Bioenergy Development In China Research Articles

Bioenergy versus Soil Improvement: Policy Coherence and Implementation Gaps in Crop Residue-Based Bioenergy Development in China

Promoting crop residue-based bioenergy (CRB) is a strategy for mitigating climate change and ensuring water-energy-food security. Although China has abundant crop residues, CRB is not well developed, and several policy targets are not being reached. These implementation gaps need critical examination as CRB development mainly relies on policy support. This examination provides a framework to assess the feasibility of this policy that covers several cross-cutting issues. By reviewing national policies, this paper analyzes the horizontal coherence of multisectoral CRB policies during the last two decades. Based on 55 semi-structured interviews, conducted with stakeholders, civil servants and experts, we analyzed the vertical coherence among policy implementation to further explore the causes of the limited success of CRB policies. The priority given to the cultivation and livestock sectors (particularly for soil improvement) in crop residue utilization policies and the development of energy policy targets resulted in horizontal policy incoherence. Furthermore, financial limitations were shown to be the most significant obstacle to CRB policy implementation. Successful CRB policy implementation requires a debate about the crop residue utilization for either energy or fertilizer to determine the more sustainable application. Appropriate incentives and increased technological quality of bioenergy projects are also recommended.

Development Status and the Biomass Energy Policies in China

In the past decades, China has adopted a wide variety of policies to stimulate bioenergy development, playing a more significant role in China’s energy structure. However, bioenergy development in China is still at an early stage and lags far behind other foreign countries. This study is aimed to explore the reasons behind this sluggish development from a policy perspective. Bioenergy development potential and provincial geographic distribution were investigated in China, which shows that the total technical bioenergy potential was about 0.85 GtCE in China in 2015. After analyzing the calculated allocation flow of bioenergy, it can be drawn that biomass power generation accounts for the highest proportion of bioenergy applications. A three-dimensional policy analysis framework is put forward to analyze the selected representative 72 pieces of biomass policies. It is concluded that there are some unbalanced policy problems, such as lacking demand policies in the biomass power generation industry and few applications of voluntary policies.

Spatiotemporal Changes in Crop Residues with Potential for Bioenergy Use in China from 1990 to 2010

China has abundant crop residues (CRE) that could be used for bioenergy. The spatiotemporal characteristics of bioenergy production are crucial for high-efficiency use and appropriate management of bioenergy enterprises. In this study, statistical and remote-sensing data on crop yield in China were used to estimate CRE and to analyze its spatiotemporal changes between 1990 and 2010. In 2010, China’s CRE was estimated to be approximately 133.24 Mt, and it was abundant in North and Northeast China, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and South China; CRE was scarce on the Loess and Qinghai–Tibet Plateaus. The quantity of CRE increased clearly over the 20-year analysis period, mainly from an increase in residues produced on dry land. Changes in cultivated land use clearly influenced the changes in CRE. The expansion of cultivated land, which mainly occurred in Northeast and Northwest China, increased CRE by 5.18 Mt. The loss of cultivated land, which occurred primarily in North China and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, reduced CRE by 3.55 Mt. Additionally, the interconversion of paddy fields and dry land, which occurred mostly in Northeast China, increased CRE by 0.78 Mt. The findings of this article provide important information for policy makers in formulating plans and policies for crop-residue-based bioenergy development in China, and also for commercial ventures in deciding on locations and production schedules for generation of bioenergy.

Will the development of bioenergy in China create a food security problem? Modeling with fuel ethanol as an example

Abstract This paper uses fuel ethanol from corn as an example to establish a theoretical model and framework to explore possible impacts of developing bioenergy on food security in China under short run and long run dynamic equilibriums with import supplements. From the three aspects including “fighting for food with people”, “fighting for land with food”, and international trade safety, the conditions that create food safety problems are discussed. In a closed economy, when the decrease in direct or indirect demand for corn caused by corn price rise is larger than the demand increase due to income increase, or when corn demand increase caused by fuel ethanol price rise is larger than the corn demand decrease caused by the decrease in government price subsidy for fuel ethanol, food security problem will appear. Food security problem can be solved by implementing trade policy when a stable import source is available. Otherwise the subsidies, substitutes, technology, etc. should be used to increase the rate of self-supply. Moreover, considering the status quo of corn market, the paper puts forward a set of policies of income and price subsidy, substitutes, and trade and technology to solve the problems.

Social climate of forest bioenergy development in China among forestry stakeholders

With industrialization and urbanization, energy security has become an increasingly pressing global issue. This situation is arguably one of the most challenging problems facing China. In order to not only continue its economic development, but also adopt a bioeconomy, energy efficiency needs to be improved and the use of renewable energy, such as forest bioenergy, increased. In China forest bioenergy has been developed through policy incentives as well as through the development of related technology. However, public acceptance of forest bioenergy might be one of the key obstacles to its development. Therefore, understanding and, if needed, improving the public acceptance of forest bioenergy is vital. Forestry stakeholders play key operating and managerial roles in the development of forest bioenergy. Their perspectives influence the progress of the production, the orientation of the market, and the use of bioenergy, particularly in the early stages of the development. The dissemination of reliable information and knowledge provides support for the acceptance of forest bioenergy in society. The main objective of this research is to study forest bioenergy development in China and to identify how forest sector stakeholders influence the policy development and its implementation in the country. More specifically, this thesis has the following research tasks: to determine, through content analysis, how the government and the public use Internet platforms to discuss bioenergy; to assess the current situation of forest bioenergy development in China among academic experts via a Delphi survey; to examine different stakeholders’ (students and forestry professionals) knowledge and sources of information about bioenergy, especially forest bioenergy; to identify different stakeholders’ energy use related behaviour in everyday life, future energy preferences, and perceptions of, and attitudes towards forest bioenergy in China. The main findings of the work are: 1) the growth in the number of news articles reflects the changes and outcomes of the government’s energy policies, 2) research and technical shortcomings, policy and regulation weaknesses, and low awareness and poor social acceptability are the main barriers recognized, 3) biofuels will be the most important transportation fuel in the future and the experts felt that it may replace oil in the next ten years, 4) the students and forestry professionals felt that the Internet and television are the most accepted media for disseminating information and knowledge, 5) the experts and professionals have similar perceptions concerning the development of forest bioenergy in China, and the students have somewhat difference perceptions compare with the experts and professionals. This research provides the first look at the perspectives of different stakeholders regarding the development of forest bioenergy in China. The findings indicate that there is wide support and great potential for forest bioenergy development in China.

Bioenergy Sustainability in China: Potential and Impacts

The sustainability implications of bioenergy development strategies are large and complex. Unlike conventional agriculture, bioenergy production provides an opportunity to design systems for improving eco-environmental services. Different places have different goals and solutions for bioenergy development, but they all should adhere to the sustainability requirements of the environment, economy, and society. This article serves as a brief overview of China's bioenergy development and as an introduction to this special issue on the impacts of bioenergy development in China. The eleven articles in this special issue present a range of perspectives and scenario analyses on bioenergy production and its impacts as well as potential barriers to its development. Five general themes are covered: status and goals, biomass resources, energy plants, environmental impacts, and economic and social impacts. The potential for bioenergy production in China is huge, particularly in the central north and northwest. China plans to develop a bioenergy capacity of 30GW by 2020. However, realization of this goal will require breakthroughs in bioenergy landscape design, energy plant biotechnology, legislation, incentive policy, and conversion facilities. Our analyses suggest that (1) the linkage between bioenergy, environment, and economy are often circular rather than linear in nature; (2) sustainability is a core concept in bioenergy design and the ultimate goal of bioenergy development; and (3) each bioenergy development scheme must be region-specific and designed to solve local environmental and agricultural problems.

Chinese academic experts’ assessment for forest bio-energy development in China

The aim of this study was to assess the current situation of the forest bio-energy development in China. This assessment is based on opinions of Chinese academic experts. Key drivers and uncertainties regarding the implementation, and the strategies for the future practices in the development of forest bio-energy were investigated. In addition, the purpose of this study was also to determine whether there is a consensus among the experts concerning forest bio-energy and if this consensus agrees with policy-makers in China. A thorough assessment was conducted using a two-round Delphi survey of sixty-one bio-energy experts in China. The results revealed the advantages, potential problems, and the experts’ recommendations for the future development. Furthermore, the experts agreed that the Chinese government plays a dominant role in the development process of forest bio-energy in the country. The experts recognized that the process of developing forest bio-energy is a challenging task both domestically and globally. At the same time they also highlighted the potential benefits of developing forest bio-energy in China during the next ten years. The outcomes of this study could be used to give advice to policy-makers and to support the implementation of the future forest bio-energy policies in China.

Major Energy Plants and Their Potential for Bioenergy Development in China

China is rich in energy plant resources. In this article, 64 plant species are identified as potential energy plants in China. The energy plant species include 38 oilseed crops, 5 starch-producing crops, 3 sugar-producing crops and 18 species for lignocellulosic biomass. The species were evaluated on the basis of their production capacity and their resistance to salt, drought, and/or low temperature stress. Ten plant species have high production and/or stress resistance and can be potentially developed as the candidate energy plants. Of these, four species could be the primary energy plants in China: Barbados nut (Jatropha curcas L.), Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.), sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) and Chinese silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis Anderss.). We discuss the use of biotechnological techniques such as genome sequencing, molecular markers, and genetic transformation to improve energy plants. These techniques are being used to develop new cultivars and to analyze and manipulate genetic variation to improve attributes of energy plants in China.

Bioenergy transition in rural China: Policy options and co-benefits

This paper reviews the current situation of bioenergy development in China, particularly on its relationship to sustainable rural development. It argues that the current government strategy, investment policy and industrial interest are over-emphasized on biomass-burning power generation as part of the clean energy development trajectories, which may not lead to the most cost-effective outcomes in terms of investments, resource use and social development objectives. It points out that there are large potentials in developing and disseminating household-based biomass technologies in rural areas, especially with energy-efficient modern biomass stoves, which can produce far more economic, social and environmental benefits than biomass power plants. It is a decentralized solution to use renewable energy resources for meeting multi-objectives. It is suggested that key incentive policies be provided by the government to encourage this technological transition, or the leapfrogging from using traditional household stoves towards modern biomass stoves, which will lead to a win–win situation in global, regional and local environmental protection, sustainable resource management and related social benefits, particularly for the poor in remote communities. Six policy recommendations are made: (1) financial schemes development; (2) preferable tax and carbon tax; (3) regulatory policy reform; (4) service industry support; (5) market research, training and capacity building for key stakeholders; (6) development of methodologies and standards for CDM projects. The potential co-benefits brought up by this massive biomass technology transition will bring new perspectives to realizing Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and global CO 2 emissions reduction targets in China, and also set an example to other developing countries.