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Irrigation as if People Mattered:

Energy Conservation Lessons from Montana

Mike Morris, Ph.D.Energy Program Project LeaderNational Center for Appropriate

Technology

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About NCAT

National non-profit organization, founded in 1976. Main offices: Butte, MT, Fayetteville, AR, Davis, CAPrograms: Sustainable Agriculture, Energy, Communities

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This talk will

•Describe how Montana irrigators use energy.

•Offer lessons learned from five approaches to energy conservation.

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Main Conclusions

•Irrigation efficiency is not just a technical problem, but has intrinsic human and social dimensions.

•Irrigators welcome energy conservation but usually view it as a secondary consideration.

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•10-20” rain and 100-150 frost-free days in most areas.

•Top five crops by cash receipts: wheat, barley, sugar beets, hay,

potatoes.•Half of irrigated acreage is hay, ¾ of

hay acreage is alfalfa.

Montana Climate and Crops

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• Only 5% of farmland (2 million acres) is irrigated.• Of irrigated acreage, only 1/3 is sprinkler-irrigated.• Half of sprinkler-irrigated acreage under pivots.• 93% of irrigated acreage irrigated by surface water.• 92% of irrigation pumps electric-powered.

Irrigation Methods

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Water Availability

•Most irrigators pay nothing for water.•Chronic water shortages the rule, not the

exception.•Water law limits opportunities for

conservation.•Informal arrangements, peer pressure often

more important than legal constraints.

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Energy Costs

•Electric rates low by national standards, but sharp increases in recent years.

•Average $14.68 - $23.41 per pump-irrigated acre.

•NorthWestern Energy 2003-4 irrigation rates: $8.03 per kW peak demand and $.043 per kWh.

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2002 Crop Values per Acre

Potatoes$2,928 Sugar beets $856Alfalfa hay$315 Corn $296All hay $278 Barley $193Wheat $190 Oats $151

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Average Irrigation Energy Cost as a Percentage of Crop Value

Potatoes 0.7% Sugar beets2.7%Alfalfa hay7.4% Corn

7.9%All hay 8.4% Barley 12.1%Wheat 12.3% Oats 15.5%

“It’s the crop, stupid.”

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Labor Cost and Availability

Average pivot irrigation project cost $67,264, with energy savings of $1,271 per year.

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Five Approaches to Energy Conservation1. Energy Audits

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NCAT Experience•Over 400 irrigation energy audits since

1988.•Currently offering no-cost energy audits to

NorthWestern Energy irrigation customers.•Measure pressure, flow rate, electrical

power output; calculate pumping plant efficiency.

•Customer receives report with recommendations, payback, power bill analysis, incentive offers.

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Most Common Energy-Saving Recommendations

from Audits• Replace worn nozzles• Repair leaks• Correct motor overloading problems• Rebuild pump and/or motor• Replace pump and/or motor• Correct discharge problems• Correct suction problems

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Lessons Learned•Audits are highly appreciated,

sometimes desperately needed.•Labor intensive (average cost $672 per

audit).•Only about half of participants

completed recommended improvements within 1 year.

•Equipment improvements do not necessarily lead to energy savings.

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2. Direct Financial Incentives

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NCAT Experience• Administering cost-sharing program for

NorthWestern Energy irrigation customers.

Most common customer project proposals in 2003: • Replace hand or wheel lines with pivots (15)• Replace high-pressure pivot w/low-pressure (8)• Use gravity to reduce horsepower requirements

(3)• Replace oversized or inefficient pumps (2)• Install variable frequency drives (2)

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Lessons Learned•Dollar for dollar, direct incentives save

more energy than audits.•Evaluation criteria need to be carefully

designed for consistency and fairness.•Working closely with local equipment

dealers a key to success.•Gravity conversion is probably the biggest

energy conservation opportunity remaining in Montana’s irrigation sector.

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3. Soil Moisture Monitoring

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The M. K. Hansen AM400 Soil Moisture Data Logger

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NCAT has helped install over 120 soil moisture monitoring systems since 2000.

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Lessons Learned•Pivot systems offer the best opportunities

for conservation through improved management.

•Poor management is common, but gross overwatering is less frequent than expected. Only 3-6 of 43 study fields clearly exceeded annual alfalfa water requirements.

•Better water management should be promoted primarily in terms of crop yield and crop health.

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4. Educational Publications•In 2003 NCAT revised and reprinted the

Montana Irrigator’s Pocket Guide.•NCAT has contracted with NRCS to

produce a national edition.

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5. Collaboration with Local Watershed Groups

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NCAT Experience• Working with local groups in river valleys with

chronic water shortages: Big Hole, Blackfoot , Boulder, Jefferson, Ruby, and Shields.

• Goal is to help each group organize and run its own irrigation efficiency program.

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Lessons Learned•Learning in rural communities takes place

by imitation and word of mouth.•Groups vary widely.•Progress on irrigation management is most

likely to come from locally-based projects that enable irrigators to experiment on their own and learn from each other.

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For More Information•NCAT: www.ncat.org 1-800-ASK-NCAT•National Sustainable Agriculture Information

Service: www.attra.ncat.org 1-800-346-9140