<p>Financial inclusion (FI) and renewable energy consumption (REC) are important drivers of long-term economic resilience, and it is essential to understand the nexus between these dual objectives to align inclusive financial systems with global sustainability targets. The paper investigates the impact of FI on REC using a large sample of 81 countries. Based on triennial data from the Global Findex Database, we construct three FI indices and, employing a quantile regression (QR) approach, the role of these FI indices in promoting sustainable energy consumption is investigated, while controlling for selected macroeconomic determinants of REC. The empirical findings show a negative relationship between FI indices and REC, which could suggest that expanded financial services may facilitate greater reliance on conventional energy sources before the transition to renewable energy sources. This relationship should be interpreted with caution, as it may reflect transitional factors, rather than a direct causal effect. Moreover, we highlight that the impact of FI on REC is not uniform across all levels of REC, meaning that distributional heterogeneity of REC should be considered in the process of ensuring access to finance. Overall, the negative and statistically significant relationship observed in upper quantiles between FI and REC indicates that, while FI is crucial for economic growth, without targeted policies or incentives towards renewable energy, it might lead to a higher reliance on conventional energy sources, rather than a shift towards greener alternatives. The results are robust to alternative methodologies and subsample analysis and strive to offer insights for policymakers, investors, and stakeholders.</p>