Spatiotemporal Changes in Crop Residues with Potential for Bioenergy Use in China from 1990 to 2010

China has abundant crop residues (<i>CR_E</i>) that could be used for bioenergy. The spatiotemporal characteristics of bioenergy production are crucial for high-efficiency use and appropriate management of bioenergy enterprises. In this study, statistical and remote-sensing data on crop yield in China were used to estimate <i>CR_E</i> and to analyze its spatiotemporal changes between 1990 and 2010. In 2010, China’s <i>CR_E</i> was estimated to be approximately 133.24 Mt, and it was abundant in North and Northeast China, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and South China; <i>CR_E</i> was scarce on the Loess and Qinghai–Tibet Plateaus. The quantity of <i>CR_E</i> increased clearly over the 20-year analysis period, mainly from an increase in residues produced on dry land. Changes in cultivated land use clearly influenced the changes in <i>CR_E</i>. The expansion of cultivated land, which mainly occurred in Northeast and Northwest China, increased <i>CR_E</i> by 5.18 Mt. The loss of cultivated land, which occurred primarily in North China and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, reduced <i>CR_E</i> by 3.55 Mt. Additionally, the interconversion of paddy fields and dry land, which occurred mostly in Northeast China, increased <i>CR_E</i> by 0.78 Mt. The findings of this article provide important information for policy makers in formulating plans and policies for crop-residue-based bioenergy development in China, and also for commercial ventures in deciding on locations and production schedules for generation of bioenergy.