The IEA Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme (TCP) has announced that the People’s Republic of China has joined the TCP, bringing the number of contracting parties to 26.“China joining the IEA Bioenergy TCP adds a key strategic member representing the world’s largest population and a country with tremendous growth opportunities in biofuels, biopower, bioproducts, and biogas in the context of the larger bioeconomy," said Jim Spaeth, the Chair of IEA Bioenergy.
The IEA Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme (TCP) is organised under the auspices of the International Energy Agency (IEA) but is functionally and legally autonomous. Views, findings, and publications of the IEA Bioenergy TCP do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the IEA Secretariat or its individual member countries.
China joining the IEA Bioenergy TCP adds a key strategic member representing the world’s largest population and a country with tremendous growth opportunities in biofuels, biopower, bioproducts and biogas in the context of the larger bioeconomy. We are delighted to welcome China as a formal member and look forward to their impactful contributions, said Jim Spaeth.
The China National Renewable Energy Centre (CNREC) operates under the Energy Research Institute (ERI) of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). It is the ERI that has accepted the invitation from the Executive Committee of the IEA Bioenergy TCP at its ExCo84 meeting on the 22-24 October 2019, in Tallinn, Estonia, to join the IEA Bioenergy TCP.
ERI also acknowledges that the China Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) approved the membership on February 18, 2020.
I believe that China’s official membership in IEA Bioenergy TCP is a milestone in the development of bioenergy in China. This means that the development of China’s bioenergy industry has found the best connection with the global bioenergy industry. On the Bioenergy TCP platform, while learning from advanced global models and concepts, China can also share its own experience with international partners, so as to achieve mutual benefits and common development among member countries; as well as to promoting the green and low-carbon transformation process of global energy, said Dr Ren Dongming, Director of CNREC.
According to IEA data, in 2019 China accounts for comfortably over half of bioenergy additions in the power sector (4.7 GW) and it is the third-largest global producer of fuel ethanol. In 2018 heat and electricity derived from solid biomass accounted for approximately 186 000 jobs and approximately 145 000 for biogas.
Bioenergy is a critical aspect of building a beautiful China. China has actively developed biomass resources and issued a series of important policies on biogas, biofuel, biopower and bio-heating in the past two years. This is an important historic moment for China’s bioenergy. I think it is the right time to join IEA Bioenergy TCP, which will provide a broad international cooperation and innovation opportunity for China’s bioenergy institutions, effectively develop and utilize biomass resources, strengthen the capacity of bioenergy technology research and development and demonstration, comprehensively optimize the bioenergy industrial policy. It will usher in a new era of bioenergy development in China, said Dou Kejun, Senior Bioenergy Advisor, CNREC.
Advance and accelerate bioenergy deployment
Initially, CNREC plans to join two IEA Bioenergy tasks: “Energy from Biogas” (Task 37) and “Climate and sustainability effects of bioenergy within the broader bioeconomy” (Task 45).
China possesses significant biomass resources that could be harnessed to produce sustainable bioenergy, providing a solution to deliver cleaner air, enhanced energy security, waste management and meet growing energy demand.
Much progress has already been made on this front as China leads the deployment of bioenergy in the power sector, is scaling up biomass heating solutions, and growing biofuel production.
Membership of the TCP will offer an avenue to advance and accelerate China’s deployment of sustainable bioenergy, and combine their market-leading expertise with other bioenergy technology frontrunners worldwide.
Dr Paolo Frankl, Head of Renewable Energy Division and the International Energy Agency (IEA) congratulated the IEA Bioenergy TCP on successful efforts to strengthen technology collaboration with China.
I trust all parties will benefit from this new partnership, given China’s importance in global energy markets and the remarkable technology insights produced under the TCP, said Dr Paolo Frankl.
