Environmental Sustainability in Bangladesh trough renewable energy, foreign direct investment, and trade openness: Evidence from Load Capacity Factor and Inverted Load Capacity factor with Fourier Functions

Environmental Sustainability in Bangladesh trough renewable energy, foreign direct investment, and trade openness: Evidence from Load Capacity Factor and Inverted Load Capacity factor with Fourier Functions | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Environmental Sustainability in Bangladesh trough renewable energy, foreign direct investment, and trade openness: Evidence from Load Capacity Factor and Inverted Load Capacity factor with Fourier Functions Md Qamruzzaman This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5004183/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 09 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in Discover Sustainability → Version 1 posted 17 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study investigates the effect of renewable energy consumption (REC), trade openness (TO), and foreign direct investment on environmental sustainability in Bangladesh during 1990–2022. For this purpose, it uses innovative input parameters, Load Capacity Factor (LCF) and Inverted LCF as performance indicators. The study adopts Fourier ARDL and the Fourier NARDL method to investigate the symmetric and asymmetric effects of REC, TO, and FDI on environmental sustainability in Bangladesh, which is a distinctive feature compared with other studies. This procedure can represent complex non-linear relationships between these two variables by invoking Fourier functions, elucidating a more complete picture of economic growth and environmental impact dynamics. Specifically, the results reveal that both REC and TO positively associate with environmental sustainability via lower CO 2 emissions and ecological footprints. At the same time, FDI has an intricate relationship feature that exhibits non-linear impacts. The study findings provide a fresh look at the existing EKC hypothesis regarding environmental quality deterioration and the adoption of cleaner technology that is associated with economic growth through LCF. Results highlight the necessity of ad-hoc, effective, and sustainable energy policies, investment in renewables and green energies, as well as regarding trade practices. The results provide some policy insights on improving energy efficiency and achieving sustainable development. Policymakers need to embrace green technologies and pursue politics to enhance economic prospects while maintaining balance with the environment. The implications of the study are significant to consider for Bangladesh to reach its SDGs and achieve sustainability. Environmental Degradation Renewable Energy Consumption Trade Openness Foreign Direct Investment Load Capacity Factor Inverted Load Capacity Factor Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 09 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in Discover Sustainability → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 25 Sep, 2024 Reviews received at journal 22 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 22 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Sep, 2024 Reviews received at journal 15 Sep, 2024 Reviews received at journal 14 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 13 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Sep, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 11 Sep, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 10 Sep, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 05 Sep, 2024 First submitted to journal 30 Aug, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5004183","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":358822271,"identity":"9bce77d4-42a6-4bc5-8b09-b2b066d80575","order_by":0,"name":"Md Qamruzzaman","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA+0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJADxsdgihnCS2A4QFgLszHJWtikkXk4tfAdP532medPnbxu+9lj1YVtdQwGx3kMGH7UMOTx4dAieSZ382weHjbDbWfy0m7PbDvMYHCYx4Cx5xhDsSQOLQYHcjcz80jwMG47kGN2m7ftAFgLA28DQ+IGXFrOvwVqMZCw33b+jVkxL8hhIFv+4tNyA2RLgkHiths5Zsy8bcxgLcz4bJG88XYz45wDCcnbbrwxlp5x7jCP5GG2gsMyxyRw+oXvfO5mhjd/6my3nc8x/FxQVifHd/7wxodvamxwhhhG4PNABSVwqMeiZRSMglEwCkYBBgAAEGhcVv8el64AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"United International University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Md","middleName":"","lastName":"Qamruzzaman","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-08-30 13:14:50","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5004183/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5004183/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01873-8","type":"published","date":"2026-01-09T15:58:43+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":100069339,"identity":"d7d5314f-7c22-4718-bdc4-f50c35b9e7a0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-12 16:13:03","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":929400,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5004183/v1_covered_5ef143ba-6203-4eab-a442-72cb76c3142c.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Environmental Sustainability in Bangladesh trough renewable energy, foreign direct investment, and trade openness: Evidence from Load Capacity Factor and Inverted Load Capacity factor with Fourier Functions","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-sustainability","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"disu","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Sustainability](https://www.springer.com/43621)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Discover Sustainability","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Environmental Degradation, Renewable Energy Consumption, Trade Openness, Foreign Direct Investment, Load Capacity Factor, Inverted Load Capacity Factor","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5004183/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5004183/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study investigates the effect of renewable energy consumption (REC), trade openness (TO), and foreign direct investment on environmental sustainability in Bangladesh during 1990\u0026ndash;2022. 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