Biofuel

It seems yet another CO2 neutral way of making the lights go on when you flick the switch has been found. Thanks to the scientists at University of Illinois.

Field trials of the grass called Miscanthus in Illinois showed it could be very effective as an economically and environmentally sustainable energy crop.

Professor Steve Long and his colleagues at the University of Illinois obtained a yield of about 60 tonnes per hectare of the tall willowy grass last year.

"If about 8 percent of the land area (of the state) was given over to this grass, and assuming only half of those yields were obtained, we would obtain enough dry matter to generate the total electricity used by of the state if Illinois, which includes the city of Chicago," he told a science conference.

Just for the metrically challenged 1 hectare = 2.471 acres, and 1 tonne = 2,204.6 pounds.

Get on it farmers!