Miscanthus Grass: Huge Potential for Ethanol and Electricity Production

EV World: The World of Electric, Plug-in Hybrid, Fuel Cell and Alternative Fuel Vehicles:
Oct 4, 2005
"The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been conducting field trials. Based on their findings, they are convinced that Miscanthus shows great promise. They calculated, based on projected average yields, that if only 20 percent of Illinois' 11 million acres under cultivation were used to produce Miscanthus, the crops would provide 145 Terra watt hours (Twh) of electricity, exceeding the total amount of electricity (137 TWh) consumed by the entire state, including the city of Chicago.
UIUC also did some number crunching to see if Miscanthus cultivation would be profitable for the agriculture community. Calculated on a per hectare basis, after ten years, a conventional rotation of corn and soybeans showed a $903 loss while Miscanthus demonstrated a $2,900 profit. "