Farm Energy

Farming can be energy intensive. Fuel and electricity prices are volatile and tend to rise over time, contributing to increased operational expenses that can impact a farm’s profit. Additionally, farmers may want to reduce their reliance on energy sources that contribute to climate change. NCAT has developed resources to help farmers improve energy efficiency and move toward renewable energy sources such as solar and biofuels.

Choosing sustainable production systems that reduce energy use and focusing on energy efficiency are ways farmers can reduce energy use and expenses. Areas to look for energy-efficiency opportunities include lighting; irrigation; motors and pumps; heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC); refrigeration; systems controllers; water heating; machinery; and buildings. When energy use is lowered, alternative forms of energy can be an option to cover all or part of the farm’s remaining energy needs.

The practical ATTRA resources here can help you get started. Don’t miss our Farm Energy Efficiency tutorial, which provides individual lessons on farm building efficiency, outdoor lighting, irrigation efficiency, solar, small-scale wind, and biodiesel, as well as our resources on alternative forms of energy for the farm.

Featured Topics

ATTRA’s Farm Energy Resources

AgriSolar Podcast Ep. 4: Birds, Bees, and Butterflies – Solar Pollinator Habitat

Wondering how solar energy arrays can benefit pollinator health…
Man walking through flowers in front of solar panel array.NCAT

WEBINAR: Made in the Shade: Growing Crops under Solar Panels

In this webinar, Dr. Greg Barron-Gafford discusses the effects…

AgriSolar Podcasts Ep. 2: Keeping Family Farms in Family Hands with AgriSolar in Massachusetts

This episode is a conversation between Stacie Peterson, NCAT’s…
people stand under solar panels

AgriSolar Podcasts Ep. 1: Growing Crops Among the Solar Panels in Colorado

It's summer and we're celebrating the sun by reposting this excellent…
up close view of switchgrass
wind turbines on a farm
dairy cows eating hay inside a dairy barn
Workshop participants building a micro-scale digester in Costa Rica.
Ranchers around a solar energy system
tabletop batch materials
Sunflowers
A micro-hydro intake and penstock temporarily divert a portion of the water flow and carry it to the location of the turbine.