Energy Grasses

Energy grasses are a type of energy crop, and are plants that are grown as a low cost and low maintenance harvest used to make biofuels, or combusted for its energy content to generate electricity or heat. Many energy grasses are being researched as a promising source of biomass for the production of cellulosic ethanol.

In North Carolina, a number of energy grasses are being trialled across the state in various soil types and with differing inputs to determine optimum practices and likely tonnage that can be obtained per acre. Some of the more promising energy grasses currently under consideration are:

• Giant Miscanthus
• Arundo donax
• Switchgrass
• Sweet sorghum and biomass sorghum

See also: Energy crop