The potential supply and cost of biomass from energy crops in the Tennessee valley authority region

Abstract

The economic and supply structures of short rotation woody crop (SRWC) and herbaceous energy crop (HEC) markets have not been established. Establishing the likely price and supply of biomass in a region is a complex task because biomass is not an established commodity as are oil, natural gas and coal. In this study we project the cost and supply of short-rotation woody biomass for the TVA region—a 276 county area that includes portions of 11 states in the southeastern United States. Projected prices and quantities of SRWC are assumed to be a function of the amount and quality of crop and pasture land available in a region, expected biomass crop yields and production costs on differing soils and land types, and the profit potential from current conventional crop production on these same lands. Projected switchgrass yields ranged from 9.7–19.8 dry Mg ha −1 (4.3–8.8 dry tons acre −1) across the region while production costs ranged from $30.80–$70.40 (U.S. dollars) dry Mg −1 ($28–$64 dry ton −1). SRWC production costs ranged from $31.90–$69.30 dry Mg −1 ($29–$63 dry ton −1) while yield projections varied from 5.4–9.7 dry Mg ha −1 (2.4–4.3 dry tons acre −1). All yields were sensitive to land use and soil category while production costs were strongly influenced by former land use. Regional maps demonstrate potential distribution of energy crops across the entire region and provide a spatial aspect of current agricultural land use and opportunities for potential regional scale biomass energy crop production.