Technical and economic barriers for utilization of straw-fired co-generation in China

In order to promote the development and utilization of renewable energy, improve the energy structure, diversify energy supplies, safeguard energy security, protect the environment, and realize the sustainable development of the economy and society, the Chinese government is now paying more attention to develop and utilizing the renewable energy in China. The available biomass resources (e.g. straw and crop residues) for energy use in China are abundant. As one bioenergy technology, straw-fired cogeneration technology can provide clean energy in rural areas in China. In recent years, some investors have shown their interests in developing straw-fired cogeneration plants. Some projects are already in the pipeline and the number of projects is expected to increase in the near future. However, there exist technical as well as economic barriers hindering the implementation of straw-fired cogeneration projects. These barriers include 1) feedstock preparation barrier regarding the straw collection, transportation, treatment and storage and less incentives from farmers; 2) some technical and production operation management barriers; 3) over-expected market demands; 4) economic barriers; 5) lack of strong policy support, etc. In this paper, all these barriers have been studied and analyzed. In addition, good management experiences of straw-fired cogeneration plants from European countries have been reviewed as a comparison with those plants in China and based on that, some recommendations have been made to improve the implementation conditions for straw-fired cogeneration projects in China.Godkänd; 2007; 20071121 (joakim)