After about 18 months of operation, Ontario’s one and only mini-digester is going strong. It’s situated at Harcolm Farms near Beachville, Ont., and owned by dairy farmers Rob and Rachel McKinlay. Minis are a fraction of the cost of a full-sized digester (there are more than 40 here in Ontario) and require much simpler permitting. […] Read more
Tag Archives renewable energy — page 3
Mini-biodigester offers big output for Ontario dairy farm
Ontario’s only mini-biodigester has been operating for more than a year and has changed how Harcolm Farms manages manure
As Biden tours Iowa, farmers want to know where he stands on ethanol
New York | Reuters — Joe Biden may have an ethanol problem. The former U.S. vice-president has pledged support for advanced biofuels as part of his bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. But Biden, who leads the crowded Democratic field in opinion polls in Iowa and nationally, faces lingering questions in the U.S. Farm […] Read more
Making gasoline from wood pulp
Renewable energy: A Swedish researcher is using a pulp and paper byproduct to power cars
Lund, Sweden | Reuters – Might tree roots, twigs and branches one day be used to power cars? That’s what a Swedish researcher is hoping after developing a pulp byproduct that, on a modest scale, does just that. Chemical engineering scientist Christian Hulteberg, from Lund University, has used the black liquor residue from pulp and […] Read more
Rural development strategy sought in federal shuffle
Rural economic development has been given a promotion at the federal level in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s latest cabinet shuffle. In the shuffle, following the departure of Treasury Board president Scott Brison from cabinet, Trudeau on Monday called up Bernadette Jordan, MP for the southern Nova Scotia riding of South Shore-St.Margaret’s, to head a newly […] Read more
Debating rural energy efficiency
Alternative energy users discuss how local solutions can be good for rural economies
Residents of rural Ontario are creating new energy efficient solutions, whether or not government is involved. Farmers, rural residents and planners talked about rural environmental sustainability at the recent Rural Talks to Rural (R2R) Conference put on by the Centre for Rural Creativity in Blyth. At Rob McKinlay’s farm in Oxford County, his small 20 […] Read more
Ontario axes Green Energy Act, leaving some wondering what’s next
South West Oxford mayor suggests that storage continues to be the biggest stumbling block to allowing the renewable energy sector to continue growing without government support
In a widely anticipated move, the Ontario government has repealed the province’s Green Energy Act. Why it matters: Since the Green Energy Act was introduced in 2009, thousands of Ontario farmers have added small-scale renewable energy generation projects to their properties. Most are used as an additional source of revenue. Sweaburg-area farmer and South West […] Read more
Renewables can help reduce electricity costs — in some cases
For producers with less seasonally-concentrated energy demands and easier access to higher-demand grid infrastructure, renewable energy technologies like solar panels and biodigestors can significantly reduce or eliminate energy costs. Small scale biodigestion Robert McKinlay, a dairy farmer from Oxford County, incorporated a “microdigestor” to process the manure generated by his 90-cow dairy herd. The 20-kilowatt […] Read more
Getting a jump on the power grid
Expensive electricity and inflexible utilities mean more farmers are generating their own power on the farm
Grain drying is a necessary and expensive evil for Ontario farmers. It’s so expensive, in fact, that grain producers are increasingly offsetting their electricity expenses with on-farm, off-grid energy production — largely with fossil-fuel driven generators. Why it matters: High electricity prices, especially prices that fluctuate higher during times of high demand are a challenge […] Read more
McDonald’s sets greenhouse gas reduction targets
Reuters — McDonald’s Corp. on Tuesday announced what it describes as an approved, science-based target to cut greenhouse gas emissions and battle climate change, saying it is the first restaurant company to do so. Under a plan several years in the making, the fast-food company — along with its franchisees and suppliers — aims to […] Read more
Fossil fuels here to stay… for now
Winnipeg | CNS Canada – Renewable sources of energy may be the future, but that future is not coming any time soon as fossil fuels will be needed to continue to power the world for generations, according to author and professor emeritus Vaclav Smil, speaking at the Grain World conference in Winnipeg, Nov. 14. “We […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
