Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/250383 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
ZEW Discussion Papers No. 21-105
Publisher: 
ZEW - Leibniz-Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung, Mannheim
Abstract: 
Although information and communication technologies (ICT) consume energy themselves, they are considered to have the potential to reduce overall energy intensity within economic sectors. While previous empirical evidence is based on aggregated data, this is the first large-scale empirical study on the relationship between ICT and energy intensity at the firm level. For this purpose, we employ administrative panel data on 28,600 manufacturing firms from German Statistical Offices collected between 2009 and 2017. Our results confirm a statistically significant and robust negative link between software capital as an indicator for the firm-level degree of digitalization and energy intensity, but the effect size is rather small. Hence, we conclude that energy intensity reductions related to the use of digital technologies are lower than expected.
Subjects: 
ICT
Firm-level panel data
Energy intensity improvements
JEL: 
D22
D24
L60
O12
O14
O33
Q40
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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