Energy-Saving Bias in Green Technology Innovation A Spatial and Temporal Analysis of manufacturing in China

This study presents an in-depth analysis of the energy-saving bias in green technology innovation across 30 provinces in manufacturing from 2011 to 2021, utilizing a novel Malmquist-Luenberger multidimensional decomposition index based on the directional distance function. The research reveals that green innovation, characterized predominantly by energy conservation, plays a pivotal role in driving China's green total factor productivity. The impetus for innovation in energy saving is found to surpass that of emission reduction in manufacturing enterprises. Energy-saving biased green technology innovation, originating in economically advanced provinces, has gradually expanded to the northern region, and it encompassed the majority of provinces in China. This type of innovation serves as the primary driver of regional green innovation. The study also identifies a conspicuous spatial aggregation effect of energy-saving biased green technology innovation, linked intrinsically to the degree of industrial aggregation and the spatial correlation effect of innovation.