Energy expert offers cash savings

Farm Bureau members hear about alternatives, incentives

By DEAN BRICKEY
The East Oregonian

December 28, 2007


PENDLETON, Ore. - Many farmers should be able to cut their energy use one-third to one-half while others are potential producers of renewable energy.

Stephanie Page, the Oregon Department of Agriculture's new renewable energy specialist, brought that message of hope to members of the Oregon Farm Bureau at their annual convention earlier this month. She said the potential for energy savings and energy production on Oregon farms prompted the state to move her into a new job. She worked in state agriculture's water quality department for the past eight years.

Irrigation provides a lot of savings opportunities, Page said. Farmers should consider using more efficient pumps, variable-frequency drives and routine maintenance as cost-saving measures, she said. Just checking and replacing inefficient nozzles can make a big difference.

Page said farmers should discuss energy savings with their power suppliers. Most power companies offer energy audits and incentive programs to help conserve power.

Turning to renewable energy, Page said solar power is underused in Oregon mainly because people in rainy Western Oregon don't think it's viable.

"Actually, the Willamette Valley receives as much sunshine as the national average," she said. "And Eastern Oregon gets 20 to 30 percent more."

Manufacturers are constantly improving the efficiency of solar panels, she added, making them more cost-effective and shortening the time it takes for them to pay for themselves.

Wind-energy projects often are overlooked, particularly on small farms, Page said, but they can be useful to help supply power to rural homes.

In Sherman County, she said, a farmer has established a hybrid wind/solar-powered pump for watering livestock.

"It's a neat system that takes advantage of the changing weather systems at the site," she said.

Farmers with water flowing on their property should consider installing small hydroelectric generators, Page suggested. Any waterway with a good vertical fall, even an irrigation ditch, she said, could be tapped for its power-producing potential.

Page noted the growing interest in biodiesel production and noted the Oregon Legislature had adopted a renewable-fuel standard that will require blending biodiesel with petroleum diesel in increasing amounts as biodiesel production increases.

The same is true for ethanol blending with gasoline, she said, and a 10 percent blending requirement is expected to be achieved in 2008.

One farmer noted that chain saws, all-terrain vehicles and other small engines won't operate properly with an ethanol blend.

"So what are we supposed to do?" he asked.

Page suggested talking with small-engine mechanics and other technicians about using blended fuels.

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