Energy Poverty In China Research Articles

New energy technology innovation and energy poverty alleviation in China

Energy poverty has received attention, but in-depth research on the relationship between new energy technology innovation and energy poverty is lacking. Using data from 30 Chinese provinces spanning 2006 to 2020, we examine the impact of new energy technology innovation on energy poverty in China. We collect provincial-level patent data and energy poverty evaluation indicators, categorizing them into four subsystems: energy use level, energy capacity, energy use structure, and energy investment management. Findings indicates: (1) New energy technology innovation significantly alleviates energy poverty in China. This is primarily attributed to improvements in energy supply and residents' income. (2) The effectiveness of new energy technology innovations in alleviating energy poverty is enhanced by provincial transportation development and technology market activity but diminished by urbanization. (3) New energy technology innovations lead to notable increases in energy use level and energy capacity, a decrease in energy use structure, and no significant impact on energy investment management. (4) Innovations from enterprises, university and research institutes significantly contribute to alleviating China's energy poverty. However, innovations from industry-university-research collaborations and other innovators do not significantly affect China's energy poverty. Our findings provide valuable insights for theoretical research and energy poverty policy design.

Understanding the energy poverty in China: chronic measurement and the effect of the digital economy

Understanding the energy poverty in China: chronic measurement and the effect of the digital economy

The potential impact of digital economy on energy poverty in the context of Chinese provinces

This study focused on exploring the impact of the digital economy (DE) on energy poverty (EP) across Chinese provinces from 2004 to 2018, motivated by the critical need to understand how technological advancements in the digital sector influence energy accessibility and sustainability. Conducted against the backdrop of global digital transformation, the research aimed to dissect the nuanced ways in which the DE contributes to mitigating EP, employing dynamic panel threshold and indirect effect models to capture both the direct and nuanced, and intermediate effects of digital progress on energy deprivation. Key findings revealed a significant reduction in EP attributed to the advancements in DE, with the most notable improvements observed in Eastern China where strategic energy policies and management practices enhanced the positive impacts of digitalization. The study highlighted the DE's role in improving energy access, efficiency, and environmental sustainability, although it also pointed out the potential for regressive effects in areas with lower levels of technological advancement. These findings are of substantial value as they offer empirical evidence of the DE's capacity to alleviate EP, underlining the importance of integrating digital strategies into energy policy planning. The research provides critical insights for policymakers, stakeholders in the energy sector, and scholars interested in the synergies between digital innovation and energy security, suggesting that leveraging digital technologies could accelerate efforts towards achieving sustainable energy access and combating energy poverty in China and potentially in other contexts facing similar challenges.

Can smart energy alleviate energy poverty in China? –Empirical evidence using synthetic control methods

Smart energy plays an important role in alleviating energy poverty in China in the context of the new technological revolution and industrial change. This paper uses China's smart pilot policy as a quasi-natural experiment, employing China's provincial panel data from 2011 to 2022, measuring energy poverty indices based on a projection pursuit evaluation model, and conducting a quasi-natural experiment using a synthetic control method to assess the effect of smart energy on energy poverty and specific mechanisms of action. The study found that smart energy has a specific and significant impact on energy poverty, but the effect differs in different regions depending on the construction cycle and energy endowment. In the mechanism test, smart energy significantly alleviates energy poverty through the mechanisms of improving energy supply capacity, improving energy payment capacity, and improving energy cleanliness. The results of the study provide empirical references for regional solutions to energy poverty and the planning of smart energy construction.

Internet usage and household energy poverty

Abstract Based on the double critical value method and the data of the China Household Panel Survey from 2014 to 2023, this paper measures the multidimensional relative household energy poverty in China. After confirming the impact of income poverty on energy poverty, this paper explores the formation mechanism of energy poverty from the perspective of opportunity acquisition. It explores the occurrence path of “opportunity access-income poverty-energy poverty” of residents by combining the structural equation model. Finally, the impact of Internet use on energy poverty was investigated through multiple regression analysis. According to the study, China’s official poverty line is about 2.0 US dollars, and the energy poverty line has increased by 49.6% in 2022 compared with 197.2 yuan in 2018. In the empirical analysis of access level and energy poverty, the coefficient of Internet learning is 0.311. Further, adding the moderating effect model regression results of the interaction term shows that the Internet penetration rate has a significant positive impact on multidimensional energy poverty. When it is increased by 1%, the multidimensional energy poverty is reduced by 9.25%.

Beyond disasters: Long-run effect of earthquakes on energy poverty in China.

While earthquakes are considered one of the most prevalent natural disasters in China, there is limited empirical evidence regarding the long-term effects of earthquakes on energy poverty. Using data from China Family Panel Studies and China's historical earthquake catalog, this study investigates the long-term effects of earthquake intensity on energy poverty among households in China, and analyzes the long-term effects over different time spans. Our findings indicate that, higher earthquake intensities have an overall worsening long-term impact on energy poverty. When segmented into different time spans, households in regions with higher earthquake intensities are less likely to fall into energy poverty over the past 20 years and the past 20 to 50 years, whereas more likely to be energy poor over the longer time span. Moreover, we uncover that public infrastructure, government assistance, and mental well-being serve as channels through which earthquakes affect household energy poverty, with divergent effects over different time spans. In addition, we observe nonlinear evidence of earthquake intensity's long-term impact on energy poverty, and the long-term impacts are heterogeneous across different regions, as well as households with different registration statuses and household fuel types. These insights can inform policy interventions aimed at alleviating long-term energy poverty in areas affected by natural disasters.

Does off-farm work alleviate rural households’ energy poverty in China? Comparative analysis based on livelihood patterns

Energy poverty is a global problem, particularly complex and severe in rural areas of developing countries. To address this issue, a theoretical framework is constructed based on the energy ladder theory and family altruism theory, to discuss the role of off-farm work in alleviating energy poverty for rural households. Using data from the Chinese Family Panel Studies, this study identifies the off-farm work patterns and multiple energy poverty index (MEPI) of different rural households, then analyzes the off-farm work and the distance of off-farm work on the MEPI of rural households by employing Oprobit model and conditional mixed process method and verifies the mediating effect of household income. The results show that local off-farm work significantly alleviates the MEPI among rural households. This effect is particularly pronounced among entrepreneurial households and those residing in communities with a higher level of commercial development. On the other hand, the MEPI alleviation effect of distant off-farm work is relatively modest, and this mitigation effect disappears among households with left-behind students and those living in communities with lower levels of commercial development. Furthermore, both forms contribute to the alleviation of MEPI by enhancing household income.

Estimating the impact of rural centralized residence policy interventions on energy poverty in China

With the world's second-largest rural population, China faces the complex challenge of energy poverty in rural areas, and it is important to identify effective policy tools to alleviate energy poverty. The Rural Centralized Residence (RCR), a rural development policy, has been implemented in 24 provinces in China since 2004. This study was consequently motivated to formulate a hypothesis that RCR could reduce energy poverty in China's rural areas. The study used field survey data on 3484 rural households and employed the instrumental variable method to test the above hypothesis. It demonstrated that RCR can significantly cause the decline of the energy poverty in rural China by 14.5 percentage points in terms of composite energy poverty index. Further analyses showed that RCR could significantly improve household income, use of energy-efficient materials, and energy infrastructure supply, ultimately reducing the energy poverty in rural China. The newly found effect of RCR on energy poverty and its relevant mechanisms could help policymakers in China and elsewhere to deliberate, adopt and implement similar policies.

Financial inclusion, natural disasters and energy poverty: Evidence from China

Using China Family Panel Studies data, this paper examines how financial inclusion affects energy poverty in China. We find substantial evidence that financial inclusion has a significant impact on reducing all three measures of energy poverty. In particular, the positive role of financial inclusion on energy poverty reduction can be also found in the presence of natural disasters. Results are further substantiated by a set of robustness checks as well as an instrumental variable strategy and propensity score matching strategy to address for the potential self-selection bias. In the end, heterogeneous effects and the underlying mechanism are explored.

Spatial disparities and variation sources decomposition of energy poverty in China

Addressing energy poverty and promoting energy equity are crucial for China to eradicate poverty comprehensively and achieve shared prosperity. Through a combined dynamic evaluation approach to accurately measure the extent of energy poverty, this paper analyzes the staged time series, spatial distribution characteristics of energy poverty applies the Dagum Gini coefficient and variance decomposition to observe the imbalance characteristics of energy poverty and identify the sources of variation. The objective of this paper is to mitigate the influence of spatial disparities on coordinating efforts to eradicate energy poverty across different regions. Consequently, provides valuable insights for decision-making to effectively eradicate energy poverty and expedite the achievement of energy equity. The results indicate: The reduction process of energy poverty in China exhibit phased characteristics from 2000 to 2020, with significant variations in reduction levels among provinces. Different sources of energy poverty exhibits imbalanced spatial distribution and evolution. The overall disparity in energy poverty widens as the phases progress, with characteristic nodes experiencing a temporal delay of 2–3 years compared to the policy nodes. Inter-regional disparities are the primary spatial source of energy poverty differences, while energy use capacity is the main factor contributing to variation.

Digitalization and energy: How could digital economy eliminate energy poverty in China?

Energy poverty has threatened the sustainability of countries. Meanwhile, digital economy is reshaping the global energy system, and its impacts on energy poverty deserves attention and exploration. Energy poverty by province in China is reassessed between 2007 and 2019, multiple estimation methods are applied to test the impacts of digital economy on energy poverty, and the varied impacts are investigated using heterogeneity analyses. Based on the technological innovation perspective, indirect effect model and dynamic panel threshold model are further constructed to test the indirect and nonlinear effects of digital economy on energy poverty. The results indicate that digital economy significantly reduces energy poverty in China. Specifically, such positive impact is more pronounced in the eastern China, and the government's energy planning reinforces it. Besides, the energy poverty reduction impact of digital economy is mainly reflected in affordability and efficiency of energy, and cleanliness of energy consumption. Further, digital economy may alleviate energy poverty by enhancing technological innovation, under the technological innovation threshold constraint, its impact is nonlinear. This study provides policy insights for accelerating poverty eradication in China and also offers evidence that digital economy empowers sustainable development.

A way forward to end energy poverty in China: Role of carbon-cutting targets and net-zero commitments

This paper investigates the impact of carbon-cutting targets and net-zero commitments on energy poverty (EP) in China, taking into account technological innovation (TECH), energy consumption (EC), urbanization (UR), and economic growth (GDP). Using panel data from 30 Chinese cities covering the period 2004–2017, we apply the MM-QR and Non-Causality techniques (Juodis et al., 2021) to obtain robust empirical results. Our analysis reveals that the effect of carbon-cutting targets weakens from the 10th to the 90th quintile, suggesting that some Chinese provinces have successfully reduced carbon intensity and are moving towards a net-zero CO2 emission. Furthermore, our findings indicate that economic growth and patent filings contribute to reducing energy poverty in the selected provinces, while total energy consumption and urbanization tend to increase energy poverty across different quantiles. Based on these results, we propose innovative policy recommendations aimed at ending energy poverty in China.

Energy poverty and government subsidies in China

Identifying the policy effect of government subsidies on families is beneficial to alleviate household energy poverty. This study first builds a Propensity Score Matching–Difference-in-Differences (PSM-DID) model and empirically tests the impact of government subsidies on household energy poverty in China based on China Family Panel Studies data from 2016 to 2018. The results show that household energy poverty is considered to have obvious regional differences. Moreover, the results indicate that government subsidies can reduce the probability of household energy poverty by 38.1%. However, the effect of government subsidies in alleviating household energy poverty will vary depending on the specific household situation. It is concluded that subsidies provided by the Chinese government to households can effectively alleviate household energy poverty. Finally, some policy recommendations are proposed based on the results of the empirical analysis.

Who is vulnerable to energy poverty in China?

Energy poverty has been identified as a problem in China, but research to date does not discuss who experiences it, unlike in other countries. Here, we compared sociodemographic characteristics known to be linked to energy vulnerability in other nations between energy poor (EP) households and non-EP households, using the 2018 survey data from China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). We found that a range of sociodemographic characteristics associated with transport, education and employment, health, household structure, and social security, are disproportionately distributed among five provinces (Gansu, Liaoning, Henan, Shanghai, Guangdong) in our study. EP households are more likely to have low housing quality, low education, old people, poor mental/physical health, be mainly female, be rural-Hukou, be without pension, and lack clean cooking fuels. In addition, the logistic regression results further evidenced the increased likelihood of experiencing energy poverty given vulnerability related socio-demographic predictors in the full sample, in rural-urban areas, and in each single province. These results suggest that vulnerable groups should be considered specifically when formulating targeted policies for energy poverty alleviation to avoid exacerbating existing energy injustice or creating new ones.

Tackling energy poverty through trade activities: Analyzing social well-being in China

Energy requirements for household and commercial uses have been extended significantly during China’s recent economic development and transition process. Despite enormous achievements in export volume and diversity, domestic quality of life is still obstructed by energy poverty in the presence of economic and trade policy uncertainties. We explore the impact of economic complexity (EC) and financial globalization (FG) on energy poverty (EP) in China, considering trade (TPU) and economic policy uncertainties (EPU). For this purpose, we use quarterly data from 2000Q1 to 2020Q4 and employ a novel econometric technique of Rolling Window Correlations that deals efficiently with model instability and provides consistent correlations over time. We find asymmetries in the connections over time, which keep evolving dynamically. Economic complexity and financial globalization can increase energy poverty at various time scales if not assisted by appropriate trade policies. We observe significant impacts of the trade and economic policy uncertainties on energy poverty in China. The findings are robust to using an alternative proxy for energy poverty. The government should formulate sound trade policies and ensure certainty in its communications to assist economic activities in a manner not detrimental to energy poverty. As China is going through a transition stage in energy and economic perspectives, amplifying the energy mix, enhancing energy efficiency, and aligning economic policies with energy goals is necessary.

Multidimensional Energy Poverty in China: Measurement and Spatio-Temporal Disparities Characteristics.

As the world's most populous country, China's energy poverty reduction achievements directly impact the global energy poverty reduction process. Analyzing energy poverty in China is therefore critical to consolidating the results of poverty eradication, eliminating relative poverty, and improving the social welfare of residents. However, prior research neither considered the applicability of existing energy poverty indicators to the current Chinese reality, nor the spatiotemporal disparities of energy poverty using micro-level data. To study the dynamics of energy poverty in China at the household level, a new multidimensional energy poverty index is constructed with seven dimensions using multiple correspondence analysis methods. Furthermore, provincial disparities and characteristics of energy poverty are compared using a spatial autocorrelation analysis method. The findings show that energy poverty has improved in China from 2012 to 2018, but its incidence and intensity remain high. Moreover, significant regional differences in energy poverty exist between different regions of China. High levels of energy poverty are mainly concentrated in the western and northeastern regions (especially in rural areas), and the urban-rural gap shows a similar pattern. The results obtained from spatial autocorrelation analysis demonstrate that China's energy poverty exhibits significant spatial clustering characteristics. Further, the results of standard deviation ellipse show that during the study period, the center of gravity of energy poverty in China was in Henan province and gradually shifted to the northwest. These findings help policymakers to formulate specific energy poverty reduction policies for various groups affected by energy poverty.

Modeling the Impact of Fiscal Decentralization on Energy Poverty: Do Energy Efficiency and Technological Innovation Matter?

As an important factor affecting economic and social development, energy poverty (EP) has received widespread concern, and many countries have actively proposed policies to eliminate energy poverty. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the current situation of energy poverty in China, explore the factors that affect energy poverty, find sustainable and effective approaches to alleviate energy poverty, and provide empirical evidence for eliminating energy poverty. This research investigates the effect of fiscal decentralization (FD), industrial structure upgrading (ISU), energy efficiency (EE), and technological innovation (TI), as well as urbanization (URB) on energy poverty using a balanced dataset of 30 provinces in China from 2004 to 2017. The empirical outcomes revealed that fiscal decentralization, industrial upgrading, energy efficiency, and technological innovation significantly reduce energy poverty. Moreover, urbanization is positively and significantly correlated with energy poverty. The outcomes further revealed that fiscal decentralization significantly increases the residents' access to clean energy and drives energy management agencies and infrastructure. In addition, the heterogeneity analysis results indicate that the effect of fiscal decentralization in reducing energy poverty is greater in regions with high economic development. Finally, mediation analysis denotes that fiscal decentralization indirectly reduces energy poverty by promoting technological innovation and energy efficiency. Finally, based on the results, policy suggestions for eradicating energy poverty are proposed from the perspective of implementing targeted energy alleviation policies reasonably dividing the rights and responsibilities of local and central governments and encouraging scientific and technological innovation.

Warmer temperatures and energy poverty: Evidence from Chinese households

We estimate the casual effect of warmer temperatures on energy poverty in China using a nationally representative household survey from 2014 to 2018. Exploiting daily mean temperatures over the 12 months preceding the interview, we find that warmer temperatures increase energy poverty at the intensive and extensive margins. We find evidence of seasonal effects and that it is unusually warmer springs, rather than hotter summers, that are responsible for our results. We decompose the energy poverty result into the effect of temperature on energy expenditure and the effect of temperature on income. Our results suggest that both channels operate via heat stress, but not cold stress, and that the income channel is relatively more important. We show that one reason why warmer temperatures increase expenditure on energy is that on hotter days households shift leisure activities inside in order to cope with heat stress; hence, consuming more energy.

When cooking meets confucianism: Exploring the role of traditional culture in cooking energy poverty

Energy poverty is widespread in both developed and developing countries and is a new type of poverty. Based on Confucian culture, this paper explains the intrinsic causes of household energy poverty in China from the perspective of the relative status of men and women. Empirically, this paper matches two micro databases, China Family Panel Studies and Chinese General Social Survey, with the data of prefecture-level Confucian culture and identifies the effect of Confucian culture on energy poverty using an instrumental variable method. The results of this paper show that the stronger the Confucian culture is, the greater the probability of households falling into energy poverty. In mechanistic analysis, It is found that when influenced by Confucian culture, social perceptions tend to be unfair to women, and the possibility of falling into energy poverty is greater. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis shows that the association of Confucian culture with household energy poverty is stronger in households with lower income levels and rural areas. Based on a cultural perspective, this study elaborates on the factors inherently influencing the occurrence of energy poverty and provides policy implications.

Digital divide and household energy poverty in China

This study explores whether and how the digital divide affects household energy poverty in China. Based on China Family Panel Studies data, the digital divide index at the household level is constructed using the factor analysis method. We then examine the effects of the digital divide on household energy poverty. The results suggest that the digital divide hinders the reduction of household energy poverty. Our results are robust against different energy poverty measures. We also conduct the heterogeneity analysis of income groups, age groups, and urban and rural households. The findings demonstrate that the digital divide has a greater negative impact on alleviating energy poverty in low-income households, older households, and rural households. It also inhibits household energy poverty reduction by increasing income poverty and credit constraints, reducing employment, and weakening social capital. For developing countries such as China, the digital economy has developed rapidly. Nevertheless, the digital divide will inevitably impair the energy poverty reduction and welfare of some households. In digital economic development, we need to focus on the digital economy's efficiency, fairness, and inclusive development. Our findings can provide a micro basis for constructing the digital divide index, economic impact assessment, and policy design to narrow the digital divide in developing countries.