Growing Energy on the Farm

The document outlines various biomass sources, including residues and perennial energy crops like switchgrass, and describes conversion technologies ranging from direct combustion to fuel cells. It argues that expanding biomass production can revitalize rural economies and protect land quality while potentially providing a significant share of U.S. electricity and motor fuel.

• Biomass energy has the capacity to significantly impact the U.S. energy market, with the potential for energy crops and residues to provide 14 percent of electricity use or 13 percent of motor fuel in the United States.
• The cultivation of perennial energy crops offers environmental benefits over annual row crops, including reduced requirements for chemical inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides), improved soil structure, and increased biodiversity. For instance, replacing an average-sized corn farm with switchgrass could prevent 66 truckloads of soil erosion annually.
• An Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) study indicates that producing 188 million dry tons of switchgrass on 42 million acres of U.S. cropland could increase net farm income by nearly $6 billion. Additionally, collecting 40 percent of available corn stover and wheat straw (approximately 150 million dry tons) could add another $2 billion to farm income.
• Biomass can be converted into energy through several methods: direct combustion for heat and steam; fermentation and distillation for ethanol; chemical conversion for biodiesel; and gasification or digestion to produce biogas, which can then be used in turbines, microturbines, or fuel cells.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2003). Growing Energy on the Farm. https://www.ucs.org/resources/growing-energy-farm

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Growing Energy on the Farm. 2003. https://www.ucs.org/resources/growing-energy-farm.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Growing Energy on the Farm |date=6 March 2003 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/growing-energy-farm |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2003growing, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Growing Energy on the Farm}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2003}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/growing-energy-farm}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }