Tomatoes grown around LED lights in the winter can significantly reduce greenhouse energy costs without sacrificing yield, according to a Purdue University study. Cary Mitchell, a professor of horticulture, and doctoral student Celina Gómez experimented with light-emitting diodes, which are cooler and require far less energy than traditional high-pressure sodium lamps used in greenhouses. They got …Continue Reading
More than 100 national, state and regional organizations, have written to members of the US Congress urging them to support a Farm Bill with mandatory funding for renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. The letter was sent to House and Senate Agriculture Committees and was organized by the Agriculture Energy Coalition, 25×25 Alliance, Environmental Law & …Continue Reading
Ongoing drought in Midwest America is driving up the price of ethanol and threatening the long term sustainability of the biofuels industry. Heavy water shortages across the “corn belt,” the major maize producing region of the United States, have damaged the supply of corn bushels, driving up the price of ethanol fuel. This is another …Continue Reading
The state of Hawaii is offering energy audits for Hawaii agricultural producers and rural small businesses. The state is able to offer these audits through a $100,000 federal grant from the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program, according to Hawaii 247. The energy audit initiative will provide approved farms, agricultural producers and …Continue Reading
The US Department of Agriculture is seeking applications to provide assistance to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Funding is available from USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), which is designed to help agricultural producers and rural small businesses reduce energy costs and consumption. USDA is accepting …Continue Reading
Southern states are interested in energy efficiency — but they want a neutral source of information they can trust about what activities and behavior changes best suit their needs and industries, according to a report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. In producing Trusted Partners: Everyday Energy Efficiency Across the South, the Deep …Continue Reading
Beginning in summer 2012, the prices of ethanol and corn reached levels where production costs at relatively simple ethanol plants exceeded revenue. These simple plants, which are not able to recover corn oil, make up a diminishing portion of the ethanol industry. Reacting to the market conditions, several ethanol plants temporarily shut down. By January …Continue Reading
The US Departments of Agriculture and Energy announced a collaboration – the State Energy Extension Partnership – to equip rural small businesses and households with the efficiency tools, resources and training needed to reduce energy costs. The agencies are coupling the DOE’s energy efficiency expertise with USDA’s Cooperative Extension Service resources and leveraging USDA Rural …Continue Reading
GreenWhey Energy is building an anaerobic digester facility in Turtle Lake, Wis., that will turn 500,000 gallons per day of dairy wastewater into enough biogas to produce 3.2 MW of energy. The company says when it’s in full operation, the facility will be the first of its kind in the state, taking in the byproducts …Continue Reading
The Nebraska Public Power District has launched a test program to use solar energy to provide electricity for center pivot irrigation systems, JournalStar reports. Related items Mexico Solar: Martifer Builds 30 MW PV Plant, Gehrlicher Enters Mexico Strange Bedfellows for Solar: Ted Turner, Southern Co. Sacramento Powers Water Facilities With Solar Deals: Conergy Installs Solar …Continue Reading
