Switching to Switchgrass

In an article found on geotimes.org, switchgrass — a feathery perennial is being groomed for a new role: green energy production. A five-year field study found that ethanol made from switchgrass yields 5.4 times the amount of fossil fuel energy it takes to grow, harvest and convert the grass to fuel.

Corn ethanol, once the belle of the green energy ball, pales in comparison: The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that it produces 1.3 times the amount of energy its production consumes.

Switchgrass, a form of biomass that can be broken down and fermented to form cellulosic ethanol, had its first brush with fame in 2006, when President Bush mentioned the plant as a potential energy source in his State of the Union address. But switchgrass appears to have more than just political potential. For the full story, go to: http://www.geotimes.org/mar08/article.html?id=nn_switchgass.html

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