Water and Energy Conservation across Provinces and Sectors in China: Based on a Complex Network Perspective

Abstract

Previous studies on the water–energy nexus mainly focused on the calculation and comparison of resource consumption at the national or regional level, lacking interprovincial sector-sector transfer analysis. In this study, the intensity of water and energy consumption of various sectors in China was calculated, the key nodes and paths of resource networks were identified, and countermeasures for resource conservation were proposed from the new perspective of the “dual saving” and “bidirectional saving” of water and energy. The results showed that the metallurgical industry (Me) in Jiangsu and the chemical industry (Ch) in Hebei and Jiangsu had high node strength in the water and energy network and were key sectors in China with “dual saving” effects of water and energy. The construction industry, Ch, Me in Jiangsu, electricity and hot water production and supply industry in Beijing, and Me in Hebei had high node strength in the water-related energy network and energy-related water network, significantly supporting the “bidirectional saving” effect of water and energy in China. The electrical equipment industry (El) in Jiangsu → El in Zhejiang, El in Zhejiang → El in Shanghai frequently appeared in key paths, which could effectively reduce the resource consumption of the entire network.