Design, operation, and economics of the Energy Plantation as an alternate source of fuels

An Energy Plantation is a means for producing fuels by collecting and storing solar radiation in plants grown purposely for their fuel value. Appropriate selection of plant species and plantation cultural practices is the key to producing fuels by this means at attractive cost. This paper discusses how the Energy Plantation is designed and operated for maximum productivity of plant material. Also included in the discussion are the equipment requirements and the estimated costs for plantation operation. The cost of the fuel produced is estimated to be between $1.00 and $1.50 per million Btu.