Haixiao Huang

An integrated biogeochemical and economic analysis of bioenergy crops in the Midwestern United States.

This study integrates a biophysical model with a county‐specific economic analysis of breakeven prices of bioenergy crop production to assess the biophysical and economic potential of biofuel production in the Midwestern United States. The bioenergy crops considered in this study include a genotype of Miscanthus, Miscanthus×giganteus, and the Cave‐in‐Rock breed of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). The estimated average peak biomass yield for miscanthus in the Midwestern states ranges between 7 and 48 metric tons dry matter per hectare per year ( t DM ha−1 yr−1), while that for switchgrass is between 10 and 16 t DM ha−1 yr−1. With the exception of Minnesota and Wisconsin, where miscanthus yields are likely to be low due to cold soil temperatures, the yield of miscanthus is on average more than two times higher than yield of switchgrass. We find that the breakeven price, which includes the cost of producing the crop and the opportunity cost of land, of producing miscanthus ranges from

Meeting the Mandate for Biofuels: Implications for Land Use, Food and Fuel Prices

53 t−1 DM in Missouri to

Responsiveness of Crop Yield and Acreage to Prices and Climate

153 t−1 DM in Minnesota in the low‐cost scenario. Corresponding costs for switchgrass are

Meeting Biofuels Targets: Implications for Land Use, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Nitrogen Use in Illinois

88 t−1 DM in Missouri to

National Low Carbon Fuel Standard: Technical Analysis Report

144 t−1 DM in Minnesota. In the high‐cost scenario, the lowest cost for miscanthus is

Determinants of U.S. Corn and Soybean Yields: Impact of Climate Change and Crop Prices

85 t−1 DM and for switchgrass is

Meeting the Demand for Biofuels: Impact on Land Use and Carbon Mitigation

118 t−1 DM, both in Missouri. These two scenarios differ in their assumptions about ease of establishing the perennial crops, nutrient requirements and harvesting costs and losses. The differences in the breakeven prices across states and across crops are mainly driven by bioenergy and row crop yields per hectare. Our results suggest that while high yields per unit of land of bioenergy crops are critical for the competitiveness of bioenergy feedstocks, the yields of the row crops they seek to displace are also an important consideration. Even high yielding crops, such as miscanthus, are likely to be economically attractive only in some locations in the Midwest given the high yields of corn and soybean in the region.

Supply of Cellulosic Biofuel Feedstocks and Regional Production Pattern

Biofuel production is being promoted through various policies such as mandates and tax credits. This paper uses a dynamic, spatial, multi-market equilibrium model, Biofuel and Environmental Policy Analysis Model (BEPAM), to estimate the effects of these policies on cropland allocation, food and fuel prices, and the mix of biofuels from corn and cellulosic feedstocks over the 2007-2022 period. We find that the biofuel mandate will increase corn price by 24%, reduce the price of gasoline by 8% in 2022, and increase social welfare by

Stacking low carbon policies on the renewable fuels standard: Economic and greenhouse gas implications

122 B (0.7%) relative to Business As Usual scenario. The provision of volumetric tax credits that accompany the mandate significantly changes the mix of biofuels produced in favor of cellulosic biofuels and reduces the share of corn ethanol in the cumulative volume of biofuels produced from 50% to 10%. The tax credits reduce the adverse impact of the mandate alone on crop prices and decrease the price of biofuels. However, they impose a welfare cost of

Alternative Transportation Fuel Standards: Welfare Effects and Climate Benefits

79 B compared to the mandate alone. These results are found to be sensitive to the rate of growth of crop productivity, the costs of production of bioenergy crops, and the availability of marginal land for producing bioenergy crops.