Efficiency and Influencing Factors of Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction in High-Energy-Consuming Industries Driven by Technological Innovation

High-energy-consuming industries (HECI) are the main sectors of energy consumption and carbon emissions. Technological innovation (TI) driving the energy conservation and emission reduction (ECER) of HECI is critical to achieving carbon neutrality. Using a system theory perspective, this study decomposed the system of ECER of HECI driven by TI into two stages, TI and ECER. Based on panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2015-2020, the network weighted stochastic block model (WSBM) and panel Tobit models were used to measure the efficiency of ECER of HECI driven by TI; the spatial and temporal differences and influencing factors were analyzed. The overall efficiency exhibited a V-shaped pattern of falling, then rising. From a regional perspective, the Northeast region shows a breakthrough growth from a low point to a high point. The East, Central and West regions show similar trends to the national overall, with the total efficiency of the East slightly higher than the West and a lower total efficiency in the Central region. In terms of two-stage efficiency, the efficiency of the ECER stage was higher than that of the TI stage. The rationalization level of industrial structure, green finance development level, and investment in education were the main forces enabling TI to drive the efficiency improvement of ECER in HECI.