Mechanisms and Pathways of the Digital Economy to Resolve the Triple Energy Dilemma

In the context of the deep integration of global energy transition and the digital economy, it is crucial to leverage digital innovation to address the trilemma of energy security, equity, and sustainability. Based on the panel data from 276 Chinese cities from 2008 to 2023, this study constructs models of dynamic panel and mediation effect, employing the system GMM method to empirically examine the internal mechanisms through which the digital economy influences the energy trilemma. The findings reveal that: the digital economy has a significant and sustained ameliorating effect on the energy trilemma; its impact exhibits a notable"Matthew effect", with more pronounced benefits in cities with a stronger foundation for energy transition; the pathways of influence display stage-specific characteristics—technology innovation dominates in robust cities, presenting that "technology-industry" dual-driven dynamics emerge in advanced cities, while industrial structure upgrading plays the primary role in potential cities; the digital economy operates through a trinity transmission mechanism of "technology-structure-capital", mediated by technological innovation, industrial restructuring, and capital infusion. This research deepens the understanding of how the digital economy enables energy transition, and provides theoretical and empirical support for formulating differentiated policies and promoting the deep integration of the digital economy with energy systems.