city and county levels energy consumption

The data of city-and-county-level energy consumption and energy efficiency provided in this study are valuable with practical applications in the field of energy economics, management, and policy, including the following: First, the provided data have the characteristics of wide spatial coverage and long time span. This unique panel-structured dataset can be used to observe the trajectories and spatial differences of energy consumption and energy efficiency on a micro-level than at national and provincial levels. Therefore, it can also be used to analyze the factors driving the changes and spatial differences of energy consumption and energy efficiency in cities and counties. Second, the panel-structured dataset of energy consumption and energy efficiency can be used to match other economic data at the city and county levels, and studies such as the economic effects of energy consumption, the environmental and social effects of energy consumption, and the coupling relationship between energy efficiency and economic development may be conducted. Third, the development of energy consumption and energy efficiency data at the city and county levels can not only contribute to the energy management at China’s grassroot-level governments, such as in the formulation and implementation of road maps for energy transformation and energy efficiency improvement, but also provide a basis for the central and provincial governments to allocate the energy rights of cities and counties under the constraints of “carbon peak” and “carbon-neutral” targets. Fourth, the development of energy consumption and energy efficiency data at city and county levels could provide a more accurate assessment of the impact of the central government’s energy saving, emission reduction, and low-carbon green policies, as well as other socioeconomic policies, for example, assessment of the impact of the “central heating,” “coal to electricity,” low-carbon pilot city, and carbon emission trading right pilot policies on energy consumption and energy efficiency. Fifth, the method of retrieving micro-level energy consumption data by using satellite night-light data can also provide a reference for other developing countries and regions with limited energy statistics to evaluate their energy consumption and energy efficiency at the sub-national level.<br>