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The southeastern USA has the potential to be a significant producer of bio‐based products; however, research is still needed to demonstrate the most cost‐effective feedstock delivery system for this region. A logistic system that has shown promise is one utilizing a network of supply depots. This study calculated the cost to produce a stream of size‐reduced herbaceous biomass (i.e., switchgrass) for five theoretical depots in the Piedmont province. Three depots were located in south central Virginia and two in north central North Carolina. A logistics system with a 20‐bale handling unit was used for load‐out operations at 199 theoretical satellite storage locations (SSLs) within a 48 km radius of each depot location. The distribution of potential production fields and the transportation distance from SSLs to the depots were determined with spatial and network analyses. Based on an analysis of potential land cover available for feedstock production, the annual capacity per depot ranged from 80 839 to 170 830 Mg, resulting in a total annual capacity of 555 195 Mg for all five depots. Cost to deliver feedstock for 24/7 operation, 48 weeks per year ranged from 46.03 to 62.86 USD Mg−1 annual capacity. At the low end, these costs were: SSL operation (22%), truck (29%), receiving facility (26%), and debaling‐size‐reduction (23%). The principle economy‐of‐scale factors were the receiving facility and debaling‐size‐reduction costs. To minimize per‐Mg cost, depot capacity should be chosen such that equipment can be operated as close to 80% of design capacity as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The push for renewable energy sources has local government agencies striving to optimize their limited resources. Various energy sources are often explored depending on the region – for example, wind, solar, geothermal, and bioenergy. The Piedmont region of the USA has the potential to be a significant player in the production of biomass to supply a biorefinery. However, before local agencies and private biorefineries can invest in such an endeavor, the potential feedstock supply must be quantified. The goal of this study was to perform a land‐use assessment for the 166 counties spanning five states (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama) that make up the bulk of the Piedmont region. For each county, the potential for producing and supplying herbaceous feedstock (i.e., switchgrass) was quantified based on 2017 land use. Only 48% of the counties had the potential to supply a biorefinery larger than 0.5 round bales per min (bpm) (97 000 Mg year–1). To supply a more reasonably sized biorefinery, the Piedmont counties were organized into 34 multi‐county zones. For these zones, the potential switchgrass production to supply a biorefinery ranged from 50 000 Mg year–1 to 360 000 Mg year–1. The total feedstock production for the region was 6 470 000 Mg year–1, equal to a potential production of about 3.3% of the current US consumption of ethanol for blending with gasoline. The development of a bioenergy industry in the Piedmont will require local leadership and initiative; however, this study provides the first step in envisioning the potential of such an industry. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]