Photograph by Toby Smith, Reportage by Getty Images
Outside a paper mill in Boxing, Shandong Province, stacks of bailed waste paper are stockpiled for recycling. A nearby biomass cogeneration plant supplies energy for the facility.
Also known as combined heat and power or CHP, cogeneration involves producing electricity and heat from a single fuel source—in this case, mostly agricultural waste from cotton fields.
China has international support for this type of project. In June 2011, the World Bank approved a $150 million loan to China to improve energy efficiency in Shandong. In particular, the loan is meant to go toward greater use of biomass for power and heat generation and energy-efficiency leasing arrangements.