Green Innovation Ecosystem Drives Enhancement of Energy Resilience in China: Exploratory Study Based on Dynamic Qualitative Comparative Analysis

In recent years, with the growing intensity of extreme weather events, imbalances in energy supply and demand, and frequent regional conflicts, the stability of our energy systems faces increasing challenges. Against this backdrop, the green innovation ecosystem can optimize the energy system’s structure and operational efficiency by promoting multi-actor interaction and multi-element synergy, thereby enhancing its resilience. Accordingly, this study aims to reveal how the green innovation ecosystem drives improvements in energy resilience (ER) through factor configurations and to identify the pathways leading to high-ER outcomes. To address this, this study constructs a research framework of the “core layer–environmental layer–supporting layer” for the green innovation ecosystem, and selects seven conditional variables, namely dual green innovation, multidimensional environmental regulation, green finance, and digital infrastructure. Based on official Chinese statistics, panel data from 30 provinces were compiled, and the dynamic qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) method was used to analyze how multiple factors interacted from 2016 to 2022 to achieve high ER from a spatiotemporal perspective. The results show that: (1) There is no single necessary condition for achieving high ER. (2) Dual green innovation and public participation in environmental regulation play a universal role in achieving high ER. They are combined with green finance, market-based environmental regulation, and digital infrastructure, forming three configuration pathways for achieving high ER. (3) No significant time effect is observed. (4) Pronounced spatial heterogeneity exists. The eastern region focuses on the green finance-enabled pathway, the central region has a high coverage of all three pathways, and the western region has relatively weak overall adaptability. Based on these findings, this study argues that enhancing ER depends on the coordinated allocation of multiple factors, and there is no single optimal pathway. Policymakers should adopt a configurational mindset and select appropriate combinations of elements in light of regional development conditions to enhance ER.