Energy Resources

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Energy Resources

• SRC Meeting
• Albuquerque, NM,
• 3/7-3/10, 2005
• Stefanie Aschmann
• Bioenergy Team Leader, WNTSC
• stefanie.aschmann_at_por.usda.gov
• Doug Lawrence
• Acting Dir, Res. Econ Social Sci. Div.
• doug.lawrence_at_usda.gov

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Objectives

• Background
• Draft Strategic Plan
• CSP
• Energy Calculator demonstration

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Background
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What is Energy?
The capacity to do work
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On-Farm Energy

• Photosynthetic
• Direct
• Embodied

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Why do we care?

• Global warming (global)
• Energy independence (national)
• Economics (local)

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National Energy Policy of 2001 Objective
Provide reliable, affordable and
environmentally sound energy for Americas
future by increasing energy efficiency,
diversifying domestic energy supplies and
improving environmental protection.
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Background (continued)

• Renewable energy use in US 6
• Huge opportunity for farms
• Increase self-sufficiency
• Decrease producer input costs
• Improve environment
• Alternative income stream for producers
• Huge opportunity for NRCS

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Draft Strategic Plan
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Bioenergy Team Strategic Plan(draft)
Vision Wise energy use and sustainable
production of renewable sources of energy
throughout the working lands of the United
States.
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Objectives(1) Tools to support

• On-farm fossil fuel reduction
• On-farm sustainable bioenergy production
• On-farm renewable energy technologies
• Environmental evaluation of energy conservation
  activities

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To reduce on-farm fossil fuel use

• Reduce
• Be more efficient
• Substitute renewable energy sources
• Reuse/recycle
• Use bioproducts

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Sustainable bioenergy production

• Conservation rotations
• Sustainable harvest (Soil quality)
• Sustainable production practices (Water quality)

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On-farm renewable energy technologies
Self-sufficiency
Production

• Solar
• Wind
• Hydro
• Geothermal
• Biogas
• Biofuel

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Evaluation technologies

• Quality criteria measurements
• Watershed level tools

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Objectives(2) Incorporate energy into NRCS
planning process

• SWAPAH SWEAPAH
• Resource concerns
• Quality Criteria measurement tools
• Practice Standards
• CPPE

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Objectives(3) Training

• Self-paced NEDC course
• Boot camp
• Engineering Field Handbook
• Technical notes
• Technical assistance

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Objectives(4) Networking

• Find the expertise
• Leverage resources

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CSP

• 2004
• 18 watersheds
• 2,180 participants
• 2/3 of participants enrolled in energy
  enhancements
• 700,000 paid for energy enhancements first year
• This represented 5 of all enhancement payments
  for 2004

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CSP (continued)

• 2005
• 200 watersheds
• Interest in energy is intense.

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What weve done so far

• Ad hoc energy team (currently 14 active members)
• Strategic plan
• CSP support
• Energy Calculator Prototype

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Questions? Ideas? Comments?
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THE END