Examining the economic feasibility of miscanthus in Ontario: An application to the greenhouse industry

被引:23
作者
Vyn, Richard J. [1 ]
Virani, Tasneem [3 ]
Deen, Bill [2 ]
机构
[1] Univ Guelph, Dept Food Agr & Resource Econ, Ridgetown, ON N0P 2C0, Canada
[2] Univ Guelph, Dept Plant Agr, Ridgetown, ON N0P 2C0, Canada
[3] Univ London, Inst Educ, London WC1N 1AZ, England
关键词
Miscanthus; Economics; Renewable energy; PERENNIAL ENERGY CROPS; X-GIGANTEUS; BIOMASS PRODUCTION; SUPPLY CHAINS; SWITCHGRASS; CULTIVATION; COSTS; PRODUCTIVITY; PLANTATIONS; CONSTRAINTS;
D O I
10.1016/j.enpol.2012.08.009
中图分类号
F [经济];
学科分类号
02 ;
摘要
Recent policies, such as the Green Energy Act in the Canadian province of Ontario, have placed increasing emphasis on the development of renewable energy sources. One source that has received considerable attention in Europe, but very little in Canada, is the energy crop miscanthus. This study examines the economic feasibility of miscanthus from a Canadian perspective. A net present value approach is used to determine the breakeven price of miscanthus production in Ontario. Based on assumptions specific to Ontario regarding miscanthus production, input costs, and opportunity costs associated with alternative land use, the breakeven price is estimated to be $88.02/t. To account for uncertainty inherent in the imposed assumptions, sensitivity analysis is conducted on various life cycle factors, yield, and cost components. The results of this analysis indicate a range of breakeven prices from $77.79 to $105.08/t. These results are then applied to Ontario's greenhouse industry, where the cost of energy derived from miscanthus is found to be competitive with the costs of current non-renewable energy sources. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
引用
收藏
页码:669 / 676
页数:8
相关论文
共 38 条
[1]   The cultivation and energy balance of Miscanthus x giganteus production in Turkey [J].
Acaroglu, M ;
Aksoy, AS .
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY, 2005, 29 (01) :42-48
[2]   Establishing perennial grass energy crops in the UK: A review of current propagation options for Miscanthus [J].
Atkinson, C. J. .
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY, 2009, 33 (05) :752-759
[3]   The adoption of switchgrass and miscanthus by farmers: Impact of liquidity constraints and risk preferences [J].
Bocqueho, G. ;
Jacquet, F. .
ENERGY POLICY, 2010, 38 (05) :2598-2607
[4]   Growth, yield and mineral content of Miscanthus x giganteus grown as a biofuel for 14 successive harvests [J].
Christian, D. G. ;
Riche, A. B. ;
Yates, N. E. .
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS, 2008, 28 (03) :320-327
[5]   Overwintering problems of newly established Miscanthus plantations can be overcome by identifying genotypes with improved rhizome cold tolerance [J].
Clifton-Brown, JC ;
Lewandowski, I .
NEW PHYTOLOGIST, 2000, 148 (02) :287-294
[6]   Miscanthus biomass production for energy in Europe and its potential contribution to decreasing fossil fuel carbon emissions [J].
Clifton-Brown, JC ;
Stampfl, PF ;
Jones, MB .
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, 2004, 10 (04) :509-518
[7]   Screening Miscanthus genotypes in field trials to optimise biomass yield and quality in Southern Germany [J].
Clifton-Brown, JC ;
Lewandowski, I .
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF AGRONOMY, 2002, 16 (02) :97-110
[8]   Carbon mitigation by the energy crop, Miscanthus [J].
Clifton-Brown, John C. ;
Breuer, Joeern ;
Jones, Michael B. .
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, 2007, 13 (11) :2296-2307
[9]   Effects of soil water content and nitrogen supply on the productivity of Miscanthus x giganteus Greef et Deu. in a Mediterranean environment [J].
Cosentino, Salvatore L. ;
Patane, Cristina ;
Sanzone, Ernanuele ;
Copani, Venera ;
Foti, Salvatore .
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS, 2007, 25 (01) :75-88
[10]  
Deen B., 2011, Aspects of Applied Biology, P205