Abstract: The fundamental way for developing low-carbon economy is low-carbon technology innovation. However, as the main participators of technology innovation, the enterprises need to strengthen their motivations of low-carbon technology innovation. In order to improve the applicability of the environmental and energy policies, there is a demand for further understanding the real situation about their motivations of low-carbon technology innovation. Firstly, a motivation framework which puts forward some possible sources of motivation based on the theory review is developed, and then a questionnaire survey involving a development area of Zhejiang Province is conducted. Secondly, the distribution characteristics of the motivations based on a parallel comparison between the survey outcomes both in Zhejiang Province and Shanghai City conducted at the same time are probed into, and the evaluative characteristics based on a fore-and-aft comparison between the new surveys and the survey conducted by Xu et al in 1994 are investigated. Finally, the theoretical implications are concluded and some relative suggestions for the policies are proposed.

Key words: low-carbon, technology innovation, motivation, manufacturing industry