Spatialization of electricity consumption of China using saturation-corrected DMSP-OLS data

Abstract

Electricity is one of the most important components in energy consumption, which is directly related to economic growth, CO2 emission and global warming. This research intends to estimate spatial distribution of electricity consumption in China, the largest developing country, and analyze the temporal and spatial change of electricity consumption during 1994–2009. The spatial modeling is based on the total electricity consumption of each province and DMSP (Defense Meteorological Satellite Program) – Operational Line-scan System (OLS) data, the latter provides the nighttime light information corresponding to electricity consumption, GDP and population. A simple method was developed to correct the saturated pixels with digital number of 63 in non-radiance-corrected DMSP-OLS data, using cities’ GDP data. The spatial electricity consumption maps were produced during 1994–2009, and they were validated by the electricity consumption records of 101 cities. Finally, the spatial–temporal changes of electricity consumption were analyzed. The results of this research can help to understand the regional discrepancy, especially rural and urban areas of China, of electricity consumption and economic development.