Life Cycle Costs and Life Cycle Assessment for the Harvesting, Conversion, and the Use of Switchgrass to Produce Electricity

Table 5

Initial construction costs of the selected storage systems (storage losses are not included) [35].

Storage system for square bales (950 lb/bale)	Cost per m^2 ($)	Life years	Annual costs ($/m^2)	Cost per bale ($)		Cost per ton ($)
Collective storage facility	107.64	15	12.58	10 bales high		10 bales high
				3.77		7.95
Pole frame structure-enclosed on crushed rock	70.39–107.64	15	8.22–12.58	5 bales high; 4.93–7.55	6 bales high; 4.11–6.29	5 bales high; 10.39–15.89	6 bales high; 8.66–13.24
Reusable tarp on crushed rock (19.8 sq. ft/bale i.e., 1.84 m^2/bale)	1.47	5	0.37	4 bales high		4 bales high
				1.39		2.92
Outside Unprotected on crushed rock	2.70	5	0.68	0.51		1.07
Outside and unprotected on ground	0.00	—	0.00	0.00		0.00