FARM ENERGY NEWS BLOG » Publications

Wisconsin Sustainable Planting and Harvest Guidelines for Nonforest Biomass

Karl — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:19:01 +0000

Interest in bioenergy is increasing in response to concerns about energy security, energy independence, and environmental and climate impacts associated with use of non-renewable energy resources. The expansion of the biomass energy industry has the potential to benefit Wisconsin’s water resources, wildlife habitat, and agricultural sectors by reducing erosion, providing a market for materials removed during habitat man-agement activities, expanding markets for agricultural products, creating jobs and reducing reliance on non-renewable fuels.

The development of science-based voluntary guidelines, which can be found in this 98-page publication, in advance of widespread biomass planting and harvesting in Wisconsin is intended to help ensure sustainability of and, whenever possible, provide a benefit to the natural resources of the state. These voluntary guidelines will help users make informed decisions about bioenergy production on both public and private lands throughout Wisconsin and help inform policy decisions for future emerging bioenergy programs. Download the report. . .

NREL publication examines Feed-in Tariffs in promoting renewable energy

Karl — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 19:31:08 +0000

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewalbe Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO, published a report in July 2010 on Feed-in tariffs (FITs)—considered to be one of the most widely used policies in the world for accelerating renewable energy (RE) deployment. FITs accounti for a greater share of RE development than either tax incentives or renewable portfolio standard (RPS) policies (REN21 2009).

In total, FITs are responsible for approximately 75% of global PV and 45% of global wind deployment (Deutsche Bank 2010). Countries such as Germany, in particular, have demonstrated that FITs can be used as a powerful policy tool to drive RE deployment and help meet combined energy security and emissions reductions objectives (Germany BMU 2007). Download report: A Policymaker’s Guide to Feed-in Tariff Policy Design.

Wisconsin Agricultural Biogas Casebook (2009)

Karl — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 02:08:46 +0000

This updated November 2009 report offers excellent and concise overviews (along with some history) of the 21 operating anaerobic digester (AD) systems in Wisconsin (at the time this report was published). The 93-page report offers good background on how these AD systems are working in Wisconsin.

In addition, the digester owners have generously shared experiences, ideas and innovations that may prove invaluable to those evaluating similar options for their farms.

The report was prepared by Joe Kramer, of the Energy Center of Wisconsin, for the Wiscosin Focus on Energy program.

Download the report (2.5 MB)

ACORE-EPRI paper identifies R&D requirements for expansion of renewable energy

Karl — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 03:29:07 +0000

Washington, DC — The American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) have collaborated to identify research, development, demonstration and deployment (RDD&D) requirements that would enable broad expansion of renewable energy.

The paper, titled “Reinventing Renewable Energy: Toward a Technology Strategy for Improving Security, Creating Jobs & Reducing Emissions”, was released in July 2009 and identifies the challenges facing wider use of renewable energy in the U.S. It encompassed wind power, solar energy, bioenergy, geothermal energy , hydropower, tidal, wave and other ocean power, and waste-energy resources across all application sectors including electricity generation, transportation fuels, and heating and cooling applications.

“This paper represents an interim milestone in our continuing programs to bring industry, government, and institutions together to identify the requirements – in this case research and development to advance the technologies – in order to make renewable energy fully cost-competitive compared to legacy generating technologies,” said Michael Eckhart, president of ACORE.

Note: You can download the discussion paper from the Farm Energy News web site’s Publications page.

New Publication Examines On-Farm Energy Use

Karl — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 02:26:07 +0000

AMES, Iowa — Equipment used in modern agriculture reduces labor, but consumes fuel and energy. So how much energy are Iowa’s agricultural producers using? A new Iowa State University Extension publication answers that question.

Click here to link to download page: “Farm Energy: How Much Energy Is Being Used on Your Farm?” (PM 2089A). The publication is available to download from the Extension Online Store, www.extension.iastate.edu/store/. The publication offers initial steps that help farmers analyze their farm energy use. Go to “environment” category under main topics section.