According to “Guideline on promoting the development of biomass heating” co-released by National Development of Reform Commission and National Energy Bureau, by 2020, the installation capacity of biomass CHP in China should exceed 12 million kW, the annual consumption of biomass gas should reach about 10 billion cubic meters and biomass heating should be 1 billion square meters saving 30 million tons of coal.  The biomass CHP projects will be the priority of the China renewable energy electricity price subsidy.

Biomass heating systems include CHP and boilers.  The Guideline clarifies that the district residential heating and middle-small industrial zones are the main application, especially to reduce the coal heating in the rural areas, which leads to establish a district green and low carbon heating system.

From the respect of biomass CHP, China will develop rural biomass CHP and establish biomass power generation projects for CHP, so as to realize rural district heating.  Meanwhile, it will accelerate the heating retrofitting of conventional biomass power generation projects, establish regional integrated clean energy system and promote the biomass CHP technology progress.

From the respect of biomass boiler heating, the Guideline requires to promote solid biomass boiler heating for urban and rural residential buildings.  The large type and low emission biomass boilers with 10 t/h capacity will be the priority for the industrial heating.  Additional, China will establish a distributed production – consumption system to enhance the environment level and satisfy the national or regional air pollution emission standards.

The Guideline also improves policy measures of biomass heating: 1) biomass heating is covered into related plans and deployment with “coal to gas” and “coal to electricity”; 2) local departments should establish their biomass power generation plans; 3) promote demonstrations; 4) improve subsidy policies.