Bio-energy and Rural low-carbon economy in China: A system perspective

The demand of energy in rural areas is growing dramatically as well as the pressure of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction. Therefore, rural low-carbon economy should be given more attention today because of the day-increasing energy consumption. Bio-energy is one of the low-carbon energies and has abundant biomass material in China's countryside, which means it should be a partial substitute for fossil energies use in rural area. An overview of bio-energy utilization situation in the world is presented in this paper as well as the advantages of developing the rural low-carbon economy in China. Then, one system model is put forward to developing the rural low-carbon economy with the basis of bio-energy substitution, including three subsystems of energy, agricultural production and rural life. The findings in this paper are significant to promote the low-carbon economy development in China's rural area.