How Does China’s Digital Economy Affect Green Total Factor Energy Efficiency in the Context of Sustainable Development?

In the context of sustainable development, breaking free from resource endowment constraints and promoting energy transformation are long-term goals of concern. The digital economy empowers the development of the energy industry and provides a feasible path for improving energy efficiency. This article selects interprovincial panel data from China to analyze the direct and indirect impacts of China’s digital economy on green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE), as well as spatial spillover effects. Based on the calculation of green total factor energy efficiency, static and dynamic panel models are used to analyze the direct impact of the digital economy on green total factor energy efficiency through index decomposition and threshold models, as well as the indirect impact of digital economy technology effects on it. The research results indicate that the direct impact of the digital economy on GTFEE exhibits a positive U-shaped effect. Indirect impact analysis shows that technological innovation has a significant dual threshold effect on the variables of green total factor energy technology efficiency index and green total factor energy technology progress index. Further analysis using the spatial Durbin model shows that the digital economy has nonlinear spatial spillover effects on GTFEE, with regional heterogeneity and resource endowment differences. Studying the impact of digital economy development on green all-factor energy efficiency is of great practical significance in order to propose suggestions for promoting green and sustainable development.