An analysis of Chinese energy efficiency by the provincial Panel data

It is extremely important in a low-carbon economic society to evaluate the energy efficiency of regions correctly. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is an important method of evaluating efficiency, but the method requires that decision-making units must have the same external environment. In order to measure the energy efficiency under different time conditions, a nonparametric method for evaluating energy efficiency by the Panel data of energy indicators is given in this paper. Then we provide a corresponding mathematical model (M-DEA) for measuring energy efficiency. Finally, the energy efficiency index of 30 Chinese provinces from 1998 to 2007 is calculated by using this model, and a comprehensive analysis is given according to the calculated results. The application shows that M-DEA method not only has the advantages of traditional DEA, but also the reference set is more stable compared with traditional DEA model. Therefore, the efficiency index and corresponding suggestion is more realistic.