Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (676 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Forms of energy that are constantly and rapidly renewed by natural processes such as solar, ocean wave, and wind energy. (from McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed)
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Energies, Renewable; Energy, Renewable; Renewable Energies; Sustainable Energy; Energies, Sustainable; Energy, Sustainable; Sustainable Energies.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Energy-Generating Resources
- Narrower topics
- Biofuels; Geothermal Energy; Solar Energy; Water Movements; Wind
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 44,145 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Renewable Energy” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 13,426 of them (30.4%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 21,712 records.
Reviews account for 4,283 records (9.7%) and meta-analyses for 40. Randomized controlled trials number 48 (0.1%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 322 |
| 2000-2009 | 8,685 |
| 2010-2019 | 21,712 |
| 2020 onward | 13,426 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 4,283 | 9.7% |
| Meta-analyses | 40 | 0.1% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 48 | 0.1% |
Method: PubMed query "Renewable Energy"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in public health and nutrition
Population and nutrition studies mostly observe what people eat, breathe or are exposed to and then look for links with health, which shows association and not proof of cause. Self-reported diet is imprecise, people who eat or live differently also differ in other ways, and effects measured across a population may not apply to one person. Check the study design, how exposure was measured, what else was accounted for and the size of the effect, not only whether it was statistically significant.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genetic data and meteorological conditions suggesting windborne transmission of H5N1 high-pathogenicity avian influenza between commercial poultry outbreaks | 2025 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 8 | cc by PMID 40911554 · DOI · PMC12412978 |
| Glycerol bioconversion to biofuel and value-added products by yeasts | 2025 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 5 | cc by PMID 40694000 · DOI · PMC12315107 |
| Design of strictly orthogonal biosensors for maximizing renewable biofuel overproduction | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 4 | cc by PMID 40939890 · DOI · PMC13227213 |
Genetic data and meteorological conditions suggesting windborne transmission of H5N1 high-pathogenicity avian influenza between commercial poultry outbreaks [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Understanding the transmission routes of high-pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) is crucial for developing effective control measures to prevent its spread.
- Closing excerpt
- These findings underscore the importance of considering windborne spread in future outbreak mitigation strategies.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (252 words)
Understanding the transmission routes of high-pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) is crucial for developing effective control measures to prevent its spread. In this context, windborne transmission, the idea that the virus could travel through the air over considerable distances, is a contentious concept, and documented cases have been rare. Here, though, we provide genetic evidence supporting the feasibility of windborne transmission. During the 2023-24 HPAI season, molecular surveillance identified identical H5N1 strains among a cluster of unrelated commercial farms about 8 km apart in the Czech Republic. The episode started with the abrupt mortality of fattening ducks on one farm. This was followed by disease outbreaks at two nearby high-biosecurity chicken farms. Using genetic, epizootiological, meteorological and geographical data, we reconstructed a mosaic of events strongly suggesting wind was the most probable mechanism of infection transmission between poultry in at least two independent cases. By aligning the genetic and meteorological data with critical outbreak events, we determined the most likely time window during which the transmission occurred and inferred the sequence of infected houses at the recipient sites. Our results suggest that the contaminated plume emitted from the infected fattening duck farm was the critical medium of HPAI transmission, rather than the dust generated during depopulation. Furthermore, our results also strongly implicate the role of confined mechanically-ventilated buildings with high population densities in facilitating windborne transmission and propagating virus concentrations below the minimum infectious dose at the recipient sites. These findings underscore the importance of considering windborne spread in future outbreak mitigation strategies.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40911554 · DOI · PMC12412978
Glycerol bioconversion to biofuel and value-added products by yeasts [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Glycerol, a by-product of biodiesel production, is a versatile polyol used in various industries.
- Closing excerpt
- Future research aims to refine metabolic engineering and fermentation strategies to maximize glycerol's potential as a renewable feedstock for industrial biotechnology.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (166 words)
Glycerol, a by-product of biodiesel production, is a versatile polyol used in various industries. Yeasts play a crucial role in converting glycerol into biofuels and value-added products, offering sustainable alternatives to chemical synthesis. This review explores glycerol metabolism in yeasts, focusing on its bioconversion into ethanol, isopropanol, lipids, organic acids, and polyols. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Yarrowia lipolytica are prominent species for these processes, with metabolic engineering enhancing their efficiency. Ethanol production from crude glycerol, a by-product of the biodiesel industry, is cost-effective compared to traditional feedstocks, while lipid production by oleaginous yeasts supports biodiesel synthesis. Organic acids like succinic, citric, and lactic acids, along with polyols such as erythritol and mannitol, are produced through optimized pathways, achieving high yields. Crude glycerol, despite impurities, is a viable low-cost substrate, with yeast strains adapted to tolerate its contaminants. Challenges include improving strain tolerance and scaling up processes. Future research aims to refine metabolic engineering and fermentation strategies to maximize glycerol's potential as a renewable feedstock for industrial biotechnology.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40694000 · DOI · PMC12315107
Design of strictly orthogonal biosensors for maximizing renewable biofuel overproduction [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- IntroductionTranscription factors (TFs) activate transcriptional initiation by binding specific signal molecules (SMs), yet designing TFs to precisely target non-natural SMs remains challenging.
- Closing excerpt
- ConclusionBy demonstrating the dominant role of the BSH counts in TF-SM interactions and establishing a machine learning-guided framework for TF evolution, this work advances rational design principles for engineering TFs with precise molecular recognition, offering broad applications in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (258 words)
IntroductionTranscription factors (TFs) activate transcriptional initiation by binding specific signal molecules (SMs), yet designing TFs to precisely target non-natural SMs remains challenging.ObjectivesUsing transcriptional activator BmoR as an example, a machine-learning based model named BT to predict three crucial residue regions (CRRs) was generated. This study aimed to achieve BmoR with strict SM orthogonality (SSO).MethodsRandom Forest Algorithm was used to generate a model BT that pinpointed CRRs. The BmoR-SM complexes in the prediction dataset of Model BT were batch-simulated using a computational pipeline via Discovery Studio. Semi-rational engineering of the residues in the CRRs generated BmoR mutants with SSO, validated through MicroScale Thermophoresis (MST) affinity assays. The SSO-enabled BmoR-based biosensor was used to screen microbial overproducers for 3-L fed-batch fermentation.ResultsThe transcription activation effects of 245 TF-SM complexes were experimentally verified, providing the training and test dataset to generate a machine-learning based Model BT with 88.5 % accuracy. The binding between 5,700 BmoR mutants and four SMs was simulated by Discovery Studio, generating 22,800 complexes to output BmoR-SM hydrogen bond (BSH) counts. BSH counts combined with supplementary parameters to form a prediction dataset. The CRRs containing totally 36 residues were successfully predicted by Model BT. The CRRs were semi-rational modified to obtain BmoR mutants with SSO. The SSO-enabled BmoR-based biosensor effectively screened a strain yielding 12.6 g/L isopentanol.ConclusionBy demonstrating the dominant role of the BSH counts in TF-SM interactions and establishing a machine learning-guided framework for TF evolution, this work advances rational design principles for engineering TFs with precise molecular recognition, offering broad applications in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40939890 · DOI · PMC13227213
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Solar energy conversion by photosystem II: principles and structures [4]
- Research article The refinery of the future [5]
- Research article Artificial photosynthesis systems for solar energy conversion and storage: platforms and their realities [6]
- Research article Advances in lignocellulosic feedstocks for bioenergy and bioproducts [7]
- Research article Bioethanol Production from Lignocellulosic Biomass-Challenges and Solutions [8]
- Research article Are forested buffers an effective conservation strategy for riparian fauna? An assessment using meta-analysis [9]
References
- Nagy A, Černíková L, Sedlák K. Genetic data and meteorological conditions suggesting windborne transmission of H5N1 high-pathogenicity avian influenza between commercial poultry outbreaks. . 2025. PMID 40911554 · DOI · PMC12412978
- Dmytruk K, Semkiv M, Sibirny A. Glycerol bioconversion to biofuel and value-added products by yeasts. . 2025. PMID 40694000 · DOI · PMC12315107
- Wu T, Yan D, Lin S, Zhang R, Wang Y, Li M, et al.. Design of strictly orthogonal biosensors for maximizing renewable biofuel overproduction. . 2026. PMID 40939890 · DOI · PMC13227213
- Shevela D, Kern JF, Govindjee G, Messinger J. Solar energy conversion by photosystem II: principles and structures. Photosynth Res. 2023. PMID 36826741 · DOI · PMC10203033
- Vogt ETC, Weckhuysen BM. The refinery of the future. Nature. 2024. PMID 38720037 · DOI
- Wang Z, Hu Y, Zhang S, Sun Y. Artificial photosynthesis systems for solar energy conversion and storage: platforms and their realities. Chem Soc Rev. 2022. PMID 35815740 · DOI
- Sulis DB, Lavoine N, Sederoff H, Jiang X, Marques BM, Lan K, et al.. Advances in lignocellulosic feedstocks for bioenergy and bioproducts. Nat Commun. 2025. PMID 39893176 · DOI · PMC11787297
- Broda M, Yelle DJ, Serwańska K. Bioethanol Production from Lignocellulosic Biomass-Challenges and Solutions. Molecules. 2022. PMID 36557852 · DOI · PMC9785513
- Marczak LB, Sakamaki T, Turvey SL, Deguise I, Wood SL, Richardson JS. Are forested buffers an effective conservation strategy for riparian fauna? An assessment using meta-analysis. Ecol Appl. 2010. PMID 20349835 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.