Sustainable Performance Analysis of Power Supply Chain System from the Perspective of Technology and Management

• Main Authors: Feihua Huang, Yue Du, Debao Hu, Bin Zhang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: power supply chain system; sustainability; internal subsystem; technology
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/11/5972

The power industry is an important strategic industry that has effectively advanced the rapid development of China’s economy. However, this rapid development has created significant environmental problems and does not support the sustainable development of the ecological environment and economy. This study evaluated and analyzed the sustainable performance of China’s inter-provincial power supply chain systems (PSCSs), and developed policy recommendations for further developing China’s power industry based on the research results. For PSCSs with internal subsystems, this study first developed a non-radial two-stage model, and proposed steps to solve the model; then, this study applied the proposed model to empirically analyze China’s inter-provincial PSCSs. The empirical analysis yielded the following key research findings. Firstly, for the study period, China’s power industry had a low overall performance, and PSCS performance varied significantly across different regions. Secondly, the average meta-frontier efficiency (ME) of PSCSs in high-income regions was the highest; the average ME of PSCSs in middle-income regions was the lowest. This is consistent with the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis. Thirdly, this study found that the PSCSs had effective management and technical systems in Qinghai and Guangdong. The PSCSs in other regions need improvements to mitigate either inadequate management, inadequate technology, or both.