The Role of Renewable Energy and Emerging Technologies in Reducing Energy Poverty and Supporting Regional Sustainable Development

Energy poverty in Romania is not just a problem of income, but also of access to modern infrastructure. This paper analyzes how the expansion of 5G technology and the quality of the electricity grid directly influence the ability of households to become prosumers. The research is based on an econometric model applied to the NUTS3 regions, for the period 2021-2025.

The research builds an Instability Index, which was calculated using the SAIDI and SAIFI indicators. This index measures the technical resistance of old networks, which act as a brake on green energy. The data show that an unstable network with a high INI has a severe negative impact on the installed power of prosumers (coefficient -1.27; p -value - 0.0000).

The results of the Panel Least Squares model highlight the critical role of 5G coverage. Although the geographical expansion of the 5G signal is essential for smart monitoring, the final success depends on the balancing of the network. Moreover, it has been observed that economic development and the concentration of the population in urban areas function as supporting factors for the adoption of new energy technologies. The conclusion is that the simple installation of photovoltaic panels does not solve the problem without a stable digital and energy infrastructure. Our model, with an R² of 0.84, confirms that in order to reduce energy poverty, investments in 5G Coverage must go hand in hand with the modernization of the electricity networks, the decrease of the Instability Index, otherwise the gaps between counties will deepen.