Energy Options for the Farm: An Overview

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Energy Options for the FarmAn Overview

• How farmers can increase revenues with energy
  options.

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Farms are much more efficient now than in the
past.

• Direct energy consumption
• Electricity used for irrigation and lighting and
  HVAC for livestock
• Fuel for machinery used in planting, harvesting,
  drying and transportation
• down 30 since
  1978.

3
Farms are much more efficient now than in the
past.

• Indirect energy consumption
• Fertilizer and pesticide use
• down 38 since 1980.

4
Farms are much more efficient now than in the
past.

• Direct energy consumption down 30
• Advent of diesel-powered equipment on the farm
  since late 1970s

• More fuel efficient
• Diesel fuel traditionally less expensive
• Can handle needs of larger farms

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Farms are much more efficient now than in the
past.

• Indirect energy consumption down 38
• Fertilizer and pesticide use accounts for 29
  percent of total farm energy input.
• Energy inputs for fertilizers have decreased
  significantly since 1980.
• 11 percent for nitrogen fertilizers
• 27 percent for phosphorous fertilizers

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New energy options

• Farmers can take advantage of a new harvest -
  energy from
• Crops
• Residue
• Technology
• Wind and solar

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Biodiesel

• Diesel engines designed to run on plant oil
• Relatively simple refining process removes
• esters and leaves fuel
• Uses on the farm include equipment and space
  heating
• Existing market for fuels
• up to B20
• Emerging market for fuels
• up to B100
• Infrastructure in place

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Biodiesel

• Considerations
• Fuel quality
• Fuel temperature and gelling
• Needs time, expense analysis farm-by-farm
• Reduces most pollutants
• Reduces CO2
• but not carbon-neutral
• Positive energy balance
• Taxed
• if used as on-road fuel

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Biomass

• Most exciting new fuel potential
• High-yield refining process still in RD
• Will use any cellulose, include crop residue,
  wood fiber, etc.
• Will require new techniques, shift in crops
• Potential for 1 billion dry tons by 2050
• Market and infrastructure already in place for
  use of wood and grasses in pellet fuels

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Biomass

• Considerations
• Changes in crops, tilling, land use, transport
• Effect of removing residue from soil
• Increased use of perennial crops
• Changes in economics of producing
• distiller and feed grains
• Process not ready for farm use
• Probably not suitable for
• small coops or individual farms

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Ethanol

• Best known, most controversial
• Latest research indicates positive energy
  balance, but not long-term success from corn
• Most success may come from grasses and short-term
  woody crops
• Infrastructure, market growing because of MTBE
  replacment
• Driver for other cellulose markets

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Ethanol
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Ethanol

• Considerations
• More than 20 of US crops in corn-ethanol
  production will adversely impact markets
• Other cellulose fuel stocks may be more
  economical than corn
• Trade offs for valuable land
• Small grower tax incentives

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Geothermal

• Ground-source heat pumps attractive in areas with
  wide temperature differences
• Cold winters, hot summers increase feasibility
• Constant underground temperature
• Economic feasibility
• 25 to 50 energy savings make ROI short
• Same closed-loop system heats cools

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Geothermal
Closed-loop system delivering ground-source heat
to a building
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Geothermal

• Simultaneously heat cool different parts of the
  same building
• Can be set up in multiple zones, with each zone
  having an individual room control
• Greater freedoms in building design due to 50-80
  less mechanical room space
• Pipes have 40-year life expectancy
• All electric, which eliminates
• multiple utility services
• Ground heat exchanger is
• maintenance free and will
• last 40 years

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Biogas (Methane)

• Methane from livestock is a major challenge for
  dairy, swine, and other farms.
• Methane 20 times more powerful than CO2 as a
  greenhouse gas
• Anaerobic digesters turn biogas (60-70 methane)
  into fuel
• Biogas has 60 the BTUs of natural gas

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Biogas (Methane)

• Considerations
• Digesters reduce smell and ground- and
  surface-water contamination
• Biogas is explosive and poses a safety hazard and
  cannot be economically liquified for storage or
  shipment
• Digester lagoons must maintain temperature and
  systems must be monitored regularly
• Systems are expensive

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Solar

• Solar energy economical for remote power
  applications
• Cost of power lines
• Loss of arable land to power lines
• Systems of less than 1 kW
• Stock watering
• Irrigation
• Ventilation

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Solar

• Solar water heating
• Relatively inexpensive
• Maintain temperature for anaerobic digesters
• Space heating
• Passive solar
• Use of simple black-roof designs
• Hay drying
• Heating for livestock barns
• Utility incentive programs

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Wind

• First consideration Is there wind?
• Minimum of 12 to 15 mph
• Two possibilities
• Lease land to wind developer (1500 - 2000 per
  year for _at_ large turbine) for 30 years
• Put up your own turbine of 75kW or less
• Cost is the issue
• 3000 per kW
• 10 kW system is about 50,000

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Wind

• Considerations
• Presence of wind
• How will the power be used
• on the farm?
• Cost-benefit
• Turbines may be 100s of feet high
• Local ordinances
• Grid connection and net-metering
• Local, utility, state, and/or federal incentives