Chinese Biomass Energy Conference held in Beijing

Biomass energy is a significant source in China today, particularly in rural areas. However, the fact is that most of the materials currently used in rural areas for cooking and heating such as firewood and agricultural residues would result in indoor air pollution, which has adverse impacts on people’s health. In addition, the collecting of biomass fuels also increases the human labor costs. However, with the appearance of clean and low-cost biomass fuels for heating and power generation in rural areas based on modern biomass technologies and biomass pellet mill, the living standards of residents in rural areas are significantly improved, which would also be helpful in promoting rural industrialization and increasing the employment in rural areas. In addition, since the sustainable use of biomass energy after processing with biomass pellet mill leads to no net increase in CO2 emissions, there would be global climate benefits arising from the widespread use of biomass energy. 

On March 31, the 7th session of China International biomass energy conference was held in Beijing. Over 30 home and abroad research institutes, universities which come from Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Tsinghua University, Beihang and China Agriculture University, as well as enterprises and Associations has shared their research development and achievement in the aspect of biomass briquette, biomass pellet, biomass gas, biomass fuel power generation, heat supply and other fields, offering advice and suggestions to the future development of biomass energy industry.



Developing the clean energy and promoting the energy revolution is the theme of this session of International Biomass Energy. From the point of view of many experts, biomass energy has more opportunity for development under the new development condition comparing with wind and solar energy. One of the primary methods of utilizing of biomass energy efficiently is to reduce fog and haze and reduce the PM2.5, and it is also a stimulating factor for the development of biomass energy industry. 

Wu Chuangzi, Vice president of Chinese Renewable Energy Association and Guangzhou Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences has pointed out that wind energy and solar energy were merely reduce the consumption of coal, but the biomass energy can provide heat and liquid fuel, supplying the relevant technology of comprehensive ecological improvement. "Generally speaking, wind energy source and solar energy are mainly for large scale power generation, but the important problems in our country currently is not the issues of power, it is the issues of ecological protection. Biomass energy plays a unique role during comprehensive ecological improvements and waste management. Therefore, I feel that biomass energy should be concerned more by the government, to get more opportunity for development".

Wu Chuangzi specially stressed that biomass energy industry should also be concerned more during the application of new-type urbanization. From his point of view, wind power can not be utilized in rural areas. Solar energy can be used for power generation, but the investment and price are hard to undertaken by the new rural.

Recently, CPC central committee and the Sate Council has published Plan of National new urbanization (2014-2020) and pointed that portion of renewable energy consumption will be increased to 13% until 2020.
 Among the 13% of the renewable energy, I feel that the biomass energy account for at least 10%. Through there are no specific or feasible plant, I feel that this is a process. As long as we pay attention to that, there is opportunity for promotion. Wu Chuangzi said that.

Wu Chuangzi point that from the angle of application there are several ways for the promotion of biomass energy centered on new-type urbanization. The first is to supply room heating system; the second is the comprehensive utilization system of thermo electricity cogeneration; the third is the heating system of industrial garden; the fourth is the biomass energy technology which need by comprehensive ecological improvement in rural area. From the prospective of technology, most of the technologies like methane, power generation, biomass liquid and cellulosic ethanol depend on subsidy to promotion. But the technology of biomass pelletizing, heat supply, heating system and biomass gasification is mature, it is profitable.

The disadvantages of biomass energy are large in amount and dispersed, varied in quality, difficult for the large scale application. From the point of view of experts, this agrees with several features of utilization of biomass energy during the new-type urbanization. While developing the biomass energy according to the conventional energy industry, especially for the development of new-type urbanization of biomass energy dose not work.

Wu Chuangzi suggested, first, the strategic positioning of biomass energy must come along with the idea of serving the country of energy saving and emission reduction and construction of new rural area; second, development of biomass should be regional, the areas like Yangtze River area, Yangtze River Delta and Bohai surrounding area demand in the development of biomass energy industry; third, a national standard of technical equipment of biomass energy industry and regulatory standards should be establish as soon as possible, supplying service to the industry development in the future.

Bio-energy China was built in 2008 which sponsored and created by the Chinese renewable energy team and Beijing Tiger Exhibition Co., Ltd jointly. The conference is   held in Beijing annually, and it has become the first Chinese exhibition with biggest influence in China. The exhibition scope includes biomass steam boiler, heating furnace, fireplace; biomass cooking stoves, biomass pellet machine, crushing machine and straw briquette machine etc.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------