The prior installation of Cut-in left me leaving the Wyoming hill-top gas station thinking Willie Nelson's “on the road again.”
Into South Dakota a few hours and still no “What to do?” answer. Fine. I'd rather drive in peace and quiet. Plains and utility poles, poles and plains; the miles passed.
Somewhere between Rapid City and Pierre: “Windmills.”
“What? What do you mean 'windmills?'”
“In all this wind, use windmills,” was the reply.
“To do what, pump water?” (The nag said no more and was going to make me figure it out.)
After mulling for the subsequent 23 miles, I “saw” a wind turbine paired with every utility pole, generating electricity and using the existing wires to carry the power to where it was needed. The “Big Picture” gelled during the remaining miles to Watertown.
Manufacture the machines for installation throughout the state, perhaps as a “state concrete plant-like” organization.
Transportation, installation, maintenance, and repair all can be done by South Dakotans.
(Wind farming isn't “rocket science;” its been done world-wide. Transmission might be a problem. Hmmmm. Shouldn't be a "show-stopper.")
From that point it was a matter of going to the Watertown Regional Library for a couple of hours every day after the "day job" (with a few weeks at the Lake Area Technical Institute library) to learn “what to do.” Now I have to act to achieve the "Big Picture."
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
Cut-in (installation)
Cut-in describes what spurred me to edit this handbook on harvesting some of the 1,030 billion kWhs of wind power South Dakota enjoys (but not all South Dakotans) each year. With electricity and water rates going up here in Watertown, we should have 5 megawatts of windfarming to counter-balance those increases. (I can be "the squeaky wheel" so locals will act.)
All through grade and high schools in Watertown, I disliked the wind; it made riding a bike into town work during summers and numbed fingers during winters. Those memories and dozens of others resurfaced as I drove from Des Moines, Washington to Watertown that howling August day. The gas gauge was close to “Empty” as I exited I-90 near the Wyoming-South Dakota border to fill the tank.
“What an odd place for a gas station,” I grumbled as the winding secondary road led up to a broad, flat hilltop where the pumps were, along with a heavy-truck repair depot and a restaurant.
My mood was further soured by having to struggle to open the car door against that “God-forsaken wind” (a long-unused, but not forgotten phrase). It almost made me forget about the $3.10 per gallon gas I was burning- almost.
Gasoline prices mushroomed into crude oil prices which mushroomed into energy. Costs are a problem; problems mean opportunities for earning money; and other random thoughts bounced around in my head as the gasoline/money flowed. What can I do here, in this situation? Pieces of paper flew, clumps of tall grass were bent nearly flat, a stop sign jiggled, and my partially-open jacket billowed and strained at the zipper. Energy was all around me, “as plain as day,” but still untappable in my “forsaken” mind-set.
“Oh crap! Thirty-four dollars!” my penny-pincher screamed, jerking me back to the here-and- (painfully expensive) now. As I “swam” through the gusts in to pay, “What can I do?” continued to nag, as troublesome as a slow fly in mid-September. Of course returning to the car was a case of being hurled, one stride becoming 2 and a-half, clutching for the door handle like grab-bing a handrail during a stumble.
Safely at the door, once again I fussed with the door, stewing “What can be done with this shtuff?!” Still no answer (apparently it's easier to nag than to solve, I mocked.) Returning to I-90, the view from the hilltop was exquisite: lower hills softened by golden grass, purplish valleys, and a few puffy clouds overhead. I continued to gawk at it all, eventually finding the interstate ingress (I've always wanted to use that word instead of “entrance.”) without taking too many “scenic routes,” and was, as Willy Nelson might say, “on the road again.”
[Continued in next post.]
See current wind speed and direction at the Watertown Municipal Airport.
All through grade and high schools in Watertown, I disliked the wind; it made riding a bike into town work during summers and numbed fingers during winters. Those memories and dozens of others resurfaced as I drove from Des Moines, Washington to Watertown that howling August day. The gas gauge was close to “Empty” as I exited I-90 near the Wyoming-South Dakota border to fill the tank.
“What an odd place for a gas station,” I grumbled as the winding secondary road led up to a broad, flat hilltop where the pumps were, along with a heavy-truck repair depot and a restaurant.
My mood was further soured by having to struggle to open the car door against that “God-forsaken wind” (a long-unused, but not forgotten phrase). It almost made me forget about the $3.10 per gallon gas I was burning- almost.
Gasoline prices mushroomed into crude oil prices which mushroomed into energy. Costs are a problem; problems mean opportunities for earning money; and other random thoughts bounced around in my head as the gasoline/money flowed. What can I do here, in this situation? Pieces of paper flew, clumps of tall grass were bent nearly flat, a stop sign jiggled, and my partially-open jacket billowed and strained at the zipper. Energy was all around me, “as plain as day,” but still untappable in my “forsaken” mind-set.
“Oh crap! Thirty-four dollars!” my penny-pincher screamed, jerking me back to the here-and- (painfully expensive) now. As I “swam” through the gusts in to pay, “What can I do?” continued to nag, as troublesome as a slow fly in mid-September. Of course returning to the car was a case of being hurled, one stride becoming 2 and a-half, clutching for the door handle like grab-bing a handrail during a stumble.
Safely at the door, once again I fussed with the door, stewing “What can be done with this shtuff?!” Still no answer (apparently it's easier to nag than to solve, I mocked.) Returning to I-90, the view from the hilltop was exquisite: lower hills softened by golden grass, purplish valleys, and a few puffy clouds overhead. I continued to gawk at it all, eventually finding the interstate ingress (I've always wanted to use that word instead of “entrance.”) without taking too many “scenic routes,” and was, as Willy Nelson might say, “on the road again.”
[Continued in next post.]
See current wind speed and direction at the Watertown Municipal Airport.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
10 Steps to Successful Wind Farming- Step 1
The first two paragraphs of the 11 pages in Step 1 are
Know the wind quality at your site(s)
Cost-effective development of wind power for electricity generation occurs in areas rated Class 3 (gold) or higher. Because long-term meteorological tower measurements often indicate significantly greater- as much as one class or more- wind energy potential than the map shows, it is “money in your pocket” when you know the wind.
Wind energy density classes are color-coded on this NREL map of the South Dakota Wind Resource.
“Know your wind.” What exactly does that mean? In order to earn money by harvesting some of the 1,030 billion kWhs of power from the wind blowing through our state every year, you need to know the qualities of the wind at your site(s). Soil qualities such as moisture, pH, nitrogen, percentages of sand and/or clay determine potential crop yield; wind qualities are similar indicators of potential yield.
10 Steps to Successful Wind Farming "fleshes out" wind farming in a handbook on farm energy production I am editing. The paper version of the handbook will cost $5.95; a Microsoft Publisher file will be available for $8.95; an online version with more links than "you can shake a stick at" will be available by subscription. The link to the SD Wind Resource Map is one link in the online version; another example is "If you want to make wind variability visible, draw a “wind rose.”
Looking at the map tells us that nearly every South Dakotan can harvest and sell wind power and "green credits" to buyers nationwide. The handbook will be a starting point for action by individuals, groups, businesses, and communities, action that means profiting from every windy day.
Know the wind quality at your site(s)
Cost-effective development of wind power for electricity generation occurs in areas rated Class 3 (gold) or higher. Because long-term meteorological tower measurements often indicate significantly greater- as much as one class or more- wind energy potential than the map shows, it is “money in your pocket” when you know the wind.
Wind energy density classes are color-coded on this NREL map of the South Dakota Wind Resource.
“Know your wind.” What exactly does that mean? In order to earn money by harvesting some of the 1,030 billion kWhs of power from the wind blowing through our state every year, you need to know the qualities of the wind at your site(s). Soil qualities such as moisture, pH, nitrogen, percentages of sand and/or clay determine potential crop yield; wind qualities are similar indicators of potential yield.
10 Steps to Successful Wind Farming "fleshes out" wind farming in a handbook on farm energy production I am editing. The paper version of the handbook will cost $5.95; a Microsoft Publisher file will be available for $8.95; an online version with more links than "you can shake a stick at" will be available by subscription. The link to the SD Wind Resource Map is one link in the online version; another example is "If you want to make wind variability visible, draw a “wind rose.”
Looking at the map tells us that nearly every South Dakotan can harvest and sell wind power and "green credits" to buyers nationwide. The handbook will be a starting point for action by individuals, groups, businesses, and communities, action that means profiting from every windy day.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Farm energy production will "soften" coal
Lagerwey is developing a permanent magnet drive 100kW wind turbine. If the design is efficient and robust, every rural community on the Upper Great and Great Plains could install one or more to reduce the bite of increasing electricity rates and provide power to ethanol plants. Electricity is quality of life; rural Americans can act to improve "QoL."
A “Letter to the Editor” in The Wall Street Journal (13 August) spurred me to read the 25 June report the letter referenced in the context of HR 2154 (“Rural Energy”). America's “fossil-fuel addiction” will lead to diversifying ag incomes and wide-spread rural development through energy production. Or we will “twiddle our thumbs” until our quality of life “goes to hell in a hand-basket.” One or the other- our choice.
In enacting HR 2154- Rural Energy for America Act of 2007- the Congress found that--
(1) rising energy costs and uncertain long-term energy supplies threaten to undermine the growth of the United States economy;
(2) since 2003, fuel and fertilizer costs have nearly doubled for agricultural producers;
(3) there are continuing and increasing risks to the energy security of the United States;
(4) having an affordable, reliable, and plentiful energy supply will strengthen the United States economy and improve domestic energy security;
(5) the agricultural sector can provide a significant source of clean, sustainable energy for the United States that can reduce the dependence of the United States on imported energy and lower energy costs for all people of the United States;
(6) agriculture-based energy--
(A) boosts rural economic development
(B) increases farm-based income
(C) creates manufacturing, construction, and service jobs
(D) expands economic opportunity for all people and
(E) improves environmental quality.
A little more than one month later, on 25 July, 2007, “New Power Plants Fueled by Coal Are Put on Hold” was published by The Wall Street Journal. Rebecca Smith reported, on pages A1 and A10
--from coast to coast, plans for a new generation of coal-fired power plants are falling by the wayside as states conclude that conventional coal plants are too dirty to build and the cost of cleaner plants too high.
[agriculture-based energy- wind and solar power and biofuels- in contrast, are another aspect of the stewardship successfully practiced by American farmers, ranchers, and other operators]
--if significant numbers of new coal plants don't get built in the U.S. in coming years, it will put pressure on officials to
--clear the path for other power sources, including nuclear power or
--trim the nation's electricity demand, so far this year growing at a brisk 2.7% annualarized rate.
[more than 60 clean energy-related bills are in-work for the 110th Congress, many of them involving the agriculture industry in one way or another]
-- ... long-term consequences of not building the plants ... higher prices or the potential for shortages.
[a focused effort to harvest some of the more than three thousand billion kWhs of wind power that blows through the Upper Great Plains states each year can be a means to avoiding those consequences]
--by May 2007, 150 new plants were planned for construction alongside the 645 existing U.S. plants
--coal was expected to reduce the use of natural gas, even though coal emits twice as much carbon dioxide when burned as does NG
page A10
--nearly two dozen coal projects have been cancelled since early 2006 [source: National Energy Technology Laboratory]
--on 18 July, Citibank commented: “prophesies of a new wave of coal-fired generation have vaporized.“
--climate change has become a hot-button political issue
--China is expected to become a net importer of coal this year. Sales to China may substitute for [reduced] U.S. purchases.
--new nuke plants are several years away [and themselves face intense resistance from a number of groups]
--wind and solar power [aren't "always on at the flip of a switch"]
[what agriculture-based energy production lacks- for the time being- in efficiency compared to traditional power plants, it would make up for when millions of acres of agriculture land concurrently produce energy]
[agriculture-based energy production on the Upper Great Plains states co-exists with nearly all agriculture operations and other organizations. While many ag operations are seasonal, energy productions are perennial]
--if coal stumbles, natural gas is “the bridge fuel.” But other industries are increasing their use of NG as a fuel or raw material [such as for fertilizer, raising the specter of importing more foreign NG, in addition to oil].
--sudden and forceful changes to the nature of the power industry have arisen because of environmental concerns and the costs associated with eradicating them
[wind and solar power production use no fossil fuels, so no emissions. Biofuels may or may not emit fewer pollutants than fossil fuels; it depends on who is measuring and what is being measured. One agriculture-based energy production method- anaerobic digestion- converts animal wastes into hydrogen and other products.]
--Minnesota Public Utilities Commission is not in favor of Xcel Energy buying coal gas from Excelsior Energy largely because a $635.4 million pipeline for carrying carbon dioxide would have to be built
--Xcel in Colorado is buying 775 MW of wind power to offset the carbon dioxide emitted by a 750 MW coal-fired plant
--Peabody Energy and ConocoPhillips may build a coal gasification plant; claims its coal gas [$5 – $6 per trillion cubic feet] may be price-competitive with natural gas [$2 – $3 per trillion cubic feet]. [What assumptions allow this?]
[weighing all of the pros and cons, from environmental to manufacturing job creation to local economic development, wind power today is price-competitive with coal- and nuclear-fired power plants].
Several high-wind hours on Aug 15 here in Watertown: SE at 8 mph; also had a couple of hours of Calm (less than 5 mph).
'Til next time, Best Wind.
A “Letter to the Editor” in The Wall Street Journal (13 August) spurred me to read the 25 June report the letter referenced in the context of HR 2154 (“Rural Energy”). America's “fossil-fuel addiction” will lead to diversifying ag incomes and wide-spread rural development through energy production. Or we will “twiddle our thumbs” until our quality of life “goes to hell in a hand-basket.” One or the other- our choice.
In enacting HR 2154- Rural Energy for America Act of 2007- the Congress found that--
(1) rising energy costs and uncertain long-term energy supplies threaten to undermine the growth of the United States economy;
(2) since 2003, fuel and fertilizer costs have nearly doubled for agricultural producers;
(3) there are continuing and increasing risks to the energy security of the United States;
(4) having an affordable, reliable, and plentiful energy supply will strengthen the United States economy and improve domestic energy security;
(5) the agricultural sector can provide a significant source of clean, sustainable energy for the United States that can reduce the dependence of the United States on imported energy and lower energy costs for all people of the United States;
(6) agriculture-based energy--
(A) boosts rural economic development
(B) increases farm-based income
(C) creates manufacturing, construction, and service jobs
(D) expands economic opportunity for all people and
(E) improves environmental quality.
A little more than one month later, on 25 July, 2007, “New Power Plants Fueled by Coal Are Put on Hold” was published by The Wall Street Journal. Rebecca Smith reported, on pages A1 and A10
--from coast to coast, plans for a new generation of coal-fired power plants are falling by the wayside as states conclude that conventional coal plants are too dirty to build and the cost of cleaner plants too high.
[agriculture-based energy- wind and solar power and biofuels- in contrast, are another aspect of the stewardship successfully practiced by American farmers, ranchers, and other operators]
--if significant numbers of new coal plants don't get built in the U.S. in coming years, it will put pressure on officials to
--clear the path for other power sources, including nuclear power or
--trim the nation's electricity demand, so far this year growing at a brisk 2.7% annualarized rate.
[more than 60 clean energy-related bills are in-work for the 110th Congress, many of them involving the agriculture industry in one way or another]
-- ... long-term consequences of not building the plants ... higher prices or the potential for shortages.
[a focused effort to harvest some of the more than three thousand billion kWhs of wind power that blows through the Upper Great Plains states each year can be a means to avoiding those consequences]
--by May 2007, 150 new plants were planned for construction alongside the 645 existing U.S. plants
--coal was expected to reduce the use of natural gas, even though coal emits twice as much carbon dioxide when burned as does NG
page A10
--nearly two dozen coal projects have been cancelled since early 2006 [source: National Energy Technology Laboratory]
--on 18 July, Citibank commented: “prophesies of a new wave of coal-fired generation have vaporized.“
--climate change has become a hot-button political issue
--China is expected to become a net importer of coal this year. Sales to China may substitute for [reduced] U.S. purchases.
--new nuke plants are several years away [and themselves face intense resistance from a number of groups]
--wind and solar power [aren't "always on at the flip of a switch"]
[what agriculture-based energy production lacks- for the time being- in efficiency compared to traditional power plants, it would make up for when millions of acres of agriculture land concurrently produce energy]
[agriculture-based energy production on the Upper Great Plains states co-exists with nearly all agriculture operations and other organizations. While many ag operations are seasonal, energy productions are perennial]
--if coal stumbles, natural gas is “the bridge fuel.” But other industries are increasing their use of NG as a fuel or raw material [such as for fertilizer, raising the specter of importing more foreign NG, in addition to oil].
--sudden and forceful changes to the nature of the power industry have arisen because of environmental concerns and the costs associated with eradicating them
[wind and solar power production use no fossil fuels, so no emissions. Biofuels may or may not emit fewer pollutants than fossil fuels; it depends on who is measuring and what is being measured. One agriculture-based energy production method- anaerobic digestion- converts animal wastes into hydrogen and other products.]
--Minnesota Public Utilities Commission is not in favor of Xcel Energy buying coal gas from Excelsior Energy largely because a $635.4 million pipeline for carrying carbon dioxide would have to be built
--Xcel in Colorado is buying 775 MW of wind power to offset the carbon dioxide emitted by a 750 MW coal-fired plant
--Peabody Energy and ConocoPhillips may build a coal gasification plant; claims its coal gas [$5 – $6 per trillion cubic feet] may be price-competitive with natural gas [$2 – $3 per trillion cubic feet]. [What assumptions allow this?]
[weighing all of the pros and cons, from environmental to manufacturing job creation to local economic development, wind power today is price-competitive with coal- and nuclear-fired power plants].
Several high-wind hours on Aug 15 here in Watertown: SE at 8 mph; also had a couple of hours of Calm (less than 5 mph).
'Til next time, Best Wind.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Wind turbine definitions
A bit of searching for established definitions of turbine categories left me with the impression that the reader and installer of a machine essentially defines the "middle wind" (community wind) turbine size. Here's what I think
- micro- or architectural wind turbine: has a rated power of under 500 watts
- small wind turbine: has a rated power of 500 watts to 35 kW
- community wind: has a rated power of 35 kW to 250 kW (or as North Dakota SEED indirectly states, "all developments that do qualify for net metering")
- large wind turbine: has a rated power of more than 250 kW.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 is passed
It is the sense of Congress in HR 2419 RH that—
(1) energy demand in the United States is projected to increase by more than 30 percent over the next two decades;
(2) increased production of renewable energy and growth of its infrastructure would assist the United States in meeting the growing energy demand;
(3) continued, and even accelerated, development of renewable energy inputs and technologies provide numerous benefits to the United States, including improved national security and economic growth;
(4) while it should be a priority of the Federal Government to continue to promote policies and in1centives to stimulate growth and development of renewable energy infrastructure, it should be recognized that the marketplace is also an important instrument to determine which renewable energy sources and technologies will provide the most efficient and effective energy production;
(5) renewable energy inputs and technology must be available in abundant quantities and provide energy at competitive prices in a reliable manner for the American consumer; and
(6) it is in the interest of the United States to diversify its energy portfolio and increase the energy independence of the United States by further developing alternative forms of energy.
In that context, then, important areas to explore include
Title VI—Rural Development
Sec. 6013. Rural entrepreneur and microenterprise assistance program.
Sec. 6021. Rural strategic investment program.
Sec. 6030. Guarantees for bonds and notes issued for electrification or telephone purposes.
Title IX—Energy
Sec. 9004. Energy audit and renewable energy development program.Sec. 9005. Renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements.
Sec. 9009. Energy Council of the Department of Agriculture.
Sec. 9011. Rural energy self-sufficiency initiative.
Nuclear power is government- and security-intensive. Wind and solar power and biodiesel production for local use are agricultural land-intensive. The latter empower rural Americans to develop the "Energy Basket" as they provided for the world's "Bread Basket." We have to act, not just plan.
(1) energy demand in the United States is projected to increase by more than 30 percent over the next two decades;
(2) increased production of renewable energy and growth of its infrastructure would assist the United States in meeting the growing energy demand;
(3) continued, and even accelerated, development of renewable energy inputs and technologies provide numerous benefits to the United States, including improved national security and economic growth;
(4) while it should be a priority of the Federal Government to continue to promote policies and in1centives to stimulate growth and development of renewable energy infrastructure, it should be recognized that the marketplace is also an important instrument to determine which renewable energy sources and technologies will provide the most efficient and effective energy production;
(5) renewable energy inputs and technology must be available in abundant quantities and provide energy at competitive prices in a reliable manner for the American consumer; and
(6) it is in the interest of the United States to diversify its energy portfolio and increase the energy independence of the United States by further developing alternative forms of energy.
In that context, then, important areas to explore include
Title VI—Rural Development
Sec. 6013. Rural entrepreneur and microenterprise assistance program.
Sec. 6021. Rural strategic investment program.
Sec. 6030. Guarantees for bonds and notes issued for electrification or telephone purposes.
Title IX—Energy
Sec. 9004. Energy audit and renewable energy development program.Sec. 9005. Renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements.
Sec. 9009. Energy Council of the Department of Agriculture.
Sec. 9011. Rural energy self-sufficiency initiative.
Nuclear power is government- and security-intensive. Wind and solar power and biodiesel production for local use are agricultural land-intensive. The latter empower rural Americans to develop the "Energy Basket" as they provided for the world's "Bread Basket." We have to act, not just plan.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Farm energy production is blossoming
A business opportunity in farm energy production is something I can't pass by. I will move most of my time from blogging to developing a business plan; even so, I will post twice each week- fully remembering what my Grandma Moen used to warn: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions!"- to spur wind development and its subsequent rural development.
As you know, farm energy production is harnessing renewable energy sources such as wind, oil seeds, solar, biomass, geothermal, and microhydro to reduce energy consumption and sell excess energy in the forms of electricity and biofuels.
Farm energy production is fostered by federal legislation and regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies such as IRS.
Here in South Dakota, which has the nation's fourth-best annual wind power potential of 1,030 billion kWh and marginal to good agricultural land, farm energy production is a superb fit into daily agricultural practices.
____________________________
In late May, former Senators Bob Dole (R-KS) and Tom Daschle (D-SD) released New Markets for American Agriculture, a report by the 21st Century Agriculture Project, sponsored by the Bipartisan Policy Center. The report highlights investing in biofuels and wind farms to provide farmers and ranchers with new and diversified sources of income.
"Today, America's farmers and ranchers are facing an array of new challenges. ... Amidst these many challenges, lay many opportunities...."
"A strong agricultural sector is a pillar of America’s growing economy,
• providing a secure domestic food supply
• helping to reduce our dependence on foreign oil
• generating renewable energy
• increasing exports and
• providing needed income to rural communities."
____________________________
"Representatives Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) introduced major new clean energy development legislation for the next Farm Bill. Their bipartisan bill expands the size and scope of the already-successful Farm Bill Section 9006 clean energy program into a new "Rural Energy for America Program," or REAP. HR 2154 IH cited as the 'Rural Energy for America Act of 2007.'" Source.
____________________________
Information research, analysis, and writing are put to work developing visible knowledge for farm energy.
In the same vein of making knowledge visible, "roadmaps" can be developed and marketed to
• streamline application
• reduce paperwork
• ensure feasibility and achievability and
• clarify who is as well as what technologies are eligible for different programs.
Visible knowledge informs and guides potential participants to ensure compliance and strengthen the likelihood of successful outcomes. Ag business and rural small business people have severe time constraints and may not have ready access to the broad scope of information and expertise they need to take part in farm energy projects. Visible knowledge tackles those two problems.
____________________________
On March 8, 2007 - Montana's senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus introduced Senate bill 828: To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to make cost-share payments for on-farm energy production under the environmental quality incentives program.
Cited as the "On-farm Energy Production Act of 2007."
SEC. 2. Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
(a) Purposes- Amends Section 1240 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa).
SEC. 1240J. On-Farm Energy Production.
(a) In General- In carrying out the program under this chapter, the Secretary shall promote on-farm energy production by providing cost-share payments to producers that produce energy on the farms of the producers, including--
(1) solar energy;
(2) wind energy; and
(3) renewable fuel (as that term is defined in section 211(o) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7545(o)).
On-farm energy production amendment to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
____________________________
On-Farm Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy is in the March-April 2005 issue of the ATTRAnews newsletter.
• Solar-Powered Livestock Watering Systems
• Reaping What We Sow: A Long-Range View of Farm-Based Renewable
• Energy
• Biodiesel—A Primer
• ATTRA and NCAT Publications about On-Farm Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy
• The Realities of Wind Energy
• Resources for On-Farm Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy
• How Leaks and Worn Sprinkler Nozzles Cost You Money and
• ATTRA New and Updated Publications.
____________________________
A 24-hour summary of wind and temperature at Watertown, South Dakota.
'Til next time; Best Wind.
As you know, farm energy production is harnessing renewable energy sources such as wind, oil seeds, solar, biomass, geothermal, and microhydro to reduce energy consumption and sell excess energy in the forms of electricity and biofuels.
Farm energy production is fostered by federal legislation and regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies such as IRS.
Here in South Dakota, which has the nation's fourth-best annual wind power potential of 1,030 billion kWh and marginal to good agricultural land, farm energy production is a superb fit into daily agricultural practices.
____________________________
In late May, former Senators Bob Dole (R-KS) and Tom Daschle (D-SD) released New Markets for American Agriculture, a report by the 21st Century Agriculture Project, sponsored by the Bipartisan Policy Center. The report highlights investing in biofuels and wind farms to provide farmers and ranchers with new and diversified sources of income.
"Today, America's farmers and ranchers are facing an array of new challenges. ... Amidst these many challenges, lay many opportunities...."
"A strong agricultural sector is a pillar of America’s growing economy,
• providing a secure domestic food supply
• helping to reduce our dependence on foreign oil
• generating renewable energy
• increasing exports and
• providing needed income to rural communities."
____________________________
"Representatives Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) introduced major new clean energy development legislation for the next Farm Bill. Their bipartisan bill expands the size and scope of the already-successful Farm Bill Section 9006 clean energy program into a new "Rural Energy for America Program," or REAP. HR 2154 IH cited as the 'Rural Energy for America Act of 2007.'" Source.
____________________________
Information research, analysis, and writing are put to work developing visible knowledge for farm energy.
In the same vein of making knowledge visible, "roadmaps" can be developed and marketed to
• streamline application
• reduce paperwork
• ensure feasibility and achievability and
• clarify who is as well as what technologies are eligible for different programs.
Visible knowledge informs and guides potential participants to ensure compliance and strengthen the likelihood of successful outcomes. Ag business and rural small business people have severe time constraints and may not have ready access to the broad scope of information and expertise they need to take part in farm energy projects. Visible knowledge tackles those two problems.
____________________________
On March 8, 2007 - Montana's senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus introduced Senate bill 828: To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to make cost-share payments for on-farm energy production under the environmental quality incentives program.
Cited as the "On-farm Energy Production Act of 2007."
SEC. 2. Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
(a) Purposes- Amends Section 1240 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa).
SEC. 1240J. On-Farm Energy Production.
(a) In General- In carrying out the program under this chapter, the Secretary shall promote on-farm energy production by providing cost-share payments to producers that produce energy on the farms of the producers, including--
(1) solar energy;
(2) wind energy; and
(3) renewable fuel (as that term is defined in section 211(o) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7545(o)).
On-farm energy production amendment to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
____________________________
On-Farm Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy is in the March-April 2005 issue of the ATTRAnews newsletter.
• Solar-Powered Livestock Watering Systems
• Reaping What We Sow: A Long-Range View of Farm-Based Renewable
• Energy
• Biodiesel—A Primer
• ATTRA and NCAT Publications about On-Farm Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy
• The Realities of Wind Energy
• Resources for On-Farm Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy
• How Leaks and Worn Sprinkler Nozzles Cost You Money and
• ATTRA New and Updated Publications.
____________________________
A 24-hour summary of wind and temperature at Watertown, South Dakota.
'Til next time; Best Wind.
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