Modern bioenergy sources are often viewed as important components of a low-carbon, energy-secure future. By reducing dependence on imported fuel and providing new employment opportunities, bioenergy production has the potential to stimulate local economies in developing countries. And yet, given the diversity of biomass resources, options, markets and scales, a better understanding of how well different bioenergy project types can provide sustainable development is needed. This analysis evaluates how the potential for sustainable development benefits differs across 12 bioenergy project types, in order to help identify which project types are best positioned to provide such benefits. It systematically examines the benefits claimed in project design documents for 76 Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) bioenergy projects in India, Brazil and Sub-Saharan Africa.