From "Coal to Gas" to "Coal to Biomass": Sustainable Development Path for Coupling Rural Energy Improvement and Straw Utilization in China

Currently, the Chinese government is promoting the diversification of energy sources in rural areas to reduce the consumption of coal. The development of biomass resources in agricultural areas is an alternative means of energy supply. This thesis assesses the potential offered by the centralized biogas production and straw briquetting fuel.
Firstly, the environmental and economic performances of these two methods are assessed through an emergy analysis for two cases. The results show that, while the two projects studied have a high reproducibility and a low environmental load, the indicators of long-term sustainability are not favorable, in particular, in the event of a marked deficit in demand on the biogas or briquetting fuel. However, since the indicators of sustainability and economic profitability improve when the load tends towards the maximum capacity of the productions, the two models studied exist optimization margins.
In the second step, the positioning of consumers relatively one of the two aforementioned markets, namely that of biogas, was explored by the method of contingent valuation method (CVM). This made it possible to estimate the rural residents’ willingness to use (WTU) and the willingness to buy (WTB) for this renewable energy source and to identify the determinants factors of these willingnesses. The results show that, although most of the respondents support the product, there is a significant gap between the amount of WTB and the costs of producing biogas. The propensity of potential consumers to use biogas and the amount of WTB depend not only on their personal and family characteristics but also on some non-economic factors, such as their level of knowledge on environmental issues, their attitudes, and practices regarding energy consumption. Consequently, it is recommended to reinforce awareness campaigns in order to improve the level of knowledge, influence the attitude of rural residents with regard to environmental issues, guide their practices in terms of the use of clean energy. Understanding the factors that influence demand has also made it possible to offer a suitable financial support mechanism capable of supporting market development.
The third part of this thesis deals with the question of financing such projects. The public–private partnership (PPP) model is seen as a response that can mobilize social capital to finance investments in these new modes of production and energy supply in rural areas. Based on an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of the two projects considered above, an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was carried out with the assistance of experts in order to clarify the strategic choices which are more suitable for investors. The strategic decision model identifies that a pioneering strategy based on opportunities is promising for the straw briquetting fuel project, while an aggressive type strategy in struggling strategy is essential for the centralized biogas production project. In order to encourage investors to adopt a positive and optimistic attitude towards the two projects, the public authorities have a role of guidance to ensure the mobilization of the social capital necessary for the construction of the projects.
Finally, the results of the research recommend the implementation of a safeguarding strategy to promote the two modes. The first is to strengthen the capacity to design adequate guidance and support policies. Second, efforts must be made to innovate and promote technologies and business models in order to quickly remove barriers to their adoption. Third, improvements must be made in terms of financial incentives to increase the effectiveness of support funds. Fourth, stakeholder participation in the service structure must be established in order to clarify the responsibility of each role.