Improving Energy Efficiency in China Based on Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Currently, in China, the influence of energy efficiency problems on economic and social development is increasingly prominent. The factors influencing energy efficiency and improving them have become the focus of academics. In this study, the effects of allocation on technical progress, industrial structure, energy consumption structure, and economic levels of energy efficiency are discussed based on a sample of 30 provinces in China using qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). The results show that three paths could simulate high energy efficiency. The first path is dominated by economic level and energy consumption structure, with the assistance of industrial structure. The second path is dominated by economic level and energy consumption structure, with the assistance of technical progress. The third path is dominated by technical progress and industrial structure, with the assistance of economic level. None of the proposed four factors were required for high energy efficiency. Path 1 and path 2 formed the second-order equivalent configuration. In most provinces, high energy efficiency is stimulated through the path dominated by technical progress and industrial structure, assisted by economic level.