The status, predicament and countermeasures of biomass secondary energy production in China

China is rich in biomass resources, with favorable conditions for the development and utilization of biomass energy. Currently, the main secondary forms of biomass energy utilized in China include biogas, biomass power, bioethanol, biodiesel. By the end of 2010, the annual output of biogas in China had reached 14.3×109 m3; the installed capacity of biomass power had reached 5.5×106 kw; the annual output of bioethanol had reached 1.84×106 t; the annual output of biodiesel was 400×103 t. Although China is very rich in biomass resources, the percentage of biomass energy in the total energy utilized in China is very low. In 2010, the biomass secondary energy accounted for 7.28% of the total renewable energy consumption; and only 0.66% of the primary energy consumption in China. Compared with other types of renewable energy, the biomass energy development remains very slow and even marginalized. The development of secondary sources of energy in China is relatively slow, the reasons for which are many, such as food security, high production costs, obsolete equipment, technological immaturity, insufficient raw materials, and a serious shortage of investments. In fact, the root causes for the slow development of the biomass secondary energy industry are the governmentʹs focus on economic development and the private enterprises focus on economic benefits. The lower economic benefits of the biomass secondary energy industry do not intrinsically motivate them to promote its development. Entering the market is crucial to the development of the biomass secondary energy and requires strong implementation and policy guarantees by the government. Biomass secondary energy has a positive role in reducing greenhouse gas emission, reducing waste pollution, and increasing employment opportunities. It is recommended that the government and enterprises should actively promote the development of the biomass secondary energy.