Is biomass power a good choice for governments in China?

To fulfill the target of emissions reduction, the Chinese government has made many efforts to develop renewable energy. Biomass power can provide stable power supply, avoid wasting straw resources and protect rural environment at the same time. However, the development of renewable power requires subsidies from the government, but increased subsidies placed heavy burden on the governments, whereas these governments want to develop renewable energy with minimum costs. This paper attempts to answer the question that whether the development of biomass power is a good choice for local governments in China. For this purpose, the goal of emissions reduction and subsidies of renewable energy powers were discussed. The main conclusion is that although the subsidies for biomass power were slightly higher than those for wind power, biomass power is a good choice for governments considering other benefits, especially for regions with rich agricultural and forest residues. In the future, regional and local conditions should be considered in the planning of biomass power development.