Spatial Differences and Influencing Factors of Energy Poverty: Evidence From Provinces in China

The complex and severe problem of energy poverty seriously affects the health and quality of life of residents and poses a significant challenge to the country's macroeconomic development. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the spatial distribution of energy poverty and the characteristics of regional differences in 30 provinces in mainland China from 2008 to 2019 by constructing an energy poverty evaluation index system and explore the main reasons for the gap between energy poverty regions in China from the perspective of "relational data." The results show that the spatial distribution of energy poverty in China is "high in the west and central area and low in the east," and the spatial pattern is relatively stable. From the perspective of the time dimension, the problem of energy poverty in China has been alleviated during the sample period, and the overall gap in energy poverty has shown a decreasing trend. The difference in energy poverty between regions is the primary source of the overall gap, but its contribution is gradually decreasing. The empirical results suggest that reducing the imbalance of industrial structure, energy price, and energy investment among regions can effectively narrow the inter-regional energy poverty gap. Moreover, there are differences in the dominant factors that determine the difference in energy poverty within the eastern, central, and western regions. In this regard, it is recommended to further improve the relevant policies in developing new energy sources according to local conditions, reasonably increasing energy construction investment, strengthening technological innovation, establishing financial guarantee mechanisms, and guiding residents to consume modern, clean energy.