Has the Development of the Digital Economy Reduced the Regional Energy Intensity—From the Perspective of Factor Market Distortion, Industrial Structure Upgrading and Technological Progress?

The digital economy has become the key driver of improving quality and efficiency social reshaping core competitiveness with new technological revolution. This paper uses China’s provincial panel data from 2011 to 2019 entropy method measure development index provinces cities examines impact on regional energy intensity using fixed effect model. results show that: (1) There is a significant difference in levels eastern western regions China. In addition, there also intensities use between northern southern regions. (2) can significantly reduce intensity. (3) are three intermediary transmission paths for through alleviating factor market distortion, promoting industrial structure upgrading innovation level, which optimizing allocation, reducing adjusting driving applications. general, all should further promote industrialization digitization, enhance technology application, deepen integrated real round change basis allocation important factors such as information artificial intelligence.