Research on the impact of clean energy demonstration provincial policy on energy poverty: Empirical evidence from China

Energy poverty (hereinafter referred to as E P ), as a new type of poverty, is an important challenge affecting energy availability and energy equity, which will lead to multiple deprivation-poverty effects, including economic, social, and ecological. In this paper, a time-varying DID model is used to investigate the impact of China's Clean energy demonstration provincial policy (hereinafter referred to as C l e a n _ p o l i c y ) on E P from 2008 to 2021. It is found that the C l e a n _ p o l i c y significantly reduces E P , a conclusion that still holds after a series of robustness tests. Mechanistic analyses show that the C l e a n _ p o l i c y works through two pathways: "structural adjustment” and "efficiency improvement.” Heterogeneity analyses show that the C l e a n _ p o l i c y is more effective in suppressing E P in areas northwest of the Hu Huanyong Line, in energy-poor areas, and in areas with weak environmental regulations. In addition, further research finds that the C l e a n _ p o l i c y can promote the synergy of pollution reduction and carbon reduction (hereinafter referred to as R C P ). The findings of this paper provide an important basis for improving the C l e a n _ p o l i c y , which is of practical significance for promoting energy equity and sustainable development. • The Clean_policy has a significant inhibitory effect on EP . • Based on structural adjustment and efficiency improvement, this paper studies the impact mechanism of the Clean_policy on EP . • The relationship between the Clean_policy and the RCP is further discussed.