A G R I C U L T U R E A N D E N E R G Y

Michael Comiter, Valerie Lantigua, Aimee Klaschus, Arisa Kitagishi

I m a g i n efor a moment that America suddenly lost access to al l of its non renewable resources: no coal, no petroleum, no natural gas.

Agriculture, as an integral part of the development of new renewable resources, must take a leading role in research and

implementation.

Current Legislation Energy Independence and Security Act (2007)

36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022 Sunshot Initiative: make solar competitive by

2020 Tax breaks: PTC and ITC

Wind Wind turbines use small amounts of land,

and minimally interfere with crop production.

The 1.2 billion in new income to farmers and rural landowners by 2020

2- 6 cents/kwH average

Solar Crop drying and solar greenhouses Photovoltaic and Thermal Reduced operating cost Combined with other technologies

Bioenergy: Biomass and Its Derivatives What is Biomass? Can be burned,

gasified, or turned into ethanol and diesel

Anaerobic decomposition of biomass produces Methane, a greenhouse gas 21x more potent than carbon

Biomass crops: miscanthus, switchgrass, canola, sunflower, corn, willow, cottontree

Bioenergy: Biodiesel What is Biodiesel? Popular in agricultural operations Potentially as low as $1.20 a gallon Biodiesel crops: Algae, canola, sunflower,

rapeseed

Bioenergy: Ethanol What is Ethanol? Controversy: Food vs Fuel 2006-2007, 34% increase in production

Pros Cleaner air

Ethanol reduces tailpipe carbon monoxide emissions by up to 30%, exhaust volatile organic compounds by 12%, and particulate matter emissions by at least 25%.

100% Biodegradable Less Foreign Dependency Creates a market for ethanol

feedstock Large scale job creation

Cons Feedstock prices are increasing Corn in the main feedstock Corn has poor energy return Lack of governmental incentives

Public Opinion

Possible Solutions Utilization of farm waste, such as corn-stover Facilitation of spare land for wind turbines and solar

panels Switching to native crops with higher yield per acre

like canola, miscanthus, and switchgrass Federal grants to provide funding for implementation

of energy-providing or energy-efficient practices (i.e. BMPs)

Greater infrastructure

Agriculture’s Role in Renewable Energy

The ultimate decision rests in the hands of the individual farmer.