Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Genetics and Breeding Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #361450
Title: Estimating unit production cost, carbon intensity, and carbon abatement cost of electricity generation from bioenergy feedstocks in Georgia, United States

Author
item HOSSAIN MASUM, MD FARHAD - University Of Georgia
item DWIVEDI, PUNEET - University Of Georgia
item Anderson, William - Bill

Submitted to: Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/21/2019
Publication Date: 11/5/2019
Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/6829271
Citation: Hossain Masum, M., Dwivedi, P., Anderson, W.F. 2019. Estimating unit production cost, carbon intensity, and carbon abatement cost of electricity generation from bioenergy feedstocks in Georgia, United States. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews. 117:1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2019.109514.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2019.109514

Interpretive Summary: In Georgia, the coal consumed for electricity generation alone is responsible for about 26% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It has been proposed to use vegetative sources of biomass, such as pine and crop residues to reduce GHG. This paper looked at the economic and environmental aspects of using nine feedstocks (loblolly pine, corn stover, cotton stalks, bermudagrass, switchgrass, napiergrass, giant reed, energycane, and miscanthus) if used over a 25-year period. Pine chips would be the most economically feasible and lowest emitter of GHG as a feedstock to partially replace coal. Carbon tax credits would be necessary for all the feedstocks to make them economically competitive with coal. The costs (abatement costs) range from $31 to $49 per megagram of CO2 emitted.

Technical Abstract: In Georgia, the coal consumed for electricity generation alone is responsible for about 26% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Considering the availability of biomass resources in the state and advent of emerging technologies like torrefaction; the electricity derived from bioenergy feedstocks could replace coal-based electricity. We analyzed economic and environmental sustainability of electricity derived from nine feedstocks —loblolly pine, corn stover, cotton stalks, bermudagrass, switchgrass, napiergrass, giant reed, energycane, and miscanthus— over 25 years relative to coal-based electricity in Georgia. Pine chips were the least expensive ($127 MWh-1) and the least GHG intensive (145 kgCO2e MWh-1) option for generating electricity, with the lowest abatement cost (($31 MgCO2e-1). Between the two agricultural residues, cotton stalk ($39 MgCO2e-1) had a lower abatement cost than corn stover ($47 MgCO2e-1). Among perennial grasses, napiergrass had the lowest carbon abatement cost ($38 MgCO2e-1) because of its lowest unit production cost of electricity ($132 MWh-1). Other perennial grasses had comparable abatement costs, ranged between $43 and $49 MgCO2e-1. A carbon tax between $31 and $50 MgCO2e-1 can make most bioenergy feedstocks found in Georgia competitive against coal for reducing carbon emissions from the electricity sector.