IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v320y2025ics0360544225009211.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Blessing or curse? The effect of population aging on renewable energy

Author

Listed:
  • Lee, Chien-Chiang
  • Yan, Jingyang
  • Xuan, Chengnan

Abstract

Population aging and energy transition are two important issues facing today's society and are key to promoting the long-term balanced development of society. An in-depth study of the links between these two issues can help formulate comprehensive policies to promote sustainable development. This paper examines the link between population aging and renewable energy development using Chinese provincial panel data. The paper draws the following conclusions based on the empirical study. First, population aging does not hinder the development of renewable energy, but promotes energy structure transformation. Second, population aging promotes energy transition by improving energy efficiency and widening the difference between urban and rural energy consumption. Third, income levels, technological innovation and industrial upgrading enhance the enabling effects of population ageing. Finally, the enabling effect of population structure on renewable energy development is more pronounced in the eastern regions, southern regions, resource-based cities and cities with higher economic levels. Based on the findings, this research suggests specific policy recommendations to facilitate energy structure transformation in light of population aging.

Suggested Citation

  • Lee, Chien-Chiang & Yan, Jingyang & Xuan, Chengnan, 2025. "Blessing or curse? The effect of population aging on renewable energy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 320(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:320:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225009211
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.135279
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544225009211
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2025.135279?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

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wang, Bo & Dong, Kangyin & Zhong, Wenli & Zhao, Chuan, 2024. "Can high-quality energy development and energy security achieve a win-win situation? The case of China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 17-28.
    2. Gonzalez-Eiras, Martín & Niepelt, Dirk, 2012. "Ageing, government budgets, retirement, and growth," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(1), pages 97-115.
    3. Li, Zeguang & Huang, Yuanbiao & Hou, Keqiang, 2024. "Impacts of population aging on bank loan portfolios: Evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    4. Zhou, D.Q. & Wang, Qunwei & Su, B. & Zhou, P. & Yao, L.X., 2016. "Industrial energy conservation and emission reduction performance in China: A city-level nonparametric analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 201-209.
    5. Bijun Dong & Qingzhe Jiang & Yue Dou & Xiucheng Dong, 2024. "Can financial inclusion reduce energy inequality? Evidence from China," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(50), pages 6109-6125, October.
    6. Yang, Zikun & Zhang, Mingming & Liu, Liyun & Zhou, Dequn, 2022. "Can renewable energy investment reduce carbon dioxide emissions? Evidence from scale and structure," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    7. Vogel, Edgar & Ludwig, Alexander & Börsch-Supan, Axel, 2017. "Aging and pension reform: extending the retirement age and human capital formation," Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, Cambridge University Press, vol. 16(1), pages 81-107, January.
    8. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Wang, Fuhao & Chang, Yu-Fang, 2023. "Does green finance promote renewable energy? Evidence from China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    9. Appiah-Otoo, Isaac & Chen, Xudong & Ampah, Jeffrey Dankwa, 2023. "Exploring the moderating role of foreign direct investment in the renewable energy and economic growth nexus: Evidence from West Africa," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 281(C).
    10. Ben Jebli, Mehdi & Farhani, Sahbi & Guesmi, Khaled, 2020. "Renewable energy, CO2 emissions and value added: Empirical evidence from countries with different income levels," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 402-410.
    11. Jingyi Wang & Jing Guan & Guojun Wang, 2023. "Impact of long‐term care insurance on the health status of middle‐aged and older adults," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(3), pages 558-573, March.
    12. Zhu, Penghu & Lin, Boqiang, 2022. "Do the elderly consume more energy? Evidence from the retirement policy in urban China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    13. Su, Yi & Fan, Qi-ming, 2022. "Renewable energy technology innovation, industrial structure upgrading and green development from the perspective of China's provinces," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    14. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Feng, Yi & Peng, Diyun, 2022. "A green path towards sustainable development: The impact of low-carbon city pilot on energy transition," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    15. Shankar, Anita V. & Quinn, Ashlinn K. & Dickinson, Katherine L. & Williams, Kendra N. & Masera, Omar & Charron, Dana & Jack, Darby & Hyman, Jasmine & Pillarisetti, Ajay & Bailis, Rob & Kumar, Praveen , 2020. "Everybody stacks: Lessons from household energy case studies to inform design principles for clean energy transitions," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    16. Wang, En-Ze & Lee, Chien-Chiang & Li, Yaya, 2022. "Assessing the impact of industrial robots on manufacturing energy intensity in 38 countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    17. Chen, Suisui & Zhang, Hongyan & Wang, Shuhong, 2022. "Trade openness, economic growth, and energy intensity in China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    18. Zheng, Shuhong & Yang, Juan & Yu, Shiwei, 2021. "How renewable energy technological innovation promotes renewable power generation: Evidence from China's provincial panel data," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 1394-1407.
    19. Wang, Zhibao & Wei, Lijie & Zhang, Xiaoping & Qi, Guangzhi, 2023. "Impact of demographic age structure on energy consumption structure: Evidence from population aging in mainland China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).
    20. Dong, Kangyin & Hochman, Gal & Zhang, Yaqing & Sun, Renjin & Li, Hui & Liao, Hua, 2018. "CO2 emissions, economic and population growth, and renewable energy: Empirical evidence across regions," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 180-192.
    21. Li Ma, 2021. "Inter-Provincial Power Transmission and Its Embodied Carbon Flow in China: Uneven Green Energy Transition Road to East and West," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, December.
    22. Ehigiamusoe, Kizito Uyi & Dogan, Eyup, 2022. "The role of interaction effect between renewable energy consumption and real income in carbon emissions: Evidence from low-income countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    23. Yi Chen & Ziying Fan & Xiaomin Gu & Li-An Zhou, 2020. "Arrival of Young Talent: The Send-Down Movement and Rural Education in China," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 110(11), pages 3393-3430, November.
    24. Shahbaz, Muhammad & Abbas Rizvi, Syed Kumail & Dong, Kangyin & Vo, Xuan Vinh, 2022. "Fiscal decentralization as new determinant of renewable energy demand in China: The role of income inequality and urbanization," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 68-80.
    25. Ji, Qiang & Zhang, Dayong, 2019. "How much does financial development contribute to renewable energy growth and upgrading of energy structure in China?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 114-124.
    26. Nicole Maestas & Kathleen J. Mullen & David Powell, 2023. "The Effect of Population Aging on Economic Growth, the Labor Force, and Productivity," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 15(2), pages 306-332, April.
    27. Shao, Hanhua & Wang, Yaning & Lee, Chien-Chiang & Wen, Huwei, 2024. "How does political stability affect renewable energy finance? International evidence," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    28. Lee, Chi-Chuan & Song, Hepeng & Lee, Chien-Chiang, 2023. "Assessing the effect of green finance on energy inequality in China via household-level analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    29. Choi, Ki-Hong & Shin, Sungwhee, 2015. "Population aging, economic growth, and the social transmission of human capital: An analysis with an overlapping generations model," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 138-147.
    30. Mingzhe Yu & Qiang Zhou & Mui Yee Cheok & Jakub Kubiczek & Nadeem Iqbal, 2022. "Does green finance improve energy efficiency? New evidence from developing and developed economies," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 55(1), pages 485-509, February.
    31. Chai, Jingxia & Wu, Haitao & Hao, Yu, 2022. "Planned economic growth and controlled energy demand: How do regional growth targets affect energy consumption in China?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    32. Bano, Sadia & Liu, Lu & Khan, Anwar, 2022. "Dynamic influence of aging, industrial innovations, and ICT on tourism development and renewable energy consumption in BRICS economies," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 431-442.
    33. Tang, Chang & Xu, Yuanyuan & Hao, Yu & Wu, Haitao & Xue, Yan, 2021. "What is the role of telecommunications infrastructure construction in green technology innovation? A firm-level analysis for China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    34. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Yan, Jingyang & Wang, Fuhao, 2024. "Impact of population aging on food security in the context of artificial intelligence: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    35. Fan, Shiwen & Hui, Liang & Dou, Lei & Hui, Meimei, 2024. "Impact of population aging and declining birth rates on household consumption structure: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    36. Tan, Youchao & Liu, Xiumei & Sun, Hanwen & Zeng, Cheng(Colin), 2022. "Population ageing, labour market rigidity and corporate innovation: Evidence from China," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(2).
    37. Zhou, Yang & Wang, Heng & Qiu, Huanguang, 2023. "Population aging reduces carbon emissions: Evidence from China's latest three censuses," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 351(C).
    38. Xiao, Fenghua & Wang, Jinbo & Li, Huijun & Yang, Juan, 2024. "Population aging and corporate human capital restructuring," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 67(PA).
    39. Sui, Bo & Sharma, Susan Sunila & Yao, Liu-Yang & Ni, Guo-Hua & Chang, Chun-Ping, 2024. "Does aging affect renewable energy? The role of extreme events and economic development," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    40. Ronald Lee & A. Mason & E. Amporfu & C.-B. An & L. R. Bixby & J. Bravo & M. Bucheli & Q. Chen & P. Comelatto & D. Coy & Hippolyte d'Albis & G. Donehower & L. Dramani & A. Furnkranz-Prskawetz & R. I. G, 2014. "Is low fertility really a problem? Population aging, dependency, and consumption," PSE-Ecole d'économie de Paris (Postprint) hal-01075298, HAL.
    41. Fan, Jianshuang & Zhou, Lin & Zhang, Yan & Shao, Shuai & Ma, Miao, 2021. "How does population aging affect household carbon emissions? Evidence from Chinese urban and rural areas," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    42. Lee, Hyun-Hoon & Shin, Kwanho, 2019. "Nonlinear effects of population aging on economic growth," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 1-1.
    43. Fan, Meiting & Li, Mengxu & Liu, Jianghua & Shao, Shuai, 2022. "Is high natural resource dependence doomed to low carbon emission efficiency? Evidence from 283 cities in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    44. Hou, Xiang & Hu, Qianlin & Liang, Xin & Xu, Jingxuan, 2023. "How do low-carbon city pilots affect carbon emissions? Staggered difference in difference evidence from Chinese firms," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 664-686.
    45. Sun, Shuyu & Tong, Kangkang, 2024. "Rural-urban inequality in energy use sufficiency and efficiency during a rapid urbanization period," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 364(C).
    46. Xu, Guangyue & Schwarz, Peter & Yang, Hualiu, 2020. "Adjusting energy consumption structure to achieve China's CO2 emissions peak," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    47. Xu, Hao & Xu, Jingxuan & Wang, Jie & Hou, Xiang, 2023. "Reduce production or increase efficiency? Hazardous air pollutants regulation, energy use, and the synergistic effect on industrial enterprises' carbon emission," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    48. Dong, Kangyin & Ren, Xiaohang & Zhao, Jun, 2021. "How does low-carbon energy transition alleviate energy poverty in China? A nonparametric panel causality analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    49. Sheng, Jichuan & Ding, Rui & Yang, Hongqiang, 2024. "Corporate green innovation in an aging population: Evidence from Chinese listed companies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    50. Greg Howard, 2020. "The Migration Accelerator: Labor Mobility, Housing, and Demand," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 12(4), pages 147-179, October.
    51. Shi, Zhengyu & Wu, Libo & Zhou, Yang, 2023. "Predicting household energy consumption in an aging society," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 352(C).
    52. Hou, Yaru & Yang, Mian & Ma, Yanran & Zhang, Haiying, 2024. "Study on city's energy transition: Evidence from the establishment of the new energy demonstration cities in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    53. Wang, Quan-Jing & Sharma, Susan Sunila & Ni, Guo-Hua & Chang, Chun-Ping, 2024. "Governance, energy utilization and environmental protection: Role of extreme events," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    54. Wang, Juan & Zhang, Sulan & Zhang, Qingjun, 2021. "The relationship of renewable energy consumption to financial development and economic growth in China," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 897-904.
    55. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Yan, Jingyang, 2024. "Will artificial intelligence make energy cleaner? Evidence of nonlinearity," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 363(C).
    56. Yu, Yan-Yan & Liang, Qiao-mei & Liu, Li-Jing, 2023. "Impact of population ageing on carbon emissions: A case of China's urban households," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 86-100.
    57. Huang, Shi-Zheng, 2022. "The effect of natural resources and economic factors on energy transition: New evidence from China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    58. Fan, Weiyang & Hao, Yu, 2020. "An empirical research on the relationship amongst renewable energy consumption, economic growth and foreign direct investment in China," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 598-609.
    59. Shang, Yunfeng & Han, Ding & Gozgor, Giray & Mahalik, Mantu Kumar & Sahoo, Bimal Kishore, 2022. "The impact of climate policy uncertainty on renewable and non-renewable energy demand in the United States," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 654-667.
    60. Xueyan Xie & Xiaohui Xu, 2024. "The impact of population aging on SME digital transformation: Evidence from China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(5), pages 1-26, May.
    61. Yun Zhang & Xia Fang & Zhenyu Yang & Yuchen Sun & Qiuyu Wang, 2023. "Green Finance, Technological Innovation, and Energy Efficiency Improvements: Evidence from China’s Green Finance Reform Pilot Zone," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(11), pages 3531-3549, September.
    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. Zheng, Mingbo & Zhang, Xinyu, 2025. "Digitalization and renewable energy development: Analysis based on cross-country panel data," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 319(C).
    2. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Li, Jiangnan & Yan, Jingyang, 2025. "Can artificial intelligence contribute to the new energy system? Based on the perspective of labor supply," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    3. Wen, Huwei & Shang, Junjie & Nghiem, Xuan-Hoa, 2025. "Does artificial intelligence matter for the population aging-inclusive growth nexus? International evidence," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(4).
    4. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Yan, Jingyang & Wang, Fuhao, 2024. "Impact of population aging on food security in the context of artificial intelligence: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    5. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Yan, Jingyang, 2024. "Will artificial intelligence make energy cleaner? Evidence of nonlinearity," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 363(C).
    6. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Xuan, Chengnan & Wang, Fuhao & Wang, Keying, 2024. "Path analysis of green finance on energy transition under climate change," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    7. Li, Wei & Hao, Ni & Lu, Can, 2023. "A PVAR dynamic correlation appraisal of China’s carbon emissions in conjunction with economic growth and clean energy use," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 219(P1).
    8. Huang, Haiping & Huang, Baolian & Sun, Aijun, 2023. "How do mineral resources influence eco-sustainability in China? Dynamic role of renewable energy and green finance," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(PA).
    9. Lee, Chi-Chuan & Li, Mingyue & Li, Xinghao & Song, Hepeng, 2025. "More green digital finance with less energy poverty? The key role of climate risk," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    10. Wang, Shanyong & Ma, Ling, 2024. "Fiscal decentralisation and renewable energy development: Inhibition or promotion?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    11. Du, Juntao & Shen, Zhiyang & Song, Malin & Vardanyan, Michael, 2023. "The role of green financing in facilitating renewable energy transition in China: Perspectives from energy governance, environmental regulation, and market reforms," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    12. Tan, Yan & Uprasen, Utai, 2022. "The effect of foreign direct investment on renewable energy consumption subject to the moderating effect of environmental regulation: Evidence from the BRICS countries," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 201(P2), pages 135-149.
    13. Lee, Chi-Chuan & Fang, Yuzhu & Quan, Shiyun & Li, Xinghao, 2024. "Leveraging the power of artificial intelligence toward the energy transition: The key role of the digital economy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    14. Olasehinde-Williams, Godwin & Köksal, Cihat, 2025. "Geoeconomic fragmentation: What is at stake for energy transition in the Global North? Empirical evidence from panel-quantile-type estimation methods," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 4(2).
    15. Wang, Chuanpeng & Li, Chunlei & Wang, Yuanlun, 2025. "Population aging, unemployment rate and regional innovation," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    16. Sultanuzzaman, Md Reza & Yahya, Farzan & Lee, Chien-Chiang, 2024. "Exploring the complex interplay of green finance, business cycles, and energy development," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 306(C).
    17. Rongrong Li & Qiang Wang & Jiayi Sun, 2025. "Financial risk and renewable energy: exploring the influence of urbanization and natural resource rents across 112 countries," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-13, December.
    18. 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).
    19. Wen, Jun & Yin, Hua-Tang & Chang, Chun-Ping & Tang, Kai, 2024. "How AI shapes greener futures: Comparative insights from equity vs debt investment responses in renewable energy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    20. Chen, Shiyi & Li, Yunpeng & Sun, Qinzhu, 2025. "Population aging and innovation slowdown: Dual mechanisms of firm cost structure and consumption preference," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:energy:v:320:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225009211. 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.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    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.