Comparative economics of Sida hermaphrodita (L.) Rusby and Silphium perfoliatum L. as bioenergy crops in Europe
Laura Cumplido-Marin,
Paul J. Burgess,
Gianni Facciotto,
Domenico Coaloa,
Christopher Morhart,
Marek Bury,
Pierluigi Paris,
Michael Nahm,
Anil R. Graves
Affiliations
Laura Cumplido-Marin
Cranfield University, College Road, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, United Kingdom; Agri-Tech Innovation Centre Crop Health and Protection (CHAP), York Biotech Campus, Sand Hutton YO41 1LZ, United Kingdom; Corresponding author at: Cranfield University, College Road, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, United Kingdom.
Paul J. Burgess
Cranfield University, College Road, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, United Kingdom
Gianni Facciotto
Consiglio per la ricerca in Agricoltura e l'Analisi dell'Economia Agraria (CREA) - Centro di ricerca Foreste e Legno, Strada Frassineto, 35, 15033 Casale Monferrato AL, Italy
Domenico Coaloa
Consiglio per la ricerca in Agricoltura e l'Analisi dell'Economia Agraria (CREA) - Centro di ricerca Foreste e Legno, Strada Frassineto, 35, 15033 Casale Monferrato AL, Italy
Christopher Morhart
Chair of Forest Growth and Dendroecology, Albert Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, Freiburg 79106, Germany
Marek Bury
West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, Faculty of Environmental Management and Agriculture, ul. Pawła VI 3, 71-459 Szczecin, Poland
Pierluigi Paris
CNR-Instituto di Ricerca sugli Ecosistemi Terrestri, v. G. Marconi 2, I-05010 Porano, Italy
Michael Nahm
Chair of Forest Growth and Dendroecology, Albert Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, Freiburg 79106, Germany
Anil R. Graves
Cranfield University, College Road, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, United Kingdom
The purpose of this research was to fill the identified gap on financial data of Sida hermaphrodita (L.) Rusby (Sida) and Silphium perfoliatum L. (Silphium), two perennial bioenergy crops that potentially provide a more sustainable alternative/complement to other bioenergy crops. Using discounted cash flow analysis, the Net Present Values of Sida and Silphium were compared to a rotation of other arable crops including maize, and the two energy crops of short rotation coppice and Miscanthus. The analysis was completed using the SidaTim analysis tool for the UK, Italy, Germany and Poland, producing a total of four independent models. The results showed that with no subsidies, cultivating Sida was unattractive in all four countries relative to other crop options. However, Silphium, was an economically viable option in each country. Both Sida and Silphium can offer greater environmental benefits than other arable crops, and the profitability of each crop would be further enhanced if additional payments for such public services were made to farmers, and if there were secure markets for the sale of the biomass. This study is the first comparative economic analysis in West and Central Europe of the two novel energy crops in comparison to more common energy crops and an arable rotation.
