Influencing mechanisms of renewable energy development on carbon emission intensity in China

Faced with increasingly severe climate and energy crises, promoting renewable energy development has become an inevitable choice for realizing carbon reduction strategy and energy structure transformation. This paper selects the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2001 to 2021 and constructs a dynamic spatial Durbin model to study the effect of renewable energy development on carbon emission intensity. The study shows a significant positive spatial correlation between renewable energy development and carbon emission intensity in Chinese provinces. Renewable energy development can significantly reduce carbon emission intensity, and affect the carbon emission intensity of neighboring regions through spatial spillover effects in both the short and long term. In the central-western and southern regions, energy-rich regions, regions with high levels of environmental pollution, high levels of fiscal decentralization, and high levels of green finance, the inhibitory effect of renewable energy development on carbon emission intensity is more significant, suggests that its impact effects are characterized by heterogeneity. Enhancing energy use efficiency, promoting industrial structure optimization, and strengthening green technology innovation capability can significantly improve the inhibition effect of renewable energy development on carbon emission intensity.