Bringing the Resources of the World to Rural Ontario

ORDER NO. 06-055

JUNE 2006

AGDEX 768

Energy Opportunities

THINKING GREEN ENERGY?THINK FARMING!

J. DeBruyn and S. Clarke

INTRODUCTIONWhen Ontarians think “Green Energy,” they shouldthink of farming. Green energy is becoming anothercrop that Ontario farmers can harvest. Many greenenergy opportunities are available in rural Ontario. ThisFactsheet outlines five of these green energyopportunities for farmers.

HARVESTING THE WINDWind turbines require large areas of open space withconsistent wind (see Figure 1). The prime landscapes forwind energy production in Southern Ontario are almostalways in farming regions. Wind turbines and farmingcan exist together on the same piece of land. Windturbine developments are being developed by bothprivate investors and by co-operatives that includefarmers.

Figure 1. Wind turbines can provide significantenergy capacity for the grid.

MANURE AND ORGANIC WASTES —ANAEROBIC DIGESTIONMost people don’t think of green energy when theythink of manure or of food processing wastes. Manureand various organic wastes can be mixed in an anaerobic

digester to produce biogas (see Figure 2). Biogas, a formof methane, can be converted to electricity and heat.These systems are economically viable and are beginningto be adopted on farms in Ontario. In addition toproviding green energy, processing manure and wastes inthis way provides other benefits, including reducedodour and pathogens, and new waste managementsolutions. Biogas can be stored until it is needed forenergy production to meet peak power demand.

Figure 2. A farm-based anaerobic digester.

ENERGY CROPS FROM THE FIELDWhen Ontarians fill up at the gas station, they can nowsee gas pumps with ethanol and biodiesel blends.Ethanol for fuel is typically created from corn. A numberof ethanol facilities are currently operating in theprovince, and several more are in the final planningstages. Ontario’s high-yielding corn crops are providingnew energy and reduced emissions.

Biodiesel can be created from a variety of agriculturalmaterials, including soybeans and by-products from foodproduction. The first commercial-scale biodiesel

PODISSN 1198-712XÉgalement disponible en français(commande n° 06-056)

*012101006055*

Agricultural Information Contact Centre1-877-424-1300

ag.info@omafra.gov.on.ca

www.omafra.gov.on.ca

production facility in Canada is currently underconstruction in Hamilton.

Mixing energy crops in anaerobic digesters provides anew opportunity to harvest even more energy per hectareof cropland than biodiesel or ethanol. Energy crops suchas corn-silage can be stored for year-round use indigesters. These crops provide tremendous volumes ofbiomass to add to digesters and appear to be a promisingopportunity for energy and revenue generation.

ENERGY FROM BIOMASSBiomass such as wood waste or energy crops such ashigh-yielding grasses can generate power in high-efficiency combustion systems to produce heat, power orbio-oils. The renewable feedstocks for these systems canbe readily grown in rural Ontario. New high-efficiencybiomass conversion systems have very low emissions,moving this technology into the 21st century.

SOLAR POWER (PHOTOVOLTAICS)The sun is a constant source of energy. Europeanexperience shows that the best place to build solar panelsis in rural areas where the air quality is high (seeFigure 3). Southern Ontario has high solar exposurewhich — when combined with high energy prices andthe need for renewable energy — means that solarcollectors in farming areas will soon become a commonsight.

Figure 3. A solar panel.

FARMING:AT THE FRONTIER IN GREEN ENERGYAs green energy systems take hold in Ontario throughimproved pricing regimes and increased consumerdemand, farmers will be able to provide another resourceto help grow our economy. When you think greenenergy, think farming!

This Factsheet was written by Jake DeBruyn, P.Eng. NewTechnology Integration Engineer, OMAFRA, Guelph, and bySteve Clarke, P.Eng., Energy and Crop Systems Engineer,OMAFRA, Kemptville.

This Factsheet was developed with sponsorship from HydroOne and in partnership with the Ontario Power Authority, theOntario Federation of Agriculture, the Ministry of Energy andthe Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.