The Deep South isn’t exactly the renewables capital of the nation. Only 1,000 homes in South Florida have solar panels, for instance, despite an abundance of sunshine.
One company hopes to turn this desert of energy awareness into a paradigm of bio-energy – and it believes Giant Miscanthus Grass holds the key.
Giant Miscanthus Grass produces 2.5 times more Ethanol per acre than corn.
SunBelt Biofuels calculates that if Georgia were to dedicate 2.4 million acres of cropland to the grass it could become energy self-sufficient. The state has a total of 10 million acres of farmland.
There are reasons to believe SunBelt, which announced Thursday it has begun converting the grass into commercial fuel, has a good case.
Most people think of Giant Miscanthus as an ornamental grass, growing in bright green clumps that can stand 15 feet tall and displaying flat leaves that can measure 1.5 inches across.
What they don’t realize is that it requires less than half the acreage of corn and switchgrass and produces 2.5 times the ethanol. A mature field re-grows in a year, and the grass is tolerant of poor soils and salty, coastal environments.
The grass could be a boon for rural economies, argues SunBelt, bringing Georgia farmers an extra $2 billion in income. No subsidies would be needed.
SunBelt said Thursday it has struck an exclusive licensing deal with Mississippi State University, which has studied the grass for 15 years. Now all it has to do is to convince the global warming disbelievers who continue to nonchalantly drive their SUVs across the Georgia pinelands.
Posted by Mark Boslet 
