Research on low-carbon technology diffusion by considering enterprise hybrid strategy: An evolutionary game model in a complex network

The strategic choice of enterprises plays a fundamental role in the diffusion of low-carbon technologies (LCTs). However, existing research rarely considers scenarios where enterprises employ mixed strategies. Given this, we introduce the hybrid strategy (HS) of enterprises simultaneously producing both low-carbon (LC) and un-low-carbon (ULC) products into the strategic portfolio. Furthermore, we develop a two-level network evolutionary game model to capture the dynamic interplay among enterprises and between enterprises and consumers, though subsidies exhibit diminishing marginal effects. The policy combination of fiscal subsidies and carbon taxes demonstrates effective promotion of LCT adoption. On the supply side, expanding the scale-free networks of enterprises marginally enhances LCT adoption, and the initial fraction of HS enterprises exhibits a threshold effect in favoring the spread of LCTs. Specifically, the increase in the proportion of LC products produced by HS enterprises has a minimal impact on LCT diffusion, but it leads to a decline in the proportion of pure LC enterprises. On the demand side, when the proportion of environmentally conscious consumers attains 90%, LCTs can achieve complete diffusion. This study provides inspiration for the research on the diffusion of LCTs within a diverse strategic space.