Navigating and Overcoming Barriers to Digital Energy Transition for Carbon Neutrality in China

As China strives for carbon neutrality, the transition to digital energy systems presents both significant opportunities and formidable challenges. This study investigates the key barriers hindering this transition and the urgent need for effective strategies to address them, raising the critical research question: What are the main obstacles to digital energy adoption in China, and how can these challenges be overcome? In this study, the fuzzy AHP method has been utilized to prioritize barriers and fuzzy WASPAS to evaluate the strategies. Using fuzzy AHP, we found that stakeholder and governance barriers are the most critical, emphasizing issues like misalignment among stakeholders and governance challenges. Following this, financial constraints and technological limitations emerged as other significant barriers, highlighting the need for improved financing mechanisms and robust infrastructure. Through fuzzy WASPAS analysis, the top strategies identified are enhancing public awareness and capacity-building programs, strengthening governance and anti-corruption measures, and increasing investment in green finance. The results emphasize the importance of tackling governance and financial issues alongside technological advancements. Policy implications and recommendations are provided to guide China’s digital energy transition, with suggestions for future research focused on broader regional comparisons and the integration of emerging technologies.