Differentiation Of Rural Household Energy Use In Typical Transect Along Beiluo River

Owning to the vast area and great diversities in natural and economic conditions of China's rural areas, varied energy consumption characteristics showed in different man-land relationship. It is significant to study the differentiation of rural household energy use for understanding the energy use orientation accurately, improving rural energy structure and promoting sustainable development of energy use. Taking the Beiluo River transect, the branch of Weihe River, as the study area, this research collected the basic data through household questionnaire investigation, along with the government departments' related data, statistical data in the yearbook, remote sensing image data etc, and analysed differences of rural household energy use based on the perspective of region and household. The Contribution Rate method and the Multinomial Logistic model are respectively used to identify influential factors of regional differentiation and household differentiation of energy use. The results are as follows:(1) At regional level, ? Household energy use of six types of areas which separated based on the terrain and production activities present respective characteristics. Firewood and coal are the dominate energy in the aeolian sandy land, loess hilly and gully area and apple-planting area which energy use are similar; for a change, the aeolian sandy land plant salix mongolica, the loess hilly and gully collect hard wood and the apple-planting area use tree branch due to regional resource difference. Differentiation in the rest of the three regions are clear, the coal mining area gives priority to coal consumption, the energy structure in the suburb plain area is diversified since commercial energy are dominate, firewood is the main energy in the Qinling piedmont. ? Regional differentiation of energy use is influenced by several factors, which include regional geographic features such as terrain, climate, land utilization and social-economic conditions such as economic status, resource endowment, population characteristics; moreover, mode of agricultural production, energy use habits and policy orientation also affect energy use. ? As regional fundamental factor, on the one hand, geographic features influence household energy use directly, on the other hand, energy use indirectly effected by social-economic conditions that develop under regional geographic environment. Regional peculiar factor such as energy use habits and policy orientation also have direct influence.(2) At household level, ? Energy use conditions of five types of peasant households which separated based on the energy use structure in accordance with the evolution process of energy ladder and situate respectively in five steps, form low to high successively are biomass energy dominate household, commercial energy with low quality and biomass energy complementary consumption, commercial energy with low quality dominate household, commercial energy with high quality and low quality and biomass energy complementary consumption, commercial energy with high quality and low quality dominate household. ? Household differentiation of energy use is influenced synthetically by family characteristics, income structure and resource endowment. Cultivated area and educational background are the basic influence factors. Peasant household that use commercial energy with low quality and biomass energy compared to peasants on higher steps, income structure plays a key effect, which determine energy use whether develop to higher level, and compared to peasants on lower steps, family characteristics and resource endowment have obvious influence, so the economic status is main gap between low steps and high steps. ? Family characteristics, income structure, resource endowment work together and affect the energy use habits, purchasing power and energy procurability, which influence household differentiation of energy use ultimately.(3)From perspective of regional level, in addition to the suburb plain area with diverse energy use, all types of areas are too single to utilize sustainably, household energy use easily subject to impact and threat when once the dominant energy is destitute; from perspective of household level, energy use level still low although traditional biomass energy has been weakened, economic level become a limiting factor to restrict current energy grows. In order to optimize energy use structure and promote sustainable development of rural energy, the corresponding suggestions are put forward in this paper: government and managers should earn out classified guidance of energy use according to local conditions and different households, and should not apply it mechanically; education and publicity about energy use should be strengthened to promote low carbon consumption.