Coupling and Coordination Analysis of Thermal Power Carbon Emission Efficiency under the Background of Clean Energy Substitution

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

General review comments: This manuscript is well-written for coupling and coordination analysis of thermal power carbon emission efficiency under the background of clean energy.  However, it needs revision before publication. The reviews and comments are listed below.

Reviews and comments: 

• This study focuses on support of the “carbon peak and neutrality” goal proposed by China to comprehensively build a diversified, efficient, and clean energy system. However, there are no objectives nor the tasks followed by the goal was mentioned. It would support specifying the tasks and objectives (if available) of the “carbon peak and neutrality” goal.
• There is no description of Figure 1 at its first reference position on page 3, line 130. It would be supportive of including legends for arrow marks, as different arrow marks are used. Figure resolution/quality is low. Need to recreate with high visibility text.
• Is there an option to mark different colors in different process flow stages/phases, such as theoretical method, indicator analysis, empirical research, and inductive deduction?
• Need references on page 4, lines 136 and 137 in which the SFA method proposed by Meeusen, Vanden Broeck, and others in 1977 are mentioned. Reference is also needed on page 4, line 138, for technical inefficiency terms. Similarly, references are required for other mathematical expressions, models, or techniques that are not developed by the studies.
• Overall, the mathematical expression and symbols used in the text need format correction (not aligned); it would be done by journal editorial service after acceptance.
• The values presented in Tables (Table 1, 2, and 3) have different significant digits after point (.). Please specify/use the same most significant digits after the point.
• Table 4 presented the mean value of the Carbon Emission Efficiency for different district divisions. However, need to add the standard deviation (STD) with the mean values.
• Figure 2, the thermal power carbon emission efficiency trend needs to recreate with different marks and lines and should include the STD values/error bar, if available. It is recommended to have XY axis captions. For example, x-axis years.
• Figure 3 also needs to recreate with different marks and lines so that it can be differentiated in black and white printing. Again, it is recommended to add the STD values/error bar, if available. It is recommended to include XY axis captions.
• Need details of the solution methodology. Would you please mention what software/code/program is used in this study? Is it a commercial software/code used or an in-house developed program?
• Although the data availability section mentions all data, models, or codes that support the findings of this study are 488 available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. However, the corresponding email might be difficult to reach for many international researchers. It would be supportive of also including a generic (that can be accessible worldwide) or institutional email address if possible.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

This paper analysis the carbon emission efficiency in different regions with multi-factors. The results uncover the coupling relations among the factors, it is interesting and worthy of publishing. While, the writing is not so good, especially the language needs more polishing with a native English speaker.

1: too many Chinese English format expression, especially too many nouns using as adjunct.

P3, line 118, this paper first used …, figure 1, efficiency influencing factor index,

2：p6, line 171, why the importance is set as same for all the factors, is it true for the real case?

3: equation 14, the meaning of A and Z, how to relate these two factors with C,T,D?

4: equation 16, C has different meaning in previous text, so, here, using C again will cause confusing.

5: better to show the four regions in the table 3 with different colors  or backgrounds

6：introduction, many references were cited, while, the novelty of present paper should be strengthen, anyway, the methods are not new.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Prereview decision: major revisions

 

Summary Comment

I think that it is important research to conduct a stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) for each province in China and to analyze its efficiency of carbon emissions in thermal power generation from multiple indicators.

On the other hand, there are many shortages explanation in this study. In particular, the number of provinces (省) in China is listed as 30 in this paper, but there are 23. And, in the abstract you wrote that three indicators were used, while the main manuscript was written that seven indicators were used.

In addition, English manuscript was often ambiguous. Many sentences were difficult to understand how the analysis was carried out or what data was used for this analysis.

As there are so many parts that need to be corrected and checked, I think it is appropriate to resubmit after major revisions.

 

Comments of each part

・Abstract

You wrote 30 provinces, but there are only 23 provinces (省) in China. I think that this is included municipality and so on in Province, but this sentence is misleading. You need to revision this word.

Otherwise, the data of you used was inappropriate. Please change the words that you used appropriate sources data.

 

・Abstract

The main manuscript was written that seven indexes were used in the analysis, with six indexes had significance. However, the abstract was written that three indexes were used.

As the abstract and the main manuscript are different, so you would need to change explanation in the abstract or the main manuscript.

 

・Abstract

What is “Random interference items”? Is this error term?

 

・1.Introduction　ex. Line 51

You used the term of "all-factor". However, it is difficult to conduct an analysis that includes all the factors involved in the carbon emissions of thermal power generation. I think that “multi-factors” is the appropriate term based on this main manuscript.

 

・1.Introduction　ex. Line 58-59

You used the sentence of “Therefore, many scholars have used all-factor indicators to measure carbon emission efficiency.”. However, many of studies is used this type of sentence. I think that you would change “many scholars have used” to “many research had been used”

 

・1.Introduction

You had referenced many of previous studies. Please clarify what parts of this study should be referred to and what has not been done in these previous studies. And please more clearly explain why this method has been used.

 

・1.Introduction Figure.1

This study consisted of two methods, SFA and Coupling analysis. However, this figure is not clear by analysis processes. It is also not clear how they were integrated between two methods. Please improve the structure of this figure.

 

・1.Introduction Figure.1

Please increase the resolution of Figure.

 

・2.1 Stochastic frontier analysis formula (1)~(5)

Please write the refence of the SFA.

In formula (1), this formula of SFA is different from the generally one. The  in formula (1) is applied to only the error term.

And, it is not understood why formula (4) and (5) are needed from these formulas. Please add explanation or modify them.

All literal expressions in the formula should be explained; there is no explanation for  and .

 

・2.1 Stochastic frontier analysis Line.149

Please write the refence the paper by “Battese et.al”.

As there are other methods for estimating the production function, please explain why you used the translog production function in this study.

 

・2.2 Coupling and coordination analysis formula (7)-(9)

Please cite specific examples of the “traditional dual coordination model”. The content of formula (7)-(9) is not common knowledge for experts in the energy sector. Please add an explanation of what each formula represents.

 

・2.2 Coupling and coordination analysis formula (7)

The use of “C” in formula (7) is confusing with formula s (6) and (16). Please change the literal expression so that these differences are clear.

・2.2 Coupling and coordination analysis Line.161

What does “subsystem” correspond to in this study? I could not understand what is this term in the main manuscript.

 

・2.2 Coupling and coordination analysis formulas (14) and (15)

Have these methods such as formulas (14) and (15) been used in other studies? If so, please cite these references. It is not possible to determine whether a minimum value of 1% is sufficiently small to be ignored for the kind of this study.

Also, what was  used for another formulas? I don't see why it needs to be calculated because  is only used in these two equations.

 

・3.1 SFA input-output indictors Line.203

"2006 IPCC National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Guidelines" is referenced, but there is no reference number. Please include reference and number in the “Reference” part.

You had used coefficient values from 2006 data. Please explain why you had used this 15 years ago data. In addition, please describe the applied coefficients.

 

・3.1 SFA input-output indictors Line.212~213

You have listed eight different thermal energy sources, does the study use all of these in its consumption?

 

・3.2 Influencing factor index

Are the seven influence indexes explanation variables for the TE in formula (5)? Please add mathematical formulas what you are trying to evaluate from these seven influence indexes.

 

・3.2 Influencing factor index 2.Clean energy substitution effect

What is the definition of “clean energy” in this paper? Please add a explanation of definition as it is not possible to check it in this manuscript.

 

 

・3.2 Influencing factor index

7.Urbanization level→7.Urbanization level;

 

・3.2 Influencing factor index 7.Urbanization level

How do you define the “urbanization rate” used as an index in this study? As the definition of the “urbanization rate” was different by countries and analysis methods. Please explain the definition of this term in this study.

 

・4.1 Calculation of carbon emission efficiency of thermal power Line .280-281

Researchers focusing outside of China are not understood whether these statistics are official Chinese statistics or not. Please indicate the source of publication in the “Reference” part.

 

・4.1 Calculation of carbon emission efficiency of thermal power Line .283

Please explain what Frontier4.1 software is, as it is not used common software for this sector researchers. Also, since the software seems to be available in R, please describe the calculation environment in which you used it.

 

・4.1.1 Production function estimation Line.292-293

The explanation for the significance of Table 2 is given in the main manuscript, but this explanation should be included in the table.

 

・4.1.1 Production function estimation Table.2

You had determined  in formula (6) from results in Table 2, but what did you use for  to create the regression equation? I couldn’t confirm  data from this manuscript.

 

・4.1.2 Technical inefficiency estimate Line.317-318

The explanation for the significance of Table 3 is given in the main manuscript, but this explanation should be included in the table.

 

・４.1.2 Technical inefficiency estimate Table.3

Please round off any unnecessary decimal point values.

 

・4.1.3 Carbon emission efficiency analysis Line342-344

You wrote that “the 30 provinces in China are divided into eastern, northeastern, central, and western regions, which are represented by numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4.”. Which were these 4 groups defined by reference statistics or your analysis? As this notation cannot be found in Table 4, please change these likely to “E, N, C, W”.

 

・4.1.3 Carbon emission efficiency analysis Table.4 and Line.344-346

You wrote that the values in Table 4 were obtained from the translog type production function, but it is not clear from the manuscript how this value was obtained. Please add explanation how this value was calculated in the “2. Materials and Method” part.

 

・4.2 Coupling and coordination analysis Line.383

 (13)→(10)~(13)

 

・4.2 Coupling and coordination analysis

In order to calculate formulas (10)~(13) you must define . but please add explanation what the “subsystem” is in this study.

 

・4.2 Coupling and coordination analysis Figure.3

Please revise the diagram for describing y axis from 0. Also, if you want to illustrate the numerical changes in each region, it is better to use a line graph rather than a bar graph.

 

・4.2 Coupling and coordination analysis Table.5

The content of Table 5 is a classification rule and should be described by “2. Materials and Method” part.

 

・4.2 Coupling and coordination analysis Line.404-405

You say “According to the above division rules, the coupling coordination level of each province can be obtained every two years.”. However, I could not understand why you could say it from your manuscript. Please add explanation of this results for more clearly

 

・4.2 Coupling and coordination analysis Figure.4

Please increase the resolution of Figure.

 

・Manuscripts

The expression is unclear and makes it difficult to understand the analysis and research. The manuscript needs to be restructured for more easily understood and the English expression needs to be improved.

 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

after this revision, it can be accepted for publication. 

Author Response

The paper has been further revised based on the reviewers’ comments and the manuscript has been polished.

Reviewer 3 Report

Prereview decision: major revisions

 

Summary Comment

We could confirm that the paper has been improved. However, there are still some parts which need to be added explanation and improved.

Especially, one of the formulas are wrong. Also, there is a lack of explanation when trying to these two methods by using similar data. Then, please improve your paper once more.

In addition, please make clear in improved parts, e.g. in red text, and do not use the “Office Word” function of save proceeding record.

 

Comments of each part

・Figure.1 [Important]

The content of this figure does not seem to match the content of Sections.2 and 3. Please change the diagram or manuscripts so that it matches the Figure Structure.

 

・2.1 Stochastic frontier analysis  formula(1)

If we transform both sides of this equation (1) by “ln” function, we get equation (6). Therefore,  is a vector including ,  and  and  is the correct formula. Please change it.

 

・2.2 Coupling and coordination analysis Line. 198-199 [Important]

"influencing factors" do you mean the “Influencing factor index” in section 3.2? From the description in Figure 1, theses index should be determined based on the results of the SFA. Please explain what exactly this term refers to and how it is determined, corresponding to Figure 1.

 

・2.2 Coupling and coordination analysis Line.201 [Important]

You wrote , but from Figure 1, you should have determined “Weight” from the SFA results. So this sentence is not necessary, please describe how you determine the “Weight”.

 

・3.2 Influencing factor index Line.317

What is the "urban population"? Is it the CBD population? This term is also not clearly defined, so please add an explanation.

 

 

・4.1.1 Data source and processing Line.326-358

This content is part of the methodology, please move to Section.2 or Section.3.

 

・Manuscripts [Important]

The expression is unclear and makes it difficult to understand the analysis and research. The manuscript needs to be restructured for more easily understood and the English expression needs to be improved.

 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Please refer to the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 3

Reviewer 3 Report

We could confirm that the paper has been improved. I think that this paper is worthy of discussion.

Please delete the correction record. And, please check the English text before submit it.