IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v194y2024ics0301421524003628.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The impact of digital technology innovation on green total-factor energy efficiency in China: Does economic development matter?

Author

Listed:
  • Xu, Ru-Yu
  • Wang, Ke-Liang
  • Miao, Zhuang

Abstract

Exploring the role of digital technology innovation (DTI) on green total-factor energy efficiency (GTFEE) has been theoretically and empirically neglected, despite its recognition as a crucial catalyst for energy transition. This study investigates the nexus between DTI and GTFEE amidst China's uneven regional economic development. Utilizing a panel dataset spanning 30 provinces in China during 2012–2020, we employ the two-stage super network SBM model incorporating undesired outputs (two-stage super-NSBM) to quantify GTFEE. Furthermore, we harness the partially linear function-coefficient (PLFC) model to scrutinize DTI's impact on GTFEE across varying economic development levels. Our findings unveil that: DTI significantly augments GTFEE, particularly in eastern provinces and during the 13th Five-Year Plan period. DTI's influence on GTFEE is contingent upon economic development levels. Specifically, when per capita GDP surpasses 24150.80 yuan, the marginal enhancement effect emerges, progressively intensifying until reaching a steady state. Across different economic development stages, DTI primarily bolsters GTFEE by impacting green total-factor energy usage efficiency (GTFEUE) rather than green total-factor pollution treatment efficiency (GTFPTE). These insights suggest that to expedite GTFEE improvement, the government should foster DTI while accounting for regional economic development disparities.

Suggested Citation

  • Xu, Ru-Yu & Wang, Ke-Liang & Miao, Zhuang, 2024. "The impact of digital technology innovation on green total-factor energy efficiency in China: Does economic development matter?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:194:y:2024:i:c:s0301421524003628
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114342
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421524003628
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114342?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lee, Chi-Chuan & Lee, Chien-Chiang, 2022. "How does green finance affect green total factor productivity? Evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    2. Zhiyuan Gao & Lianqing Li & Yu Hao, 2024. "Financial risk under the shock of global warming: Evidence from China," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 335-351, February.
    3. Yong Zhu & Xiongying Wang & Gong Zheng, 2023. "Blessing or Curse? The Impact of Digital Technologies on Carbon Efficiency in the Agricultural Sector of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-12, November.
    4. Lu, Juan & Li, He, 2024. "Can digital technology innovation promote total factor energy efficiency? Firm-level evidence from China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 293(C).
    5. Kang, Jijun & Yu, Chenyang & Xue, Rui & Yang, Dong & Shan, Yuli, 2022. "Can regional integration narrow city-level energy efficiency gap in China?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    6. Hong, Junjie & Shi, Fangyuan & Zheng, Yuhan, 2023. "Does network infrastructure construction reduce energy intensity? Based on the “Broadband China” strategy," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    7. Fan, Wei & Yan, Ling & Chen, Boyang & Ding, Wangwang & Wang, Ping, 2022. "Environmental governance effects of local environmental protection expenditure in China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    8. Xiaojing Xu, 2024. "RETRACTED ARTICLE: Examining the impact of global uncertainty shocks on the digital economy's role in China's energy transition and green economic recovery," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 1-25, April.
    9. Xiaojing Xu, 2024. "Retraction Note: Examining the impact of global uncertainty shocks on the digital economy's role in China's energy transition and green economic recovery," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 57(6), pages 1-1, December.
    10. Gao, Da & Li, Ge & Yu, Jiyu, 2022. "Does digitization improve green total factor energy efficiency? Evidence from Chinese 213 cities," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 247(C).
    11. Zhu, Bangzhu & Zhang, Mengfan & Zhou, Yanhua & Wang, Ping & Sheng, Jichuan & He, Kaijian & Wei, Yi-Ming & Xie, Rui, 2019. "Exploring the effect of industrial structure adjustment on interprovincial green development efficiency in China: A novel integrated approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    12. Dongmin Kong & Boyang Liu, 2023. "Digital Technology and Corporate Social Responsibility: Evidence from China," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(9), pages 2967-2993, July.
    13. Peng, Jia-Hui & Wang, Ke-Liang & Cheng, Yun-He & Miao, Zhuang, 2024. "How does digital inclusive finance affect energy justice? Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 67(PA).
    14. Liu, Yajun & Zhang, Xiuwu & Shen, Yang, 2024. "Technology-driven carbon reduction: Analyzing the impact of digital technology on China's carbon emission and its mechanism," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    15. Du, Kerui & Cheng, Yuanyuan & Yao, Xin, 2021. "Environmental regulation, green technology innovation, and industrial structure upgrading: The road to the green transformation of Chinese cities," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    16. Mingyan Yang & Zhengning Pu & Baoying Zhu & Christophe Tavera, 2024. "The threshold spatial effect of digital technology on carbon emissions," Post-Print hal-04479501, HAL.
    17. Wang, Weilong & Wang, Jianlong & Wu, Haitao, 2024. "The impact of energy-consuming rights trading on green total factor productivity in the context of digital economy: Evidence from listed firms in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    18. Chang, Lei & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad & Mohsin, Muhammad, 2023. "Role of artificial intelligence on green economic development: Joint determinates of natural resources and green total factor productivity," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    19. Piotr F. Borowski, 2021. "Digitization, Digital Twins, Blockchain, and Industry 4.0 as Elements of Management Process in Enterprises in the Energy Sector," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-20, March.
    20. Ratchford, Brian & Soysal, Gonca & Zentner, Alejandro, 2023. "Multichannel customer purchase behavior and long tail effects in the fashion goods market," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 99(1), pages 46-65.
    21. Wurlod, Jules-Daniel & Noailly, Joëlle, 2018. "The impact of green innovation on energy intensity: An empirical analysis for 14 industrial sectors in OECD countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 47-61.
    22. Wang, Jiangquan & Ma, Xiaowei & Zhang, Jun & Zhao, Xin, 2022. "Impacts of digital technology on energy sustainability: China case study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 323(C).
    23. Lin, Boqiang & Huang, Chenchen, 2023. "Promoting variable renewable energy integration: The moderating effect of digitalization," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 337(C).
    24. Tone, Kaoru, 2002. "A slacks-based measure of super-efficiency in data envelopment analysis," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 143(1), pages 32-41, November.
    25. Guo, Qiu-tong & Dong, Yong & Feng, Biao & Zhang, Hao, 2023. "Can green finance development promote total-factor energy efficiency? Empirical evidence from China based on a spatial Durbin model," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    26. Pan, Minjie & Zhao, Xin & lv, Kangjuan & Rosak-Szyrocka, Joanna & Mentel, Grzegorz & Truskolaski, Tadeusz, 2023. "Internet development and carbon emission-reduction in the era of digitalization: Where will resource-based cities go?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    27. Gao, Zhiyuan & Zhao, Ying & Li, Lianqing & Hao, Yu, 2024. "Economic effects of sustainable energy technology progress under carbon reduction targets: An analysis based on a dynamic multi-regional CGE model," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 363(C).
    28. Chengwei Ge & Wendong Lv & Junli Wang, 2023. "The Impact of Digital Technology Innovation Network Embedding on Firms’ Innovation Performance: The Role of Knowledge Acquisition and Digital Transformation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-21, April.
    29. Wang, Kai-Hua & Umar, Muhammad & Akram, Rabia & Caglar, Ersin, 2021. "Is technological innovation making world "Greener"? An evidence from changing growth story of China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    30. Guo, Xiaochuan & Li, Mengmeng & Wang, Yanlin & Mardani, Abbas, 2023. "Does digital transformation improve the firm’s performance? From the perspective of digitalization paradox and managerial myopia," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    31. David Popp, 2002. "Induced Innovation and Energy Prices," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(1), pages 160-180, March.
    32. Du, Kerui & Yu, Ying & Wei, Chu, 2020. "Climatic impact on China's residential electricity consumption: Does the income level matter?," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    33. Wang, Bo & Wang, Jianda & Dong, Kangyin & Nepal, Rabindra, 2024. "How does artificial intelligence affect high-quality energy development? Achieving a clean energy transition society," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    34. Bai, Ling & Guo, Tianran & Xu, Wei & Liu, Yaobin & Kuang, Ming & Jiang, Lei, 2023. "Effects of digital economy on carbon emission intensity in Chinese cities: A life-cycle theory and the application of non-linear spatial panel smooth transition threshold model," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    35. Qixuan Zhang & Yuxin Yang & Xue Li & Pingping Wang, 2024. "Digitalization and Agricultural Green Total Factor Productivity: Evidence from China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-13, October.
    36. Malin Song & Heting Pan & Michael Vardanyan & Zhiyang Shen, 2023. "Evaluating the energy efficiency-enhancing potential of the digital economy: Evidence from China," Post-Print hal-04277444, HAL.
    37. Yang, Senmiao & Wang, Jianda & Dong, Kangyin & Jiang, Qingzhe, 2023. "A path towards China's energy justice: How does digital technology innovation bring about a just revolution?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(PA).
    38. Yanan Liang & Cheng Zhang, 2024. "Digital transformation and total factor productivity of enterprises: evidence from China," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 1-22, February.
    39. Li, Ying & Dai, Jing & Cui, Li, 2020. "The impact of digital technologies on economic and environmental performance in the context of industry 4.0: A moderated mediation model," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 229(C).
    40. Huang, Qiongyu & Xu, Chuhong & Xue, Xiaolong & Zhu, Hui, 2023. "Can digital innovation improve firm performance: Evidence from digital patents of Chinese listed firms," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    41. Tone, Kaoru & Tsutsui, Miki, 2009. "Network DEA: A slacks-based measure approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 197(1), pages 243-252, August.
    42. Fang, Guochang & Chen, Gang & Yang, Kun & Yin, Weijun & Tian, Lixin, 2024. "How does green fiscal expenditure promote green total factor energy efficiency? — Evidence from Chinese 254 cities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 353(PA).
    43. Ren, Siyu & Hao, Yu & Xu, Lu & Wu, Haitao & Ba, Ning, 2021. "Digitalization and energy: How does internet development affect China's energy consumption?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    44. Xue, Yan & Tang, Chang & Wu, Haitao & Liu, Jianmin & Hao, Yu, 2022. "The emerging driving force of energy consumption in China: Does digital economy development matter?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    45. Guoxiang Li & Rong Zhang & Suling Feng & Yuqing Wang, 2022. "Digital finance and sustainable development: Evidence from environmental inequality in China," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 3574-3594, November.
    46. Li, Juan & Ma, Shaoqi & Qu, Yi & Wang, Jiamin, 2023. "The impact of artificial intelligence on firms’ energy and resource efficiency: Empirical evidence from China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    47. Wang, Ke-Liang & Jiang, Wei & Miao, Zhuang, 2023. "Impact of high-speed railway on urban resilience in China: Does urban innovation matter?," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 87(PB).
    48. Wang, Lianghu & Shao, Jun, 2023. "Digital economy, entrepreneurship and energy efficiency," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    49. Körner, Marc-Fabian & Sedlmeir, Johannes & Weibelzahl, Martin & Fridgen, Gilbert & Heine, Moreen & Neumann, Christoph, 2022. "Systemic risks in electricity systems: A perspective on the potential of digital technologies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    50. Wu, Haitao & Hao, Yu & Ren, Siyu & Yang, Xiaodong & Xie, Guo, 2021. "Does internet development improve green total factor energy efficiency? Evidence from China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    51. Yong Hu & Qian Liu, 2023. "Local Digital Economy and Corporate Social Responsibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-20, May.
    52. Cheng, Zhonghua & Liu, Jun & Li, Lianshui & Gu, Xinbei, 2020. "Research on meta-frontier total-factor energy efficiency and its spatial convergence in Chinese provinces," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    53. Daud, Siti Nurazira Mohd & Ahmad, Abd Halim, 2023. "Financial inclusion, economic growth and the role of digital technology," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    54. Zhao, Xin & Nakonieczny, Joanna & Jabeen, Fauzia & Shahzad, Umer & Jia, Wenxing, 2022. "Does green innovation induce green total factor productivity? Novel findings from Chinese city level data," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    55. Zhu, Minglei & Huang, Haiyan & Ma, Weiwen, 2023. "Transformation of natural resource use: Moving towards sustainability through ICT-based improvements in green total factor energy efficiency," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    56. Lange, Steffen & Pohl, Johanna & Santarius, Tilman, 2020. "Digitalization and energy consumption. Does ICT reduce energy demand?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    57. Popkova, Elena G. & De Bernardi, Paola & Tyurina, Yuliya G. & Sergi, Bruno S., 2022. "A theory of digital technology advancement to address the grand challenges of sustainable development," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    58. Gao, Zhiyuan & Li, Lianqing & Hao, Yu, 2024. "Resource industry dependence and high-quality economic development of Chinese style: Reexamining the effect of the “Resource Curse”," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 1-16.
    59. Rui-qi Li & Haiying Ma & Xinyue Wang, 2024. "The Impact of Digital Transformation on Total Factor Productivity of Enterprises," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 19(4), pages 1-31, July.
    60. Balsalobre-Lorente, Daniel & Abbas, Jaffar & He, Chang & Pilař, Ladislav & Shah, Syed Ale Raza, 2023. "Tourism, urbanization and natural resources rents matter for environmental sustainability: The leading role of AI and ICT on sustainable development goals in the digital era," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    61. Yang, Lisha & Ni, Mengying, 2022. "Is financial development beneficial to improve the efficiency of green development? Evidence from the “Belt and Road” countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wang, Jie & Wang, Jun, 2024. "“Booster” or “Obstacle”: Can digital transformation improve energy efficiency? Firm-level evidence from China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 296(C).
    2. Fang, Guochang & Chen, Gang & Yang, Kun & Yin, Weijun & Tian, Lixin, 2024. "How does green fiscal expenditure promote green total factor energy efficiency? — Evidence from Chinese 254 cities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 353(PA).
    3. Senhua Huang & Lingming Chen, 2023. "The Impact of the Digital Economy on the Urban Total-Factor Energy Efficiency: Evidence from 275 Cities in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-20, February.
    4. Lin, Boqiang & Huang, Chenchen, 2023. "How will promoting the digital economy affect electricity intensity?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    5. Xiaohong Liu, 2023. "Impacts of Environmental Pollution and Digital Economy on the New Energy Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-15, June.
    6. Ya Wu & Yin Liu & Minglong Zhang, 2023. "How Does Digital Finance Affect Energy Efficiency?—Characteristics, Mechanisms, and Spatial Effects," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-24, April.
    7. Yang, Senmiao & Wang, Jianda & Dong, Kangyin & Jiang, Qingzhe, 2023. "A path towards China's energy justice: How does digital technology innovation bring about a just revolution?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(PA).
    8. Du, Zhili & Xu, Jie & Lin, Boqiang, 2024. "What does the digital economy bring to household carbon emissions? – From the perspective of energy intensity," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 370(C).
    9. Junhong Qu & Xiaoli Hao, 2022. "Digital Economy, Financial Development, and Energy Poverty Based on Mediating Effects and a Spatial Autocorrelation Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-24, July.
    10. Charfeddine, Lanouar & Umlai, Mohamed, 2023. "ICT sector, digitization and environmental sustainability: A systematic review of the literature from 2000 to 2022," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    11. Huang, Chenchen & Lin, Boqiang, 2024. "Digital economy solutions towards carbon neutrality: The critical role of energy efficiency and energy structure transformation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 306(C).
    12. Du, Juntao & Shen, Zhiyang & Song, Malin & Zhang, Linda, 2023. "Nexus between digital transformation and energy technology innovation: An empirical test of A-share listed enterprises," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    13. Lee, Chien-Chiang & He, Zhi-Wen & Xiao, Fu, 2022. "How does information and communication technology affect renewable energy technology innovation? International evidence," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 546-557.
    14. Huang, Chenchen & Min Du, Anna & Lin, Boqiang, 2025. "How does the digital economy affect the green transition: The role of industrial intelligence and E-commerce," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(PA).
    15. Lu, Juan & Li, He, 2024. "Can digital technology innovation promote total factor energy efficiency? Firm-level evidence from China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 293(C).
    16. Wang, Ruonan & Xiao, Yi & Huang, Huan & Chang, Ming, 2024. "Exploring the complex relationship between industrial upgrading and energy eco-efficiency in river basin cities: A case study of the Yellow River Basin in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 312(C).
    17. Xue, Yan & Tang, Chang & Wu, Haitao & Liu, Jianmin & Hao, Yu, 2022. "The emerging driving force of energy consumption in China: Does digital economy development matter?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    18. Zhong Ren & Jie Zhang, 2023. "Digital Economy, Clean Energy Consumption, and High-Quality Economic Development: The Case of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-24, September.
    19. Lei, Peng & Li, Xiaoyan & Yuan, Mingkang, 2024. "The consequence of the digital economy on energy efficiency in Chinese provincial and regional contexts: Unleashing the potential," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    20. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Yuan, Zihao & Lee, Chi-Chuan & Chang, Yu-Fang, 2022. "The impact of renewable energy technology innovation on energy poverty: Does climate risk matter?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:194:y:2024:i:c:s0301421524003628. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.