The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently released the China Chapter of its Bioenergy Progress Country Report.
ORIGINAL BY NLS
The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently released the China Chapter of its Bioenergy Progress Country Report. This report draws on data from the IEA's 2024 World Energy Balance and Renewable Energy Information, with additional insights from the IEA Bioenergy Executive Committee and working groups, as well as contributions from the Biomass Energy Industry Branch of the China Industrial Development Promotion Association.
The report reveals that in 2022, renewable energy accounted for 10% of China's total energy supply and 16% of its final energy consumption, with biomass energy comprising roughly one-quarter of the renewable share. Despite coal and other fossil fuels remaining dominant in China's energy mix, renewable energy is steadily increasing its share. Within the bioenergy sector, solid biofuels account for over 90% of usage. While the use of traditional biomass for residential heating has declined, its modern applications are expanding. In the electricity sector, biomass power generation contributes about 2% of total output, with significant growth observed. Direct biomass heating makes up approximately 5% of total heating, though residential usage is decreasing. In transportation, bioethanol and biodiesel make up 1.2% of transport energy.
China has substantial opportunities to further develop its bioenergy sector. These include replacing coal with solid biomass in existing infrastructure, increasing the use of transportation biofuels—which currently constitute less than 1.5% of the transport fuel mix—and utilizing biogas as an alternative to natural gas. As waste management systems improve, there is significant potential to generate renewable energy from municipal solid waste (MSW).