Energy crops Introduction There are 3 types of biomass energy (trees, wastes and crops): 1.

Forestry materials, where the fuel is a by-product of other forestry activities. 2. Agricultural & Agro-industrial residues (straw, chicken litter, sugarcane tops, bagasse). 3. Energy crops which are grown specifically for energy generation purposes. Energy crops While energy crops alone wont secure a fossil fuel-free planet, they do represent an enormous opportunity to curb our dependence on harmful fuels. Experts predict these crops will contribute significantly to the worlds renewables portfolio in the not-too-distant future, but obstacles currently blocking market penetration make growing or using energy crops a risky endeavor.

Daring though it may be, the potential is hard to ignore. Using imaging assessment models, research has indicated that in the year 2050, energy crops worldwide could supply about 400 exajoules of energy per year. For those not familiar with that enormous quantity, an exajoule represents 1018 joules. In a newer analysis, more conservative estimates peg the realistically achievable potential for energy crops by 2025 at between 2 and 22 exajoules per year.

Factors affecting productivity of crops Amount of sunlight radiation. Temperature. Level of carbon loss resulting from photorespiration. Water availability. Nutrients. Intercropping with N-fixing species. Crop rotation with N-fixing species. Selection and genetic manipulation of species which are more efficient in the utilization of nutrients and which could be used for soil rehabilitation.
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 Pest and diseases. Chances for industry in Africa The use of bioenergy in Africa is largely concentrated on the tertiary sector. Furthermore, biomass is used quite inefficiently by the consumers, which are mainly private households. In the future, a very wide range of possible bioenergy systems are expected to be commercially available. Today, taking into account the present limitations concerning the reliability of commercial technologies, the most advisable systems are: o Small capacity compact-petellisation machines (1-2 tons per hour) for agro-forestry residues and for herbaceous crops which can be grown on marginal and semi-arid lands. o Carbonization plants (1-2 tons per hour) for briquettes or pellets (herbaceous crops) production. o Small cogeneration plants (10-100 kWe capacity. o Small integrated plant (boiethanol, power) from sweet sorghum plantations cultivated on area of 50 to 250 hectare. o Small plants for the production of biogas and organic fertilizer (compost). The useful energy products will be therefore: Power. Bioethanol (for cooking, lighting and agricultural machine). Biogas (for cooking, cooling, power). In UK To encourage energy crop uptake in the U.K., the Department of Energy and Climate Change announced in March 2010 an increase of half a Renewables Obligation Certificate (ROC) for dedicated energy crop technologies. The U.K.s Renewables Obligation is banded by technology type and provides incentives in the form of ROCs per megawatt hour to a multitude of renewable technologies. Dedicated energy crops now receive two ROCs, while cofired energy crops still receive one. The DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change) decided it wanted to support energy crops and was looking to stimulate the energy crop sector, says Tricia Wiley, spokesperson for the U.K.s Renewable Energy Association. Other biomass technologies receive between 1.5 and 2 ROCs.
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The U.K. has about 10,000 hectares planted with energy crops, miscanthus being the most common, and also incentivizes them through its Energy Crop Scheme, part of the Rural Development Programme in England. The scheme issues establishment grants for approved energy crops, designed to cover a percentage of the set-up costs, including ground preparation, fencing, purchase of planting stock, planting, weed control and first-year cutback. The program only lasts until 2013, however, and Wiley says there is no talk yet of extending it. In US In the U.S., long-term breeding of switchgrass is beginning to produce large yield gains that will continue to improve. And hopefully other energy crop improvements wont be far behind.

But the U.S. is not in the region that tops the list of technical energy crop potential in 2050. Instead, South America takes a powerful lead with an estimated 189 exajoules per year, followed distantly by central Africa with 86, according to the study. The regional breakdown of the potential of about 400 exajoules is based on an imaging assessment model that estimates the technical potential of industrialized countries, which includes the U.S. and Europe, at 30 exajoules. Latin Americas estimated potential for 2050, divided into two regions, is 200 exajoules; Africas is 145 and divided into five regions; and China, divided into four regions, has a technical potential of 21 exajoules. References Kyritsis, S. 2001, 1st World Conference on Biomass for Energy and Industry, vol. 2, viewed 20 January 2011,

http://books.google.mu/books?id=I4md2B_nk9UC&printsec=frontcover&dq=1st+world +conference+on+biomass+for+energy+and+industry&hl=en&ei=mUJlTaxOhbqEB67u1I gH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage& q&f=false. Gibson, L. 2011, Powerful crops, Biomass Power & Thermal, viewed 20 January 2011, http://biomassmagazine.com/articles/5255/powerful-crops.