Abstract
Special Economic Zones (SEZs), an important engine of industrial economic development in China, consume large amounts of energy resources and emit considerable CO2. However, existing research pays little attention to industrial energy usage in SEZs and ignores the heterogeneity of administrative hierarchy and regional location. Considering the dual heterogeneity, this study proposes an improved two-dimension and two-level meta-frontier data envelopment analytical model to decompose the industrial electricity efficiency (IEE) and electricity-saving potential of SEZs in Guizhou Province, China, based on 4-year field survey data (2016–2019). Results show that the IEE rankings of three administrative hierarchies within SEZs are provincial administration SEZs, county administration SEZs, and municipality administration SEZs. The SEZs located in energy resource-rich areas and better ecological environmental areas have higher IEE than those in resource-poor areas and ecology fragile areas, respectively. This study can provide reference for policymakers to formulate effective policies for improving the electricity use efficiency of SEZs in China.
Highlights
Global warming caused by the continuous rise of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has become an increasingly important issue to the international community [1,2]
This study aims to propose an improved two-dimension and twolevel meta-frontier data envelopment analytical (DEA) model to measure and decompose industrial electricity efficiency (IEE) and electricity-saving potential (IEP) of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) from the perspective of dual heterogeneity based on the data collected from a 4-year field survey
The Guizhou SEZs (G-SEZs)’ IEE has always been stable, which has been above 33% in the past 4 years
Summary
Global warming caused by the continuous rise of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has become an increasingly important issue to the international community [1,2]. One of the world’s largest carbon emitter, emitted 105.59 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2019, of which the industrial sector accounted for 38.92% due to the substantial amount of energy consumption [3,4]. The industrial sector is the driving force behind the reduction of energy consumption and carbon emissions in China [5,6]. In response to global warming, China committed that carbon dioxide emissions will peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, which will pose a severe challenge to industrial development and energy use. Special Economic Zones (SEZs), the important carrier of industrial economic development, are playing an extremely important role in China’s economic development [7,8]. The Special Economic Zones have become the important engine driving the local industrial development and economic growth
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