Abstract
Biomass energy represents a cornerstone of sustainable renewable resources, critical for energy security and low-carbon transitions. As the global leader in energy consumption, Asia faces pressing challenges of energy shortage and carbon emission reduction, evaluating biomass energy potential (BEP) is vital for addressing shortages and advancing sustainability. This study employs MODIS-derived Net Primary Productivity (NPP) data to assess theoretical biomass energy reserves across the continent, integrating Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and clustering analysis to evaluate the degree of energy shortage in Asian countries. Results reveal that 8.5% of countries face severe shortages, 19.1% moderate, and 27.7% mild, with Asia holding 327.68 ± 11.11 EJ (equivalent to 111.95 ± 3.79 billion tons of standard coal) in theoretical reserves —approximately four years of regional consumption. Forests contribute 49.3%, with highest potentials in China, India, and Indonesia. Illustrative utilization scenarios suggest potential to reduce the proportion of shortage-affected countries by up to 27.7% and achieve 33%–44% CO2 reductions via 50% substitution under assumed conditions. This continental-scale original assessment, drawing on recent technological advances in remote sensing and multi-criteria decision analysis, underscores biomass’s theoretical role in Asia’s energy landscape, offering insights for policy frameworks supporting carbon neutrality and global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 7 and 13), while acknowledging practical constraints such as land competition and low biomass collection efficiency.