Here are a couple more on alternate energy production and cellulosic biofuels.

Alternate Energy Production as an Agricultural Activity

The State of New Jersey is considering legislation that would classify solar and wind energy generation as agricultural activity. Owners of farmland would be allowed to install and operate solar or wind energy devices on their property for personal consumption and or for sale to utility companies through grid connected systems.

On its face, farm energy harvesting is not a novel idea. Windmills have been used for centuries to pump water and, more recently, solar panels have been used to generate power for barn ventilation, hot water systems and heating pools. What this would do, would be to increase the scope of and to elevate the status of these activities. At a time when the federal government is abandoning incentives for alternate energy research and production, this would give local government more control over the development of energy policy and the diversification of energy portfolios.

Over ninety percent of Kentucky’s electricity is produced in coal burning plants. This leaves a substantial carbon footprint. In fact, Kentucky’s two largest cities, Louisville and Lexington, are ranked in the top five US cities for per capita carbon footprint. Last October, (then) KPS Commissioner Caroline Pitt- Clark addressed the Governor’s Conference on the Environment and stated the reality is that limits on carbon dioxide emissions are a “virtual certainty within the next several years” . She predicts the use of coal to produce electricity is certain to be “one of the first targets of such limits and that no state will feel the limits on carbon emissions from coal combustion more than Kentucky”.

Commissioner Pitt-Clark recommended investing in technologies that would reduce the carbon imprint of coal burning power plants, diversifying Kentucky’s energy portfolio to include more renewable sources and to improve the efficiency of current energy transmission capacity.

Carbon cap and trade activities are, also, an almost virtual certainty in any future US energy policy. Both presidential candidates publically support their use. There will, no doubt, be credits or subsidies for carbon offsetting activities that include renewable energy sources.

Farm energy harvesting is a carbon neutral activity and much more carbon efficient than using corn to produce ethanol. Farm energy harvesting as an agricultural activity would enjoy the benefits of existing agricultural energy policy and the resources of traditional agricultural advocates, such as the Farm Service Agency or the UK Cooperative Extension Service.

If we truly wish to include Kentucky’s rural resources in the future of Kentucky’s energy market, farm energy harvesting should be given serious consideration.


Why not Cellulosic Biofuel?

What if there was a reliable alternative to petroleum? What if there was a renewable, cost-cutting fuel that would lower our dependence on foreign oil? Biofuels are that alternative.

Biofuels are made from plant materials. Currently, the main fuel on the market is ethanol, which is made from corn kernels. Ethanol has three advantages, at least in theory. It’s renewable, it can be domestically produced and it burns cleaner than gas. Critics argue the production of ethanol requires too much energy, that the process is too expensive and that efficiency can only be achieved by increasing crop yield. This is significant because the only way to increase crop yield is through the use of more fertilizers and pesticides. Corn does not absorb these products efficiently and most of what is unused runs off into our waterways.

Currently, domestic ethanol is highly subsidized by the US government and foreign imports are subject to trade tariffs. Most recently, the Republican Party in its national platform called for an end to ethanol mandates, marking the first time a major US party has taken an official stance against publically funded ethanol incentives.

Cellulosic biofuels are made from the leaves, stems and stalks of a plant and open the production process to a larger range of feedstocks, which include wood chips, wood fibers, switchgrass and agricultural waste.

According to the National Resources Defense Council (NDRC), the production and use of cellulosic biofuels can slash global warming pollution, projecting that by 2050 greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by 1.7 billion tons per year or the equivalent of 80% of current transportation emissions. It is predicted that by 2015 biofuels can be produced at prices equal to, or lower than, average gas and diesel prices.

Biofuels can offer major land-use benefits. Certain biofuel crops can actually improve land that is no longer productive. Switchgrass, a promising feedstock, is a native, perennial prairie grass that doesn’t require a lot of pesticides and fertilizers. It uses water efficiently, has low nitrogen runoff, very low erosion and increases soil carbon.

Biofuels can turn out to be a major new source of revenue for farmers. At $40 per dry ton, farmers growing 200 million tons of biomass in 2025 would make a profit of $5.1 billion dollars per year. At 100 gallons of fuel per dry ton of switchgrass, the production of 20 billion gallons of ethanol would meet the US Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) for 2022, which requires a minimum of 16 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol.

This means more jobs, less of a dependence on foreign oil and, ultimately, a stronger economy.

Recently, the Chesapeake Bay Commission released a report on next generation biofuels. Entitled Next Generation Biofuels; Taking the Policy Lead for America, this report addresses cellulosic ethanol as an alternative to corn-based ethanol and establishes a regional strategy to maximize the economic and environmental benefits alternative fuels, like cellulosic ethanol, can yield.

This report can be viewed at http://www.chesbay.state.va.us/summitdocs.html and offers a series of recommendations that will facilitate the transition from conventional biofuels to next generation alternatives, including the production of adequate supplies of reliable biomass feedstocks and the development of appropriate infrastructure and marketing procedures to encourage development in the region. Recommendations include coordinating state efforts to secure federal support for next generation biofuel development, discouraging the use of invasive species, encouraging the local or on-farm use of biomass products, establishing requirements and incentives for purchasing biofuels, using best practices for growing and harvesting feedstocks, providing incentives for creating and implementing forest management plans and supporting the sustainable production of next-generation feedstocks on abandoned or underutilized land.

This is good reading and could be treated as a manual for economic development in central Kentucky.