US Department of Agriculture Selected Energy Programs and Activities

U.S. agricultural policies, research, and incentive programs help stimulate the production capacity of renewable transportation fuels.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Features/farmbill/titles/titleIXenergy.htm
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documents/fpl/fs--fpl-research-emphasis-biorefinery.pdf
http://www.ars.usda.gov/bbcc/
http://www.usda.gov/oce/energy/
http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/programs/programs.htm?np_code=307

USDA financial backing helps establish ethanol production facilities that provide rural employment and new markets for agricultural crops. Since 2001, this financing has helped establish 176 facilities for the production of liquid biofuels for transportation.

http://www.usda.gov/rus/electric/renewables/
http://www.aceethanol.com

Wind energy

USDA provides loan guarantees to help establish farmer-owned cooperatives for the installation of wind turbines. Since 2001, USDA financing has help install 117 large-scale wind turbines generating 1.3 billion kWh/yr, plus many small scale wind projects, generating 2.6 million kWh/yr.

http://www.usda.gov/rus/electric/renewables/
http://windustry.com
http://nativeenergy.com/projects.html#5

Access to Energy

In partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and with technical assistance from Sandia National Laboratories, solar panels are being installed to produce electricity on rural Native American lands in the southwest U.S. where electricity line extensions are not economically feasible.

http://www.usda.gov/rus/electric/renewables/
http://www.ntua.com

USDA helps support the development of small-scale, portable, energy production systems that can use a variety of types of biomass, including farm wastes, to produce electricity and heat for rural communities.

http://gocpc.com
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/techline/biomass_for_small-scale_heat_and_power.pdf

Wood to Energy

Wood from National Forests damaged by forest fires, insects or disease, biomass from forest management thinning, mill wastes, and wood from private and public lands are used to generate electricity and heat to offset use of fossil fuels in power production.

http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/tmu/
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/tmu/Johanns_Utilization_Release.pdf
http://fuelsforschools.org
http://www.wheelabratortechnologies.com/WTI/CEP/anderson.asp
http://districtenergy.com
http://nzlegacy.com/biomass.htm

Wastes to Energy

Manure digester systems are used to produce heat and power and create revenue for farmers, while reducing risks of water and air pollution. Since 2001, USDA financing has helped establish 102 anaerobic digesters for methane to electricity and/or heat totaling 360 million kWhr/yr.

http://www.usda.gov/rus/electric/renewables/
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/thisweek/2004/040602/camanuredigester.html
http://www.dairynet.com

Methane produced at Vermont 's largest landfill site is being collected and converted into a renewable energy resource used to produce electricity.

http://www.usda.gov/rus/electric/renewables/
http://www.washingtonelectric.coop

USDA is working with the governments of 16 countries under the Methane to Markets Partnership to attract investment in anaerobic digester projects internationally.

http://www.methanetomarkets.org/

Greenhouse Gas Reporting

Guidelines prepared by USDA enable farmers and forest land owners to estimate, report, and register greenhouse gas reductions and carbon sequestration for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Reporting system.

http://www.usda.gov/oce/global_change/gg_reporting.htm

Energy Efficiency on the Farm

The Conservation Security Program (CSP) and the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) reward farmers for adopting conservation practices on working lands, including those that conserve energy (e.g. conservation tillage, nitrogen fertilizer management) and implement irrigation water management practices that save energy and water.

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip/

USDA Rural Development's grant and guaranteed loan p rogram s provide financial incentives and assistance for farm and rural energy efficiency improvements for facilities, achieving 70 million kWhr/yr in savings since 2001.

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/farmbill/what_is.html

USDA provides web-based tools for farmers to estimate energy and cost savings that would result from switching to alternative practices for tilling, nitrogen application, and irrigation pumping.

http://ecat.sc.egov.usda.gov
http://nfat.sc.egov.usda.gov