Farm Energy

Improving the energy efficiency of your farm operation can save money and improve your bottom line. Look for energy-efficiency opportunities in lighting, irrigation, motors and pumps, heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC), refrigeration, water heating, machinery, and buildings.

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.

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ATTRA’s Farm Energy Resources

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.
Amy's Organic Garden owner Amy Hicks tends plants in geothermal greenhouse
solar-powered livestock watering system
Uptown Butte, Courtesy Montana Department of CommerceCourtesy Montana Department of Commerce

Resilient Butte: Beijing to Butte, Montana 

A hundred years ago, at the height of a copper mining boom, Butte was the largest city between Chicago and the West. After most of the mines shut down, Butte’s population plummeted to only a fraction. Now, the community is growing again after decades of environmental restoration. Butte’s future will be shaped by opportunities and challenges related to climate change.

Video Series Provides Solar Education to Farmers

It should come as no surprise that farmers are busy people.…
Biosphere 2

NCAT’s AgriSolar Clearinghouse Launches National ‘Follow the Sun’ Tour

The AgriSolar Clearinghouse, developed by the National Center…