Energy flows embodied in China's interregional trade: Case study of Hebei Province

Abstract

The energy consumed by regions in China may have a huge gap after considering “embodied” energy due to interregional trade, and therefore impact the proposal of energy conservation. The aim of this research is to differentiate the effects from direct and indirect flows, which comprise embodied energy consumption, at provincial and sectoral scales through introducing the theory of interdependence of organisms from ecology. In this paper, Hebei province in China has been selected as a case study. Based on national multiregional input-output tables from 2002, 2007, and 2012, as well as energy input data, “direct energy flows” and “embodied energy” were used to investigate the energy consumption between Hebei and 29 other provinces. The results showed that the direct flows and embodied energy consumption of Hebei province increased and then decreased from 2002 to 2012. Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, and Jilin provinces were providers with to Hebei Province through both direct flows and embodied consumption. On the supply side, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Guangdong were the top three provinces receiving the most from Hebei. By sector, direct flows and embodied consumption related to industrial activity were dominant. This research identified the energy unitization characteristics within one province, and meanwhile shed light on the actors of different provinces due to interregional trade.