著相关。相反，创业企业采用沼气工厂的生产成本降低对通过沼气能源采用提高创业绩效的意图没有显著影响。同时，通过沼气能源采用提高创业绩效的意图正向中介了采用沼气工厂提高社会和创业繁荣、采用沼气工厂的创业企业可持续经济发展、创业活动中采用沼气工厂提高生活水平和采用沼气技术的创业活动经济发展与通过沼气能源采用提高创业绩效意图之间的关系。相应地，社交媒体和口碑显著调节了通过沼气能源采用提高创业绩效的意图与采用沼气能源的创业活动经济发展之间的关系。本研究结果表明，改变围绕创业的社会规范、提高企业家对这些问题的认识、改革监管体系以及强调沼气能源工厂提供的创业活动的好处以提高企业家的生活水平至关重要。最后，强调了研究的局限性和对进一步研究的建议。
