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Hemp: A more sustainable annual energy crop for climate and energy policy

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  • Finnan, John
  • Styles, David

Abstract

The objective of this study was to compare the fuel-chain greenhouse gas balance and farm economics of hemp grown for bioenergy with two perennial bioenergy crops, Miscanthus and willow, and two more traditional annual bioenergy crops, sugar beet and oil seed rape (OSR). The GHG burden of hemp cultivation is intermediate between perennial and traditional annual energy crops, but net fuel chain GHG abatement potential of 11t/CO2 eq./ha/year in the mid yield estimate is comparable to perennial crops, and 140% and 540% greater than for OSR and sugar beet fuel chains, respectively. Gross margins from hemp were considerably lower than for OSR and sugar beet, but exceeded those from Miscanthus when organic fertilizers were used and in the absence of establishment grants for the latter crop. Extrapolated up to the EU scale, replacing 25% of OSR and sugar beet production with hemp production could increase net GHG abatement by up to 21MtCO2eq./year. Hemp is a considerably more efficient bioenergy feedstock than the dominant annual energy crops. Integrated into food crop rotations, hemp need not compete with food supplies, and could provide an appealing option to develop more sustainable non-transport bioenergy supply chains.

Suggested Citation

  • Finnan, John & Styles, David, 2013. "Hemp: A more sustainable annual energy crop for climate and energy policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 152-162.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:58:y:2013:i:c:p:152-162
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2013.02.046
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    Cited by:

    1. Trey Malone & Kevin Gomez, 2019. "Hemp in the United States: A Case Study of Regulatory Path Dependence," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 41(2), pages 199-214, June.
    2. Jane Kolodinsky & Hannah Lacasse & Katherine Gallagher, 2020. "Making Hemp Choices: Evidence from Vermont," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-15, August.
    3. Christian R. Parra & Angel D. Ramirez & Luis Manuel Navas-Gracia & David Gonzales & Adriana Correa-Guimaraes, 2023. "Prospects for Bioenergy Development Potential from Dedicated Energy Crops in Ecuador: An Agroecological Zoning Study," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-25, January.
    4. Gardner, A.S. & Gaston, K.J. & Maclean, I.M.D., 2021. "Combining qualitative and quantitative methodology to assess prospects for novel crops in a warming climate," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    5. Pandey, Vimal Chandra & Bajpai, Omesh & Singh, Nandita, 2016. "Energy crops in sustainable phytoremediation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 58-73.
    6. Gigliola Ausiello & Luca Di Girolamo & Antonio Marano, 2019. "Sustainable Requalification: Hemp, Raw Earth, Sun, and Wind for Energy Strategies in a Case Study in Naples, Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-13, November.
    7. Obed Quaicoe & Fafanyo Asiseh & Omoanghe S. Isikhuemhen, 2023. "Qualitative Analysis of Industrial Hemp Production, Markets, and Sustainability in North Carolina, United States," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-19, April.
    8. Parvez, Ashak Mahmud & Lewis, Jonathan David & Afzal, Muhammad T., 2021. "Potential of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) for bioenergy production in Canada: Status, challenges and outlook," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    9. Jiří Velechovský & Matěj Malík & Lukáš Kaplan & Pavel Tlustoš, 2021. "Application of Individual Digestate Forms for the Improvement of Hemp Production," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-16, November.
    10. Mattia Rapa & Salvatore Ciano & Andrea Rocchi & Fabrizio D’Ascenzo & Roberto Ruggieri & Giuliana Vinci, 2019. "Hempseed Oil Quality Parameters: Optimization of Sustainable Methods by Miniaturization," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-13, June.
    11. Sinéad M. Madden & Alan Ryan & Patrick Walsh, 2022. "A Systems Thinking Approach Investigating the Estimated Environmental and Economic Benefits and Limitations of Industrial Hemp Cultivation in Ireland from 2017–2021," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-21, March.

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    Keywords

    Hemp; Energy crop; Bioenergy;
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