Scenario Simulation and Efficiency Study of Hydropower Development to Promote Regional Sustainable Development: An Empirical Analysis of a Province in Southwestern China

Guofa Li, Pu Zhang, Weize Wang () and Meng Gao
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Guofa Li: School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Pu Zhang: China South-to-North Water Diversion Corporation Limited, Beijing 100071, China
Weize Wang: School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Meng Gao: Changjiang Spatial Information Technology Engineering Co., Ltd., Wuhan 430010, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 19, 1-13

Abstract: Hydropower is a significant component of China’s contemporary energy framework, with its construction and operation critically contributing to the advancement of sustainable development in the region. However, the influence of hydropower development on regional sustainable development is not evident, and the course of its effect is not clear. In this work, on the basis of assessing the effect of hydropower development on regional sustainable development, a system dynamics (SD) simulation model was created, and 15 distinct development modes were set and tested. The relative driving efficiency of hydropower growth on sustainable development in a province in Southwest China under several scenarios was assessed using the super-efficiency-slacks-based measurement (Super-SBM), and an efficiency analysis was undertaken. The study’s findings demonstrate that: (1) Hydropower development had a complex driving influence on sustainable development in the province in 2015–2022. (2) The relative driving efficiency of the province over the study period exhibited a changing pattern and was at a high level greater than 0.7. (3) New hydropower investment and hydropower generation are the major factors impacting the relative driving efficiency of hydropower development on regional sustainable development in the province. The study’s findings provide a platform and reference for supporting regional sustainable development through hydropower development.

Keywords: hydropower development; sustainable development; system dynamics; Super-SBM (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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