Economic Evaluation of Optical Fiber Composite Low-Voltage Cable Technology Application in China: An Input-Output Analysis

OPLC (optical fiber composite low-voltage cable) technology is a common field of communication and power electronics technology, and it is an important means to realizing the energy Internet and the integration of four networks. As an infrastructure sharing technology, OPLC technology will fundamentally and substantially promote the sustainable development of China’s economy and environment. Taking typical OPLC projects in China as an example, the direct energy consumption of these projects is calculated by the life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis method and then compared with traditional projects that use only power technology or optical fiber. Based on the direct consumption of the project, the interaction between the intermediate sector and the total output variable under the traditional technology and OPLC technology was explored and compared by using the input-output (I-O) model and the structural decomposition model (SDA). The results showed that in 2015, technology substitution weakened the influence of 86% of industries on the upstream industry and weakened the demand sensitivity of 90% of industries to the downstream industry. In 2017, technology substitution reduced the industry’s influence over 86% of upstream industries. Short-term technology replacement will not increase the positive influence of each industry on the upstream industry, thus resulting in a negative impact of technology substitution cost. However, that negative impact will gradually weaken over time. After technology replacement, the total added value of 20 industries increased from 2015 to 2017.