Regional disparities and dynamic evolution of energy efficiency distribution: Evidence from 2052 Chinese counties

Based on the SBM-DEA method, this study calculated the energy efficiency of county areas in China and examined the regional differences and dynamic distribution evolution. The research found that the energy efficiency of Chinese counties shows an overall increasing trend and maintains a relatively stable spatial pattern. Both the overall differences and intra-regional differences in energy efficiency are significantly decreasing. As of 2020, the regional gap in energy efficiency from high to low is in the order of eastern, western, and central regions, with super-density being the main source of regional disparity in energy efficiency. There is a significant multi-level differentiation trend in the spatial distribution of energy efficiency in Chinese counties, and local agglomeration phenomena exist. In the absence of considering geographical spatial effects, there is a “club convergence” phenomenon in the energy efficiency of Chinese counties, and as the energy efficiency of neighboring areas improves, the probability of maintaining a stable level of energy efficiency in low-energy cities decreases. This study expands the research sample to the county level and investigates the regional differences and dynamic distribution evolution of energy efficiency in Chinese counties, providing a relatively comprehensive display of the spatial distribution of energy efficiency, which is relatively rare in existing research. Therefore, in the stage of high-quality development, accelerating the improvement of energy efficiency, narrowing the development differences in regional energy, and building a modern energy system is of great significance for achieving the “dual-carbon” goal and China's modernization.