Cool idea... but doing some back-of-the-envelope calcs on this, I get:
Yield, assuming 3 harvests/year = ~ 24,000 l ethanol per year
Price of ethanol =~ $1/l... if feedstock = 50% of price, then value of beet grown = ~ $12,000/year
Neglecting all running and maintenance costs,to get a 6% return you'd need to cover your hectare with conveyor belt for $200,000... that's $20/m2, inc substructure. Considering carpet costs $40+/m2... I doubt this could be done economically.
The commenter is already assuming no maintenance costs. The $20/m^2 is the number you'd have to hit to be economically viable (with $0 maintenance) rather than putting the money in the market for a 6% return.
Yield, assuming 3 harvests/year = ~ 24,000 l ethanol per year
Price of ethanol =~ $1/l... if feedstock = 50% of price, then value of beet grown = ~ $12,000/year
Neglecting all running and maintenance costs,to get a 6% return you'd need to cover your hectare with conveyor belt for $200,000... that's $20/m2, inc substructure. Considering carpet costs $40+/m2... I doubt this could be done economically.
Comments?