Analysis of the spatial spillover effect of electricity generation from renewable energy on carbon emissions: based on empirical evidence from Chinese provinces and cities

Abstract

In order to promote the growth of a low-carbon economy, renewable energy has emerged as a clean and low-carbon method of producing electricity. The article applies a spatial Durbin model to examine the main and spillover effects of electricity generation from renewable energy on carbon emissions in China, based on panel data for 30 Chinese provinces from 2010 to 2019. It also conducts a heterogeneity analysis of the Eastern, Central, and Western regions. The results indicate that: (1) carbon emissions in 30 Chinese provinces exhibit significant spatial autocorrelation; (2) electricity generation from renewable energy has a significant inhibiting effect on carbon emissions in a province and a significant promoting effect on carbon emissions in its neighboring provinces; (3) electricity generation from renewable energy in the Central region of China has a negative effect on carbon emissions, while the negative effect is insignificant in the Eastern and Western regions.