Heterogenous impacts of components in urban energy metabolism: evidences from gravity model

The undergoing rapid urbanization is bringing dramatic economic development and social improvement for cities, but also a series of problems associated with the urban energy metabolism, which hinders the transition toward a carbon–neutral society. Optimizing the energy metabolic processes has been one of the key solutions to cure the metropolis disease that are caused by the enormous energy throughputs in urban areas. This paper highlights the heterogeneity of components in urban energy metabolic system and evaluates the related impacts on urban energy metabolism based on gravity model. Using the data from Beijing’s 17 sectors during 2005 ~ 2018, in combination with the “de-coalification” and “non-capital function dispersal” policies in Beijing, this paper testifies that each sector has different impacts on Beijing’s energy metabolism and conducted the scenario analysis based on Beijing’s recent supply and demand side control policies. It is found that the supply control policies are losing the effectiveness on Beijing’s energy metabolism, and may even cause energy shortage up to 0.09 mtce; the demand-control policies can reduce the total energy consumptions up to 1.44 mtce, and improve the energy metabolic processes in the manufacture and education sectors, but will increase the energy consumption in the transportation and wholesale trade sectors. The method proposed in this paper expands the analytical framework for the optimization of urban energy metabolic system, and the results provide suggestions for the policy making of urban carbon–neutral transition.