IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v84y2015icp142-154.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Regional energy efficiency, carbon emission performance and technology gaps in China: A meta-frontier non-radial directional distance function analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Yao, Xin
  • Zhou, Hongchen
  • Zhang, Aizhen
  • Li, Aijun

Abstract

At present, China is the largest primary energy consumer and carbon emitter in the world. Meantime, China is a large transitional economy with significant regional gaps. Against such backgrounds, the calculated results of energy and carbon performance indicators may be biased, without considering heterogeneity across regions. To this end, after incorporating region-heterogeneity, this paper provides detailed information, regarding energy efficiency, carbon emission performance and the potential of carbon emission reductions from regional perspectives, which may be important and useful for policy makers. Our main findings are as follows. Firstly, there is significant group-heterogeneity across regions in China, in terms of energy efficiency and carbon emission performance. Secondly, there are no considerable differences between total-factor and single-factor performance indices, since there is limited substitutability between energy inputs and other production inputs. Finally, significant carbon emission reductions can be made by “catching up” for regions with low energy efficiency and carbon emission performance. Looking ahead, the Chinese government should adopt measures to promote improvements in terms of energy efficiency and carbon emission performance in the short term.

Suggested Citation

  • Yao, Xin & Zhou, Hongchen & Zhang, Aizhen & Li, Aijun, 2015. "Regional energy efficiency, carbon emission performance and technology gaps in China: A meta-frontier non-radial directional distance function analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 142-154.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:84:y:2015:i:c:p:142-154
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2015.05.001
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030142151500186X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2015.05.001?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chen, Anping & Groenewold, Nicolaas, 2010. "Reducing regional disparities in China: An evaluation of alternative policies," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 189-198, June.
    2. Li, Zheng & Pan, Lingying & Fu, Feng & Liu, Pei & Ma, Linwei & Amorelli, Angelo, 2014. "China's regional disparities in energy consumption: An input–output analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 426-438.
    3. Du, Kerui & Lu, Huang & Yu, Kun, 2014. "Sources of the potential CO2 emission reduction in China: A nonparametric metafrontier approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 491-501.
    4. Färe, Rolf & Grosskopf, Shawna & Pasurka, Carl A., 2007. "Environmental production functions and environmental directional distance functions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(7), pages 1055-1066.
    5. Li, Aijun & Zhang, Aizhen, 2012. "Will carbon motivated border tax adjustments function as a threat?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 81-90.
    6. Zhang, Ning & Zhou, P. & Choi, Yongrok, 2013. "Energy efficiency, CO2 emission performance and technology gaps in fossil fuel electricity generation in Korea: A meta-frontier non-radial directional distance functionanalysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 653-662.
    7. Song, Malin & Zhang, Jie & Wang, Shuhong, 2015. "Review of the network environmental efficiencies of listed petroleum enterprises in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 65-71.
    8. Riccardi, R. & Oggioni, G. & Toninelli, R., 2012. "Efficiency analysis of world cement industry in presence of undesirable output: Application of data envelopment analysis and directional distance function," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 140-152.
    9. George E. Battese & D. S. Prasada Rao, 2002. "Technology Gap, Efficiency, and a Stochastic Metafrontier Function," International Journal of Business and Economics, School of Management Development, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan, vol. 1(2), pages 87-93, August.
    10. Wang, Ke & Wei, Yi-Ming, 2014. "China’s regional industrial energy efficiency and carbon emissions abatement costs," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 617-631.
    11. Wang, Zhaohua & Feng, Chao & Zhang, Bin, 2014. "An empirical analysis of China's energy efficiency from both static and dynamic perspectives," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 322-330.
    12. Fukuyama, Hirofumi & Weber, William L., 2009. "A directional slacks-based measure of technical inefficiency," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 43(4), pages 274-287, December.
    13. Lin, Boqiang & Du, Kerui, 2013. "Technology gap and China's regional energy efficiency: A parametric metafrontier approach," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 529-536.
    14. Lin, Boqiang & Li, Aijun, 2011. "Impacts of carbon motivated border tax adjustments on competitiveness across regions in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 5111-5118.
    15. Whalley, John & Zhang, Shunming, 2007. "A numerical simulation analysis of (Hukou) labour mobility restrictions in China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(2), pages 392-410, July.
    16. Hu, Baiding, 2014. "Measuring plant level energy efficiency in China's energy sector in the presence of allocative inefficiency," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 130-144.
    17. Zhou, P. & Ang, B.W. & Wang, H., 2012. "Energy and CO2 emission performance in electricity generation: A non-radial directional distance function approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 221(3), pages 625-635.
    18. Chen, Anping & Groenewold, Nicolaas, 2013. "Does investment allocation affect the inter-regional output gap in China? A time-series investigation," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 197-206.
    19. Oggioni, G. & Riccardi, R. & Toninelli, R., 2011. "Eco-efficiency of the world cement industry: A data envelopment analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 2842-2854, May.
    20. Charnes, A. & Cooper, W. W. & Rhodes, E., 1978. "Measuring the efficiency of decision making units," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 2(6), pages 429-444, November.
    21. Sheng, Yu & Shi, Xunpeng & Zhang, Dandan, 2014. "Economic growth, regional disparities and energy demand in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 31-39.
    22. Barros, Carlos Pestana & Managi, Shunsuke & Matousek, Roman, 2012. "The technical efficiency of the Japanese banks: Non-radial directional performance measurement with undesirable output," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 1-8, January.
    23. Bian, Yiwen & He, Ping & Xu, Hao, 2013. "Estimation of potential energy saving and carbon dioxide emission reduction in China based on an extended non-radial DEA approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 962-971.
    24. Christopher O’Donnell & D. Rao & George Battese, 2008. "Metafrontier frameworks for the study of firm-level efficiencies and technology ratios," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 34(2), pages 231-255, March.
    25. Kim, Kyunam & Kim, Yeonbae, 2012. "International comparison of industrial CO2 emission trends and the energy efficiency paradox utilizing production-based decomposition," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 1724-1741.
    26. Chiu, Ching-Ren & Liou, Je-Liang & Wu, Pei-Ing & Fang, Chen-Ling, 2012. "Decomposition of the environmental inefficiency of the meta-frontier with undesirable output," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 1392-1399.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Na Wang & Yongrok Choi, 2019. "Comparative Analysis of the Energy and CO 2 Emissions Performance and Technology Gaps in the Agglomerated Cities of China and South Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-25, January.
    2. Feng, Chao & Zhang, Hua & Huang, Jian-Bai, 2017. "The approach to realizing the potential of emissions reduction in China: An implication from data envelopment analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 859-872.
    3. Ying Li & Yung-Ho Chiu & Liang Chun Lu, 2018. "Regional Energy, CO 2 , and Economic and Air Quality Index Performances in China: A Meta-Frontier Approach," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-20, August.
    4. Xiangyu Teng & Danting Lu & Yung-ho Chiu, 2019. "Emission Reduction and Energy Performance Improvement with Different Regional Treatment Intensity in China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-18, January.
    5. Kounetas, Konstantinos & Zervopoulos, Panagiotis D., 2019. "A cross-country evaluation of environmental performance: Is there a convergence-divergence pattern in technology gaps?," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 273(3), pages 1136-1148.
    6. Sueyoshi, Toshiyuki & Yuan, Yan & Goto, Mika, 2017. "A literature study for DEA applied to energy and environment," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 104-124.
    7. Kounetas, Kostas & Zervopoulos, Panagiotis, 2017. "Annex I and non-Annex I countries’productive performance revisited using a generalized directional distance function under a metafrontier framework: Is there any convergence-divergence pattern for tec," MPRA Paper 80904, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Cheng, Zhonghua & Li, Lianshui & Liu, Jun & Zhang, Huiming, 2018. "Total-factor carbon emission efficiency of China's provincial industrial sector and its dynamic evolution," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 330-339.
    9. Long, Xingle & Wu, Chao & Zhang, Jijian & Zhang, Jing, 2018. "Environmental efficiency for 192 thermal power plants in the Yangtze River Delta considering heterogeneity: A metafrontier directional slacks-based measure approach," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 3962-3971.
    10. Wang, Qunwei & Su, Bin & Sun, Jiasen & Zhou, Peng & Zhou, Dequn, 2015. "Measurement and decomposition of energy-saving and emissions reduction performance in Chinese cities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 85-92.
    11. Zhang, Ning & Zhou, P. & Choi, Yongrok, 2013. "Energy efficiency, CO2 emission performance and technology gaps in fossil fuel electricity generation in Korea: A meta-frontier non-radial directional distance functionanalysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 653-662.
    12. Wang, Qunwei & Chiu, Yung-Ho & Chiu, Ching-Ren, 2017. "Non-radial metafrontier approach to identify carbon emission performance and intensity," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 664-672.
    13. Du, Kerui & Lu, Huang & Yu, Kun, 2014. "Sources of the potential CO2 emission reduction in China: A nonparametric metafrontier approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 491-501.
    14. Zhang, Ning & Zhao, Yu & Wang, Na, 2022. "Is China's energy policy effective for power plants? Evidence from the 12th Five-Year Plan energy saving targets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    15. Lin, Boqiang & Du, Kerui, 2015. "Energy and CO2 emissions performance in China's regional economies: Do market-oriented reforms matter?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 113-124.
    16. Feng, Chao & Wang, Miao, 2018. "Analysis of energy efficiency in China's transportation sector," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 565-575.
    17. Zhang, Ning & Wang, Bing & Chen, Zhongfei, 2016. "Carbon emissions reductions and technology gaps in the world's factory, 1990–2012," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 28-37.
    18. Li, Ke & Lin, Boqiang, 2015. "Metafroniter energy efficiency with CO2 emissions and its convergence analysis for China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 230-241.
    19. Lin, Boqiang & Sai, Rockson, 2022. "Towards low carbon economy: Performance of electricity generation and emission reduction potential in Africa," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 251(C).
    20. Wang, Qunwei & Su, Bin & Zhou, Peng & Chiu, Ching-Ren, 2016. "Measuring total-factor CO2 emission performance and technology gaps using a non-radial directional distance function: A modified approach," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 475-482.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:84:y:2015:i:c:p:142-154. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.