Abstract:

To investigate the impact of the digital economy on energy utilization efficiency and its underlying mechanisms， thereby enhancing energy utilization efficiency in the Yellow River Basin， this study is based on panel data from 78 cities during the period from 2014 to 2023. The non-desired output super-efficiency SBM model and entropy-weighted TOPSIS method are utilized to measure energy utilization efficiency and the digital economy development index， respectively. Furthermore， a bidirectional fixed effects model， mediating effect model， and moderating effect model are employed to analyze the relationship between the digital economy and energy utilization efficiency. The findings indicate that： （1）The energy utilization efficiency in the Yellow River Basin has been continuously improving over the study period； however， and the overall level remains low， with significant spatial disparities characterized by a distribution pattern of "higher in the east and lower in the west". （2） The digital economy exerts a significant positive impact on energy utilization efficiency， particularly pronounced in the downstream regions of the Yellow River. （3） The digital economy enhances energy utilization efficiency by improving industrial structure and technological innovation levels. Additionally， the degree of government intervention significantly moderates the positive relationship between the advancement of industrial structure， technological innovation levels， and energy utilization efficiency.

Key words: Yellow River Basin, digital economy, energy utilization efficiency, mechanism of action