Farming is one of the oldest trades in the world. Farming gets a bad rap, especially when it comes to emissions. Cows and other animals contribute to carbon dioxide through their gas, and there are some countries in the world who have proposed a “fart tax”. However, there are many farmers that are fighting the stigma and embracing renewable energy.
Douglas Healy is a farm boy at heart and as such he is committed to promoting the use of renewable energy in the farming industry and offers up the following types of energy as perfect for use on the farm.
Solar Energy
Depending on the type of farming, a farmer’s carbon footprint can be greater than the average citizen. As such, it is important to find ways to reduce your carbon footprint and what better way to do that but with the use of solar power?
Solar power is a great option for any farmer because:
– It is renewable
– After a small set-up fee, it is free
– Solar energy can power everything on your farm
– It reduces your carbon foot-print
– You can sell your unused electricity to a power company
– You get a tax break for making energy efficient upgrades
Solar is also perfect for use on the farm, because it allows you a huge tax break and the government even pays you for installing solar. It is reported that you can get a rebate of $5k for installing solar.
Wind Power
Wind farming has been used by farmers for 100’s of years. In fact, farmers used to use windmills to pump water and mix grain. But nowadays the idea of wind farming is even more lucrative than it was when farmers were using it as a necessity. If you have the right location -that is a windy one- then wind farming developers will pay you thousands of dollars to use your land and set up a wind farm.
Biomass Energy
For those who can’t work this one out, Biomass fuel is energy gained from plants and other organic waste. This includes manure. The fuel is used to grow crops that are solely grown for the use of energy. Some energy crops include corn and grass.
Other ways the bio-fuel can be harnessed on the farm include the production of fuel for vehicles which can be used on converted farming equipment or sold to outside markets in the business of producing vehicle fuels.
The bio-fuel industry is estimated to be worth $20 billion and will offer farmers a new and more lucrative venture in the changing climate.
Hydroelectric
If you are a farmer with a large reservoir, then you need to explore the benefits of hydroelectric energy. Hydro is the cleanest form of energy, and with the earth being over 80% water, it is highly renewable. Hydro is easy to install and a small unit offers you a life-span of about 20 years. While the energy source is sustainable, you will have to upgrade the system, eventually.
Geothermal power
Now when one thinks of geothermal, images of hot springs are conjured, but in reality all you need is a constant source of heat with which to use as energy. The ground offers this regardless of the location. So with geothermal power you can keep the barns and the house warm year round while enjoying minimal power bills. Heat pumps are cheap to install and maintenance is minimal.
Renewable energy is and always will be a friend to the farm as well as the farmer. Douglas Healy believes that with more farmers embracing renewable energy sources, we will see a cleaner farming industry over the next decade, but we need to work together and with the government to ensure, farmers get even greater tax breaks and support to make their farms energy sustainable in the hopes of preventing a total energy collapse in 2050.
Doug will continue the fight to promote and preserve renewable and sustainable energy because he believes it is our duty to preserve and protect the world for the next generation, rather than leaving them with a world that is no longer habitable for the human race