Biomass growing as viable energy source
Leftovers from dinner table, farm waste converted into actual power
Do kitchen leftovers and pet droppings always belong in the garbage? Surprisingly, such organic waste may soon be an important energy source to heat your home or power your car.
Organic matter such as vegetable scraps, wood and animal waste is classified as biomass, and it can be used as an energy source to produce electricity or heat through burning, bacterial decay, fermentation or conversion to gas or liquid fuel.
The development of biomass energy is being fast-tracked in China, where it is becoming a focus for investment as the country steps up efforts to produce clean energy and cut reliance on fossil fuels under the country's green commitments.
Use of biomass to produce electric energy during the first half of this year was the equivalent of 78 billion kilowatt-hours, an amount 26.6 percent higher than in the same period last year, according to the National Energy Administration. Kilowatt-hours represent the amount of energy used, measured by hours.
Accumulated power generated by biomass reached a rate of 33.19 million kilowatts during the first half of this year, with Shandong, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces topping the list. Kilowatts represent the rate of power produced.
China's newly installed capacity for biomass power generation reached 3.67 million kW during the first six months of the year, with Hebei, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Sichuan and Henan provinces having the greatest capacities, the administration said.
Zhang Jianhua, head of the NEA, said the country's rural areas have abundant sources of renewable energy, including wind, solar and biomass, and should further tap the potential for cleaner energy to help the government achieve the goal of hitting a carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060.
Last year, China vowed to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060.
During this year's two sessions, the annual meeting of the nation's top legislative and political advisory bodies, China reiterated its strong commitment to green power. The country stated its plans to reduce energy consumption per unit of GDP by 13.5 percent and carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 18 percent during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25).
Zhang Dayong, secretary-general of the Biomass Energy Industry Promotion Association, said China's green goals provide considerable opportunities for growth of clean sources of energy like biomass.
As a carbon-neutral fuel, biomass releases the same amount of carbon into the atmosphere when burned as it absorbed during the biomass sources' life cycle, Zhang said. "If equipped with carbon capture and storage technology, the process of turning biomass into energy can achieve negative emissions," he added.
Zhang said developing biomass energy is beneficial to the environment and China's energy structure in several ways. "Compared with other clean energy sources, biomass materials are widely available and easy to access. In addition, development of biomass fuels can reduce reliance on fossil fuels and reduce waste in landfills," he said.
A recent report by the biomass association says the current annual production of biomass in China is about 3.49 billion metric tons, which can potentially produce the energy equivalent of about 460 million tons of coal, but with far fewer emissions. It predicts that with the industry's rapid development, China's annual production of biomass will reach nearly 3.8 billion tons by 2030 and over 5.3 billion tons by 2060.
The report says that despite plentiful biomass material in China, only a small portion is turned into energy, and the share of biomass in the energy picture remains relatively low compared with other renewable energy sources.
"Now, only about 5 percent of organic waste is turned into energy and insufficient collection of waste is an important reason behind the low processing rate," Zhang said.
Major sources of biomass in China include waste from agriculture, forestry, industries, animal manure and sewage, and municipal solid waste.
While the largest contributing sources are estimated to be residues from annual crop production like wheat straw, much of the straw and stalks are presently used for cooking and heating in rural households at low efficiencies, according to BioEnergy Consult, an international consulting service provider based in Aligarh, India, in the waste-to-energy sector.
Therefore, agricultural and forestry residues along with garden waste were found to be the most cited resources for energy production in China, it said.
The majority of biomass capacity is in eastern China, with Shandong province accounting for 14 percent of the total.
Given that the cost of transportation and storage of farm waste is still relatively high, many farmers would rather burn straw and crop waste for heating at home, or haul agricultural residues directly to landfills, than selling them to power plants to produce energy, said Lin Boqiang, head of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University in Fujian province.
"In addition, the efficiency of biomass power generation is still relatively low, which means there's far less electricity generated from biomass than from the same amount of fossil fuels, making the energy source a less favorable choice for power generators," Lin added.
A report by BioEnergy Consult said even though biomass' share of energy production remains relatively low compared with other sources of renewable energy, it has been developing at a rapid pace. It will take on an increasingly significant role in China's energy mix with plans to increase the proportion of biomass to 15 percent of the total renewal energy sector and the total installed capacity of biomass power generation to 30 gigawatts by 2030.
It suggests that future research specific to technology assessment, in addition to data collection and supply chain management of potential resources, is necessary to continue to understand how biomass can become a game-changer in China's energy future.
Zhang said efforts are also needed to set up a unified industry standard in terms of emissions when burning biomass, a mechanism of biomass collection, storage and transportation, and regulations for biomass fuel processing factories, which are currently lacking in the industry and thus hindering its development.
"Supportive policies, like offering subsidies to both power generators and farmers who sell straw and crops for bioenergy generation, are also needed from the government for the industry's development in its current phase," Lin said.
This year, a total of 2.5 billion yuan ($388.8 million) in the government subsidies were offered to businesses in the biomass industry, up 66.7 percent year-on-year. Experts said it sends a strong signal that the government has stepped up efforts to promote the industry's development.
An analyst at the Sinopec Economics and Development Research Institute said that as part of the government's ongoing efforts to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, the newly announced biomass development plan illustrates China's determination to further boost the high-quality development of the biomass power sector during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.
"The government's plans to boost the biomass energy sector will further tap the potential… especially in China's rural areas, which have abundant biomass energy, and provide strong support for biomass power generation," said Luo Zuoxian, head of intelligence and research at the institute.
The NEA has called for support from local governments for biomass energy projects, with heating being a priority, to fully take advantage of the large amount of raw materials like crops and animal waste.
"Heating in rural areas with cleaner sources will contribute significantly to the country's carbon dioxide reduction," said Luo.
To build a new electrical power system, it's necessary to step up power generation from renewables including wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, nuclear and biomass, Luo added.
Provinces like Jilin, Shandong and Guangdong are increasing efforts to support the industry's development. In Shandong, an agriculture production hub, government officials plan to apply for subsidies for 50 biomass power generation projects, with installed capacity reaching 832.75 megawatts.
China's major oil companies have been stepping up forays into the biomass sector, including China National Petroleum Corp, China Petroleum& Chemical Corp and China National Offshore Oil Corp, all of whom have outlined biomass initiatives in order to help achieve carbon neutrality and increase their installed clean-energy power capacity.
A report by the Biomass Energy Industry Promotion Association estimates that the industry will see investment of about 1.2 trillion yuan from various sources from 2021 to 2025, which could help it handle about 350 million tons of organic waste and offer job opportunities for around 1 million people.
"More business opportunities will be observed as both the government and companies accelerate efforts to turn trash to treasure. Biomass energy will play an increasingly important role in China's transition toward cleaner energy," Zhang said.
Organic matter such as vegetable scraps, wood and animal waste is classified as biomass, and it can be used as an energy source to produce electricity or heat through burning, bacterial decay, fermentation or conversion to gas or liquid fuel.
The development of biomass energy is being fast-tracked in China, where it is becoming a focus for investment as the country steps up efforts to produce clean energy and cut reliance on fossil fuels under the country's green commitments.
Use of biomass to produce electric energy during the first half of this year was the equivalent of 78 billion kilowatt-hours, an amount 26.6 percent higher than in the same period last year, according to the National Energy Administration. Kilowatt-hours represent the amount of energy used, measured by hours.
Accumulated power generated by biomass reached a rate of 33.19 million kilowatts during the first half of this year, with Shandong, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces topping the list. Kilowatts represent the rate of power produced.
China's newly installed capacity for biomass power generation reached 3.67 million kW during the first six months of the year, with Hebei, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Sichuan and Henan provinces having the greatest capacities, the administration said.
Zhang Jianhua, head of the NEA, said the country's rural areas have abundant sources of renewable energy, including wind, solar and biomass, and should further tap the potential for cleaner energy to help the government achieve the goal of hitting a carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060.
Last year, China vowed to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060.
During this year's two sessions, the annual meeting of the nation's top legislative and political advisory bodies, China reiterated its strong commitment to green power. The country stated its plans to reduce energy consumption per unit of GDP by 13.5 percent and carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 18 percent during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25).
Zhang Dayong, secretary-general of the Biomass Energy Industry Promotion Association, said China's green goals provide considerable opportunities for growth of clean sources of energy like biomass.
As a carbon-neutral fuel, biomass releases the same amount of carbon into the atmosphere when burned as it absorbed during the biomass sources' life cycle, Zhang said. "If equipped with carbon capture and storage technology, the process of turning biomass into energy can achieve negative emissions," he added.
Zhang said developing biomass energy is beneficial to the environment and China's energy structure in several ways. "Compared with other clean energy sources, biomass materials are widely available and easy to access. In addition, development of biomass fuels can reduce reliance on fossil fuels and reduce waste in landfills," he said.
A recent report by the biomass association says the current annual production of biomass in China is about 3.49 billion metric tons, which can potentially produce the energy equivalent of about 460 million tons of coal, but with far fewer emissions. It predicts that with the industry's rapid development, China's annual production of biomass will reach nearly 3.8 billion tons by 2030 and over 5.3 billion tons by 2060.
The report says that despite plentiful biomass material in China, only a small portion is turned into energy, and the share of biomass in the energy picture remains relatively low compared with other renewable energy sources.
"Now, only about 5 percent of organic waste is turned into energy and insufficient collection of waste is an important reason behind the low processing rate," Zhang said.
Major sources of biomass in China include waste from agriculture, forestry, industries, animal manure and sewage, and municipal solid waste.
While the largest contributing sources are estimated to be residues from annual crop production like wheat straw, much of the straw and stalks are presently used for cooking and heating in rural households at low efficiencies, according to BioEnergy Consult, an international consulting service provider based in Aligarh, India, in the waste-to-energy sector.
Therefore, agricultural and forestry residues along with garden waste were found to be the most cited resources for energy production in China, it said.
The majority of biomass capacity is in eastern China, with Shandong province accounting for 14 percent of the total.
Given that the cost of transportation and storage of farm waste is still relatively high, many farmers would rather burn straw and crop waste for heating at home, or haul agricultural residues directly to landfills, than selling them to power plants to produce energy, said Lin Boqiang, head of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University in Fujian province.
"In addition, the efficiency of biomass power generation is still relatively low, which means there's far less electricity generated from biomass than from the same amount of fossil fuels, making the energy source a less favorable choice for power generators," Lin added.
A report by BioEnergy Consult said even though biomass' share of energy production remains relatively low compared with other sources of renewable energy, it has been developing at a rapid pace. It will take on an increasingly significant role in China's energy mix with plans to increase the proportion of biomass to 15 percent of the total renewal energy sector and the total installed capacity of biomass power generation to 30 gigawatts by 2030.
It suggests that future research specific to technology assessment, in addition to data collection and supply chain management of potential resources, is necessary to continue to understand how biomass can become a game-changer in China's energy future.
Zhang said efforts are also needed to set up a unified industry standard in terms of emissions when burning biomass, a mechanism of biomass collection, storage and transportation, and regulations for biomass fuel processing factories, which are currently lacking in the industry and thus hindering its development.
"Supportive policies, like offering subsidies to both power generators and farmers who sell straw and crops for bioenergy generation, are also needed from the government for the industry's development in its current phase," Lin said.
This year, a total of 2.5 billion yuan ($388.8 million) in the government subsidies were offered to businesses in the biomass industry, up 66.7 percent year-on-year. Experts said it sends a strong signal that the government has stepped up efforts to promote the industry's development.
An analyst at the Sinopec Economics and Development Research Institute said that as part of the government's ongoing efforts to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, the newly announced biomass development plan illustrates China's determination to further boost the high-quality development of the biomass power sector during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.
"The government's plans to boost the biomass energy sector will further tap the potential… especially in China's rural areas, which have abundant biomass energy, and provide strong support for biomass power generation," said Luo Zuoxian, head of intelligence and research at the institute.
The NEA has called for support from local governments for biomass energy projects, with heating being a priority, to fully take advantage of the large amount of raw materials like crops and animal waste.
"Heating in rural areas with cleaner sources will contribute significantly to the country's carbon dioxide reduction," said Luo.
To build a new electrical power system, it's necessary to step up power generation from renewables including wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, nuclear and biomass, Luo added.
Provinces like Jilin, Shandong and Guangdong are increasing efforts to support the industry's development. In Shandong, an agriculture production hub, government officials plan to apply for subsidies for 50 biomass power generation projects, with installed capacity reaching 832.75 megawatts.
China's major oil companies have been stepping up forays into the biomass sector, including China National Petroleum Corp, China Petroleum& Chemical Corp and China National Offshore Oil Corp, all of whom have outlined biomass initiatives in order to help achieve carbon neutrality and increase their installed clean-energy power capacity.
A report by the Biomass Energy Industry Promotion Association estimates that the industry will see investment of about 1.2 trillion yuan from various sources from 2021 to 2025, which could help it handle about 350 million tons of organic waste and offer job opportunities for around 1 million people.
"More business opportunities will be observed as both the government and companies accelerate efforts to turn trash to treasure. Biomass energy will play an increasingly important role in China's transition toward cleaner energy," Zhang said.
