Hunting for treasure on the farm

The worldwide controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry is growing rapidly in several crop categories. While CEA facilities use less land to grow more food with less waste, they can also demand more energy. Many states have goals to mitigate climate change by lowering greenhouse gas emissions from different sources and work with utilities and efficiency programs to help industrial operations reduce their energy use. As the CEA industry expands and more resources are consumed to drive production, businesses can establish more sustainable habits by adopting strategic energy management (SEM) practices. SEM is a data-driven, systemic process that enables organizations to save energy and make better use of their energy resources by establishing the foundation for continual energy efficiency improvement. In many states, efficiency programs  provide technical assistance and incentives to support operators pursuing SEM.

Resource Innovation Institute is a non-profit organization committed to cultivating a better future for all of humanity. Our consortium of members brings perspectives from across the field—uniting architects and engineers, growers and operators, researchers and analysts. Together, we measure, verify and celebrate the world's most efficient agricultural ideas. In this article, RII's Technical Director and members of the organization's Technical Advisory Council working groups highlight several ways growers can optimize effectiveness of substrate and set facilities up for water circularity.

Efficiency takes many forms. Advanced equipment and automation can be a pathway, but technology strategies can require significant capital investments. Behavioral change is a powerful efficiency strategy that can cost very little in comparison. To reduce energy costs over time, SEM embeds efficiency into organizational culture to engage staff at all levels in controlling energy use. Ongoing monitoring of facility performance can eliminate unnecessary equipment upgrades, deliver incremental and persistent energy savings, and support more robust planning for capital investment projects.    

Efficiency programs offer free strategic energy management resources specialized for industrial customers so participants can learn from each other, receive dedicated coaching from energy experts, and achieve persistent energy savings. Participants in SEM programs in New York have seen 5 - 7% annual electric savings since 2017. The majority of programs use an established SEM framework such as ISO 50001, 50001 Ready, or the Consortium for Energy Efficiency's SEM Minimum Elements to provide the program and participants with a structure to support development of SEM business practices. 

These approaches for continuous improvement apply across industries to help CEA operations reduce energy use and environmental impact. SEM coaches identify and recruit "energy champions" across departments to participate in "cohorts" of similar businesses, like manufacturers. Coaches work independently with staff and also invite them to participate in peer-to-peer learning opportunities with other cohort members. These opportunities include "treasure hunts", site visits with cohort discussions, training, and identification of low-cost and no-cost changes to save energy and money. While some growers often cite proprietary growing processes and may not be open to site visits from perceived competitors, a 'show and tell' about experiences with emerging and high-performance technologies provides a strong and informed recommendation for efficiency. At treasure hunts, facility operators can share tips for adopting technology they have tried and learn from others who have incorporated strategies they are considering at their own business.

Benchmarking for Continuous Improvement

Energy champions can establish patterns of sustainable behaviors and actions to remain long after the SEM program is over. Benchmarking is the first step in continuous improvement. To verify the impact of behavioral changes, operations must measure resource efficiency before and after new strategies are deployed. Benchmarking is one of the best leverage points to help CEA producers adopt energy efficiency practices and validate the effectiveness of advanced equipment and automation. Benchmarking resource efficiency in buildings can result in 2.4% annual energy savings according to the US EPA and complements other strategies like efficient technology and strategic energy management.

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Image by Wilson from Pixabay

Source: Urban Ag News