IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v275y2023ics0360544223007983.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Regional trends and socioeconomic drivers of energy-related water use in China from 2007 to 2017

Author

Listed:
  • Cai, Beiming
  • Jiang, Ling
  • Liu, Yu
  • Wang, Feng
  • Zhang, Wei
  • Yan, Xu
  • Ge, Zhenzi

Abstract

Most studies have calculated the water use of energy sectors in China based on data on a specific year or life cycle assessment and lacked the impact of energy trade between regions on regional water use for different time periods. The uneven distribution of water resources and energy causes assessments should be more comprehensive at the time scale. In this study, we calculate both the production- and consumption-based regional water use of energy sectors from 2007 to 2017, and explore the driving forces behind the changes in water use. We find that the water use of energy sectors showed a decreasing trend during this period, and that the reduction in water use intensity made the largest contribution to this change. The direction of virtual water flows related to energy trade did not show a consistent trend from 2007 to 2017, and for some provinces, the role of exporters and importers varied during the study period. Although the water use of energy sectors has already decreased, policy-makers from both the water and energy sectors should still consider the possible water pressure caused by energy production and consumption in the future, especially under the possible rapid regional economic development in China.

Suggested Citation

  • Cai, Beiming & Jiang, Ling & Liu, Yu & Wang, Feng & Zhang, Wei & Yan, Xu & Ge, Zhenzi, 2023. "Regional trends and socioeconomic drivers of energy-related water use in China from 2007 to 2017," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 275(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:275:y:2023:i:c:s0360544223007983
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2023.127404
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544223007983
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2023.127404?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. Zhang, Xiaodong & Vesselinov, Velimir V., 2016. "Energy-water nexus: Balancing the tradeoffs between two-level decision makers," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 77-87.
    2. Arjen Y. Hoekstra, 2017. "Water Footprint Assessment: Evolvement of a New Research Field," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 31(10), pages 3061-3081, August.
    3. Malin Falkenmark & Jan Lundqvist & Carl Widstrand, 1989. "Macro‐scale water scarcity requires micro‐scale approaches," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 13(4), pages 258-267, November.
    4. Duan, Cuncun & Chen, Bin, 2017. "Energy–water nexus of international energy trade of China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 725-734.
    5. Zhu Liu & Dabo Guan & Wei Wei & Steven J. Davis & Philippe Ciais & Jin Bai & Shushi Peng & Qiang Zhang & Klaus Hubacek & Gregg Marland & Robert J. Andres & Douglas Crawford-Brown & Jintai Lin & Hongya, 2015. "Reduced carbon emission estimates from fossil fuel combustion and cement production in China," Nature, Nature, vol. 524(7565), pages 335-338, August.
    6. Peters, Glen P., 2008. "From production-based to consumption-based national emission inventories," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 13-23, March.
    7. Liao, Xiawei & Zhao, Xu & Hall, Jim W. & Guan, Dabo, 2018. "Categorising virtual water transfers through China’s electric power sector," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 252-260.
    8. Sarah C. Davis & Derek Kauneckis & Natalie A. Kruse & Kimberley E. Miller & Michael Zimmer & Geoffrey D. Dabelko, 2016. "Closing the loop: integrative systems management of waste in food, energy, and water systems," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 6(1), pages 11-24, March.
    9. Guo, Ruipeng & Zhu, Xiaojie & Chen, Bin & Yue, Yunli, 2016. "Ecological network analysis of the virtual water network within China’s electric power system during 2007–2012," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 110-121.
    10. Zhifu Mi & Jing Meng & Dabo Guan & Yuli Shan & Malin Song & Yi-Ming Wei & Zhu Liu & Klaus Hubacek, 2017. "Chinese CO2 emission flows have reversed since the global financial crisis," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-10, December.
    11. Erik Dietzenbacher & Bart Los, 1998. "Structural Decomposition Techniques: Sense and Sensitivity," Economic Systems Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(4), pages 307-324.
    12. Ali, Yousaf, 2017. "Carbon, water and land use accounting: Consumption vs production perspectives," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 921-934.
    13. Chao Zhang & Lijin Zhong & Jiao Wang, 2018. "Decoupling between water use and thermoelectric power generation growth in China," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 3(9), pages 792-799, September.
    14. Zhang, Chao & Zhong, Lijin & Liang, Sai & Sanders, Kelly T. & Wang, Jiao & Xu, Ming, 2017. "Virtual scarce water embodied in inter-provincial electricity transmission in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 438-448.
    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. Liu, Yitong & Chen, Bin & Wei, Wendong & Shao, Ling & Li, Zhi & Jiang, Weizhong & Chen, Guoqian, 2020. "Global water use associated with energy supply, demand and international trade of China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 257(C).
    2. Li, Jia Shuo & Zhou, H.W. & Meng, Jing & Yang, Q. & Chen, B. & Zhang, Y.Y., 2018. "Carbon emissions and their drivers for a typical urban economy from multiple perspectives: A case analysis for Beijing city," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 1076-1086.
    3. Xuebing Yao & Xu Tang & Arash Farnoosh & Cuiyang Feng, 2021. "Quantifying virtual water scarcity risk transfers of energy system in China," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 23(4), pages 945-969, October.
    4. Zhang, Kai & Zhang, Yiyi & Xi, Shan & Liu, Jiefeng & Li, Jiashuo & Hou, Shengren & Chen, Bin, 2022. "Multi-objective optimization of energy-water nexus from spatial resource reallocation perspective in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 314(C).
    5. Zhang, Haoran & Li, Ruixiong & Cai, Xingrui & Zheng, Chaoyue & Liu, Laibao & Liu, Maodian & Zhang, Qianru & Lin, Huiming & Chen, Long & Wang, Xuejun, 2022. "Do electricity flows hamper regional economic–environmental equity?," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 326(C).
    6. Yiyi Zhang & Shengren Hou & Jiefeng Liu & Hanbo Zheng & Jiaqi Wang & Chaohai Zhang, 2020. "Evolution of Virtual Water Transfers in China’s Provincial Grids and Its Driving Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-19, January.
    7. Zhou, Dequn & Zhou, Xiaoyong & Xu, Qing & Wu, Fei & Wang, Qunwei & Zha, Donglan, 2018. "Regional embodied carbon emissions and their transfer characteristics in China," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 180-193.
    8. Jin, Yi & Behrens, Paul & Tukker, Arnold & Scherer, Laura, 2021. "The energy-water nexus of China’s interprovincial and seasonal electric power transmission," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 286(C).
    9. Mi, Zhifu & Zheng, Jiali & Meng, Jing & Zheng, Heran & Li, Xian & Coffman, D'Maris & Woltjer, Johan & Wang, Shouyang & Guan, Dabo, 2019. "Carbon emissions of cities from a consumption-based perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C), pages 509-518.
    10. Li, Jianglong & Sun, Shiqiang & Sharma, Disha & Ho, Mun Sing & Liu, Hongxun, 2023. "Tracking the drivers of global greenhouse gas emissions with spillover effects in the post-financial crisis era," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    11. Logan, Lauren H. & Stillwell, Ashlynn S., 2018. "Probabilistic assessment of aquatic species risk from thermoelectric power plant effluent: Incorporating biology into the energy-water nexus," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 434-450.
    12. Wang, Jie & Xiong, Yiling & Tian, Xin & Liu, Shangwei & Li, Jiashuo & Tanikawa, Hiroki, 2018. "Stagnating CO2 emissions with in-depth socioeconomic transition in Beijing," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 1714-1725.
    13. Jin, Yi & Behrens, Paul & Tukker, Arnold & Scherer, Laura, 2019. "Water use of electricity technologies: A global meta-analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    14. Hou, Juan-Juan & Wang, Zhen & Zhang, Jiu-Tian & Yu, Shi-Wei & Liu, Lan-Cui, 2022. "Revealing energy and water hidden in Chinese regional critical carbon supply chains," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    15. Hang Lei & Xin Zhang & Xinyi Han, 2023. "Exploring Virtual Water Network Dynamics of China’s Electricity Trade: Insights into the Energy–Water Nexus," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-21, November.
    16. Zhang, Yiyi & Fang, Jiake & Wang, Saige & Yao, Huilu, 2020. "Energy-water nexus in electricity trade network: A case study of interprovincial electricity trade in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 257(C).
    17. Wang, Like & Fan, Yee Van & Jiang, Peng & Varbanov, Petar Sabev & Klemeš, Jiří Jaromír, 2021. "Virtual water and CO2 emission footprints embodied in power trade: EU-27," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    18. Rui Huang & Klaus Hubacek & Kuishuang Feng & Xiaojie Li & Chao Zhang, 2018. "Re-Examining Embodied SO 2 and CO 2 Emissions in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-17, May.
    19. Zhang, Yiyi & Wang, Jiaqi & Zhang, Linmei & Liu, Jiefeng & Zheng, Hanbo & Fang, Jiake & Hou, Shengren & Chen, Shaoqing, 2020. "Optimization of China’s electric power sector targeting water stress and carbon emissions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 271(C).
    20. Yan, Xia & Jie, Wu & Minjun, Shi & Shouyang, Wang & Zhuoying, Zhang, 2022. "China's regional imbalance in electricity demand, power and water pricing - From the perspective of electricity-related virtual water transmission," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 257(C).

    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:energy:v:275:y:2023:i:c:s0360544223007983. 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.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    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.