Farmers have long explored options to provide energy savings associated with their agricultural operations. Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Soybean Council have partnered to provide research-based data driven tools to help Ohio farmers assess and navigate various energy infrastructure investment options for their farms.

Specifically, the project team is interested in learning more about farmers’ experiences and interests in implementing energy management strategies, such as peak demand reduction, power factor correction, and the integration of solar generation systems to reduce electricity costs on the farm.

Farmers with commercial rate structures that charge for peak demand and poor power factor can implement equipment and management strategies to reduce electricity costs, thus increasing long-term profitability. However, very little is known about the economic feasibility of investing in equipment to reduce peak electric demand charges in agriculture.

Feasibility study

To determine the economic feasibility of implementing energy management strategies, the project team says it is important to simultaneously study the real costs of installing new equipment, ongoing risks and challenges, as well as understanding how these improvements will influence the calculations of a farm’s electric bill a comprehensive manner.

Any Ohio farmer interested in participating may click the survey link bit.ly/ohioenergy to participate in this voluntary study. The survey will take less than five minutes and is designed to determine the overall level of interest in implementing energy management strategies. It also will identify individuals who have experience with on-farm energy management strategies to summarize benefits and challenges. This project will provide the research team with data to identify actionable recommendations that will inform future Extension outreach and education programs.

If you have additional questions regarding this study, contact Eric Romich, OSU Extension field specialist, at 419-294-4931 or [email protected].

Source: OSU Extension, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.