Econ Papers Daily / 期刊论文
工厂电气化及其延伸：数字邻近性对能源转型的影响
Electrifying the factory and beyond: The impact of digital proximity on energy transition
摘要
This study examines whether proximity to digital technology markets promotes manufacturing electrification, measured as an increase in the electricity share of firms’ energy use. Using data from the Qichacha Business Information Platform for 2007–2020, we identify digital firms and construct a firm-level measure of digital proximity. Using an instrumental-variable strategy, we find that greater digital proximity significantly promotes firm electrification. This effect operates through increased investment in external digital technology and electricity-biased technical change, and is more pronounced in regions with larger markets and higher electricity reliability. Industry heterogeneity analysis further shows that the effect is concentrated in equipment manufacturing, textiles and light manufacturing, and chemical products, and is more pronounced in industries with greater production complexity, technology intensity, and digital dependence. Extending the analysis to the power generation mix, we find that greater digital proximity is positively associated with the share of clean power generation in total power generation. These findings link digital proximity to firm electrification on the demand side and to a cleaner power generation mix on the supply side, offering new evidence on the relationship between the digital economy and the energy transition.
中文摘要
本研究考察了靠近数字技术市场是否促进制造业电气化，并以企业能源使用中电力份额的增加来衡量电气化程度。利用企查查商业信息平台2007—2020年的数据，我们识别数字企业并构建企业层面的数字邻近度指标。采用工具变量策略，我们发现更高的数字邻近度显著促进企业电气化。这一效应通过增加外部数字技术投资和电力偏向型技术变革发挥作用，并且在市场规模更大、供电可靠性更高的地区更为明显。行业异质性分析进一步表明，该效应集中于装备制造、纺织与轻工制造以及化工产品行业，并在生产复杂度更高、技术强度更大和数字依赖度更高的行业中更为明显。将分析扩展至发电结构，我们发现更高的数字邻近度与清洁发电在总发电量中的份额呈正相关。这些发现将需求侧的数字邻近度与企业电气化联系起来，并将供给侧的数字邻近度与更清洁的发电结构联系起来，为数字经济与能源转型之间的关系提供了新的证据。