Experts call for bigger role of biomass in power sector to boost green development

As a global powerhouse of biomass energy, China is poised to see rapid development in the sector with a pressing need to diversify utilization, experts said.

Biomass, often considered a clean energy source, refers to types of biological material, such as wood, crop residues, agricultural and forestry wastes, and animal manure, that can be used as fuel or processed into other forms of energy.

With versatile applications such as heating, electricity generation and fuel production, and benefits brought by its natural carbon-neutral characteristics and ability to stably generate power, biomass energy is seen as a crucial component of China's new energy system, said Ren Dongming, vice-chairman of the China Biogas Society, during the 4th Global Biomass Energy Innovation and Development Summit Forum on Monday.

"China's biomass development will usher in broader development prospects as the country ramps up renewables' development to reach its de-carbonization goals," said Cheng Huiqiang, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission, at the forum.

Cheng said that China, as a populous country and an agricultural giant, has an annual biomass source reserve of over 3.5 billion metric tons from farming and urban waste. Although nearly 500 million tons of the resources can be transformed into energy for use, there is still vast room for development in China's biomass industry compared to the huge demand for low-carbon energy and the requirements for carbon reduction. Therefore, diversified utilization needs to be vigorously promoted in the future.

A report released by the Biomass Energy Industry Promotion Association (BEIPA) at the forum predicted that by 2030, the installed capacity of biomass energy in China will reach around 50 million kilowatts, and the areas whose heating is provided by biomass energy will reach 1 billion square meters.

It is estimated that more than 760 million tons of organic waste will be treated to generate biomass energy, substituting more than 130 million tons of coal and driving investment of nearly 610 billion yuan ($88.69 billion) in upstream, midstream and downstream sectors, and offering over 420,000 employment opportunities.

In recent years, China has revved up biomass development as part of its concerted efforts to promote new energy development to meet its green goals.

According to the National Energy Administration, in the past year, newly installed capacity of biomass power generation reached 3.34 million kW. By the end of 2022, total installed capacity of biomass power generation was 41 million kW.

A report on in-en.com, an energy information website, showed that from 2012 to 2022, grid-connected installed capacity of biomass energy in China increased more than fourfold.

Last year, the power generated from biomass reached 182.4 billion kilowatt-hours, up 11 percent year-on-year, according to BEIPA.

That amount of annual power generation can provide green electricity for approximately 200 million residents, according to estimates by in-en.com.

Wang Dapeng, deputy head of the new energy and renewable energy department at the NEA, said that efforts should be made to encourage the diversified utilization of biomass energy in different regions and integrate it with distributed photovoltaics, decentralized wind power and new energy storage.

Wang said as a globally recognized renewable energy with "zero carbon" attributes, biomass energy has broad prospects and great potential for future development.

He said it is important to explore feasible paths for achieving a high proportion of locally produced and locally consumed renewable energy at the county level, promote the role of biomass energy in achieving China's green targets, advance the energy revolution and support rural revitalization.

The BEIPA report pointed out that although currently there are over 400 biomass energy-related industry standards, a majority of them are at local levels and more efforts are expected to form national industry standards for the sector's sustainable development.

Li Gao, an official with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said the ministry will further promote high-quality development of the biomass energy industry through efforts like creating a favorable policy environment and actively guiding climate-related investment to increase support for biomass projects.