China is aiming to reduce coal consumption and improve the air quality by boosting the development of biomass energy by 2020.

In a report by Xinhua, the country's National Energy Administration said on Monday that China will boost the development of biomass energy in the next five years to reduce coal consumption and improve air quality.

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The five year development plan will achieve biomass energy equivalent to 58 million of tons by 2020 and the use of biomass energy will be more commercialized and industrialized by that time, according to the administration's 2016-2020 biomass energy development plan.

Biomass is a renewable energy source from living or recently living plant and animal materials, which can be used as fuel. As an energy source, it can be used directly to produce heat via combustion or indirectly after being converted to various biofuels.

Currently, China is producing biomass energy equivalent to about 460 million tons of coal annually, and the country has wasted no time in directing billions of dollars in its clean energy sector. The country wants to empower its economy in a cleaner and more sustainable way by promoting non-fossil energy that includes biomass energy.

China's government also aims to lift the proportion of non-fossil energy in the energy mix to 20 percent by 2030 from the current level of around 11 percent. Currently, coal dominated its energy mix.

China is so far the world's leading investor in renewable energy. In 2014, the country increased its investment to $89.5 billion, which is nearly 73 percent more than the US, the next largest investor. In the same year, China also led the world in new wind and solar installations, with 19.81 gigawatts (GW) and 10.60 GW, respectively.

By 2020, the world's largest energy user plans to have 100 GW of solar and 200 GW of wind installed.

TagsBiomass Energy, renewable energy, 2020, china, coal consumption