Impact of high-speed rail opening on the site selection of renewable energy enterprises: empirical evidence from China

High-speed rail is a crucial transportation infrastructure in China and has a significant impact on the location choice of renewable energy enterprises. However, it is unclear how substantial is this impact, and how can it be measured. Research on these topics is quite limited. This study collects the data on various prefecture-level cities in China and their renewable energy enterprises from 2006 to 2020. Using high-speed rail openings as a dummy variable and a multi-period Difference-in-Differences (DID) approach, this study empirically examines the effect of high-speed rail openings on the site selection of renewable energy enterprises. The findings indicate that: (1) The coefficient for the impact of high-speed rail openings on the site selection of renewable energy enterprises is significantly positive, suggesting that high-speed rail policies facilitate cites' acceptance of these enterprises; (2) There is a regional imbalance in the site selection for renewable energy enterprises, with economically developed cities showing greater receptivity; (3) Cities with higher waste treatment rates tend to attract more renewable energy enterprises.