Agriculture is a large part of our state’s economy, our way of life, and providing the tools to keep land use and livestock healthy is a necessity to our survival. While most of the energy consumed in agriculture operations is obtained from fossil fuels, farmers and supporting business operations are finding more efficient, cleaner, and less expensive ways to reduce their usage and dependence on fossil fuels.
We have provided information below that takes a snapshot into the ideas, technology, and tools other agricultural producers are using to utilize electricity in new, exciting ways!
Farm Beneficial Electrification
Beneficial electrification is an opportunity to offer diverse services at an increased value to member-consumers. That is especially true for farms, which are promising candidates for end-use electrification with the development of many new electric farm technologies.
Ultimately, the decision by farmers to electrify comes down to return on investment, convenience and assurance that the benefits outweigh the risk. Co-ops can make that an easier decision by offering multiple electrification opportunities that are economically, environmentally and mutually beneficial.
At the top of the farm beneficial electrification list are electric tractors and farm vehicles, greenhouse and livestock barn space heating and irrigation electrification. Co-op initiatives can help farms make a plan and practically implement a beneficial electrification program that makes sense.
To download the report, click on the image.
The Future of Farming
Approximately 9% of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture. Electrification can help transition farms from fossil fuels to clean energy, but that process is not without challenges.
Arizona State’s School of Sustainability and The Sustainability Consortium join forces for a 90-minute discussion of the opportunities and challenges in creating an electrified farm of the future.
To watch the video or download the slides, click the image.
Best Practices For Farmers & Utilities
Electrification has been and will continue to be a driving force of increased productivity and quality of life for agricultural producers. As a result, there are multiple opportunities to maximize the benefits, from USDA programs to practical day-to-day operations.
Some of the best practices for implementation are offered for electrified agriculture, electrification and automation relating to field crops, livestock and specialty crops, demand response programs and technology, energy storage and distributed generation while offering potential growth and trends for electricity in the agricultural sector.
For more information, click on the image to download the presentation.
Radio Wave Grain Drying Systems
For over 50 years, drying grain has primarily been accomplished with high heat dryers utilizing natural gas or liquid propane, accompanied by electricity driven power fans and motors. These drying systems can lead to large energy expenses for producers.
Radio wave grain drying is an emerging technology that uses radio waves instead of heat to remove water from the inside out of individual grains. It has the potential to reduce costs as well as improve grain quality and is being tested on a number of small farms.
To read more about this, download the report by clicking the image.
