The Digital Engine of Transition: Empirical Evidence on How the Digital Economy Drives High-Quality Energy Development in China

Against the backdrop of China’s “Dual Carbon” strategy, transitioning to high-quality energy development (HQED) is imperative for balancing decarbonization with economic resilience. This study explores the transformative role of the digital economy as a primary driver of this transition. Using provincial panel data from 2013 to 2023, we employ a two-way fixed effects model to quantify the impact of digital economy on high-quality energy development. Our empirical results demonstrate that the digital economy significantly bolsters high-quality energy development, a finding that holds across rigorous robustness and endogeneity checks. Mechanism analysis reveals three critical transmission pathways: fostering technological innovation, accelerating industrial structure upgrading, and promoting industrial sophistication. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis indicates a pronounced positive effect in the Eastern and Central regions, whereas the impact in the Western region remains limited, highlighting a “digital divide” in energy transition. These findings suggest that policymakers should prioritize digital infrastructure in lagging regions and leverage digital tools to bridge the gap between industrial upgrading and energy efficiency.