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Keywords

renewable energy; policy tools; text analysis; technological innovation; impact effect

Abstract

The green and low-carbon transformation of energy is the primary action to achieve China’s ‘carbon peak and carbon neutrality’ strategic goals, and innovation in renewable energy technology has become a key measure to achieve green and low-carbon development and transformation upgrading of energy structure. In order to test the Porter’s hypothesis that well-designed policies and regulations can create new opportunities for technological innovation and verify the impact of different policy tools and means on renewable energy technology innovation, the study first divides the development of renewable energy policies in China into five different stages based on the temporal logic of policy evolution: initial exploration, slow development, rapid growth, mature development, and optimization and improvement; Then, based on the 678 policy texts issued by China between 1995 and 2023, a quantitative analysis of word frequency, co word, and semantic network graph was conducted using three different renewable energy policy tools: command and control, market incentive, and public participation; Furthermore, in order to verify the effectiveness of Porter’s hypothesis in the field of renewable energy policies, the impact of heterogeneous policy tools on renewable energy technology innovation was analyzed. Research has found that: there are differences in the frequency of use of different policy tools at the overall level. The proportion of command and control policy tools is as high as 69. 25% , with target planning accounting for 17. 65% , regulation accounting for 16. 71% , and technical specifications accounting for 17. 51% . This indicates that in promoting the development of renewable energy in China, command and control policies are the main approach, with a preference for using target planning policy tools to provide direction for the development of renewable energy; Simultaneously emphasizing the technological development of the renewable energy industry, promoting technological innovation and progress in renewable energy through the formulation of technical standards and specifications related to renewable energy, certification and testing of renewable energy equipment, and other means; The proportion of market incentive policy tools used is 22. 73% , of which subsidies account for 11. 76% , with the highest frequency of use. The government reduces the cost of renewable energy generation by setting up a special fund for the development of renewable energy and providing subsidies for renewable energy projects; Public participation policy tools account for only 7. 75% , of which publicity and training account for 4. 68% . The government raises people’s awareness of renewable energy through publicity activities such as energy-saving weeks and knowledge lectures. However, there are currently deficiencies in the country’s efforts and methods of promoting renewable energy. Information disclosure accounts for only 2. 14% , and the government’s disclosure of renewable energy related information enables the public to understand and participate in the development of renewable energy. Currently, there are deficiencies in the methods and content of information disclosure; There are significant differences in the use of policy tools at different stages of renewable energy development. In the mature development stage, target planning, technical specifications, and regulatory policy tools are most commonly used. Compared to the rapid growth stage, industry supervision and financial support have been strengthened. In the stage of optimization and improvement, policy tools such as technical specifications, goal planning, regulation, and supervision are used more frequently, while policy tools for information disclosure and demonstration construction are used more frequently; Different types of policy tools have heterogeneous impact effects on renewable energy technology innovation through different means. Command and control policy tools use methods such as goal planning, technical specifications, and regulatory and punitive supervision; Market incentive policy tools include subsidies, demonstration construction, financial support, and tax incentives; Public participation policy tools have different impact effects on renewable energy technology innovation through methods such as information disclosure and voluntary subscription. Finally, it is concluded that there is a need to strengthen market incentive and public participation policy tools, increase investment in renewable energy technology innovation, and continue to improve the frequency of use of policy tools such as green finance support and tax incentives.

DOI

10.16315/j.stm.2024.04.001

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