Forest Biomass for Energy Production: Perceptions of State Forestry Professionals from China and India

Pradipta Halder

doi:10.3390/challe5020338

Abstract

This study investigated perceptions of a group of Chinese and Indian state forestry professionals (SFPs) related to the potential benefits and challenges of developing forest-based bioenergy projects (FBPs) in their countries. A total of 110 SFPs participated in the study (55 from each country). The results showed that the SFPs widely agreed upon the potential economic and ecological benefits from developing FBPs in their countries. The economic benefits of job creation and additional income to forest departments were the two most accepted benefits by the SFPs. Two potential challenges of developing FBPs—namely, the lack of suitable technologies and the absence of supportive policies—were considered the most significant by the SFPs. Principal component analysis revealed three key dimensions (ecological, economic and social) of the SFPs’ perceptions of FBPs. The findings from the study imply that in order to become viable, the development of FBPs in these two countries must put emphasis on the sustainability aspects by addressing the environmental, economic and societal elements of FBPs. In addition, framing supportive policies, the development of technologies and building infrastructure for FBPs are needed for their successful implementation in China and India.

Highlights

A study by Dwivedi and Alavalapati [18] explored perceptions of representatives from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), industry, government and academia related to forest-based bioenergy development in the U.S The study found that the NGOs perceived forest-based bioenergy development as an important opportunity for rural development, and government officials perceived bioenergy to be important for addressing energy security in the U.S This study revealed that the representatives from academia perceived solar and wind power as the major threats to the development of bioenergy projects, whereas the industrial representatives perceived the lack of advanced technology as a major weakness for forest-based bioenergy development in the U.S
Perceptions of the Chinese and Indian state forestry professionals (SFPs) related to the potential benefits from developing forest-based bioenergy projects (FBPs) in their countries are presented in Table 1 from the pooled data
About 62% of the SFPs agreed that biomass harvesting from forests for energy production could improve the health of forests in their countries; a statistically significant difference (t (97) = 3.42, p < 0.01) appeared between the respondents in the two countries, and the effect size was moderate (Cohen’s d = 0.66)

Summary

Introduction

China has made significant progress in investing in renewable energy technologies. The country is one of the leading countries in the world in terms of investing in renewable energy technologies, which amounted to an estimated USD 52 billion in 2011 [2]. India has made a notable stride in RE investment, mostly driven by the National Solar Mission, which amounted to an estimated USD 12 billion in 2011, and the country was among the fastest growing renewable energy markets in the world [2]. A large disparity is apparent between the two countries when it comes to their populations’ access to modern energy services, as well as dependency on bioenergy.

Methods

Results

Conclusion