Structural change and carbon emission of rural household energy consumption in Huantai, northern China

Huantai, a typical high-yielding agricultural county in the northern developed region of China and as a microcosm of China's rural area, is chosen as a case study to analyze the structural change and carbon (C) emission of rural household energy consumption. During the last 30 years, the per capita consumption and emission increased from 329kg standard coal equivalent (kg ce) and 783.6 kg CO2 to 638.4kg ce and 1582.5kg CO2, with the average annual growth rates of 3.2% and 3.5%, respectively. Among four activities (lighting, cooking, heating, and recreation), cooking and heating account for >70–95% at different times, and recreation is the fastest-growing activity. The current annual growth rates for recreational consumption and emission are 133.3% and 115.5%, respectively. In the context of energy structure, the proportion of nonrenewable energy increased from 15.7% in 1980 to 87.7% in 2009. Increase in income and changes in lifestyle are the two key factors affecting energy consumption and C emission. And this trend is endangering the sustainable development of rural areas and further China's development. Thus, it is necessary to develop new renewable energy strategy and explore new low-C developing mode both for local and central governments. At the level of Huantai county, appropriate strategies include improving use-efficiency of straw, developing large and medium-sized biogas digester, and harvesting solar energy. At the level of central government, developing biomass, rural biogas industry and solar energy have large potentials. It is necessary to continue to promote energy-saving stoves and small energy facilities, such as small wind power and hydropower stations in rural areas. But how to realize high-speed development and low-C emission in the process of urbanization is a major challenge in China at present and in the future.