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As a new economic paradigm, the digital economy is critical to economic growth and environmental protection. This paper empirically explores the impact of the digital economy on regional energy consumption intensity in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region from 2010 to 2018. It is found that the digital economy has a significant inhibitory effect on regional energy consumption intensity. This effect remains valid even after passing the endogeneity and robustness tests. The paper confirms that technological innovation is the primary means by which the digital economy affects energy consumption intensity. The analysis of spatial spillover effects shows that the digital economy promotes the improvement of energy consumption intensity in surrounding areas through technology spillover effects. A heterogeneity analysis demonstrates that the technology spillover effect has a significant inhibitory effect on the energy consumption intensity of the surrounding areas for economically developed cities. Currently, the digital economy is a significant driver for enhancing productivity and quality. The integration and application of digital technologies have enabled technological innovation in the real economy, effectively reducing regional energy consumption.
Duan et al. (Tue,) studied this question.