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Agriculture and Green Energy
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Green Energy Components
Renewable Fuels
Grant Programs
Other Helpful Links
Overview
Clean air and clean water.
No two aspects of a state symbolize a high quality of life quite like these two essential elements. If the water is fouled or the air quality poor, then no economic, educational or social factors can overcome the perception that a polluted state is not an inviting state.
New Jersey, clearly, has recognized this fact. In recent years, major initiatives on air and water quality have bolstered the state’s effort to protect these precious resources.
This desire to create as pristine an environment as possible in the nation’s most densely populated state is no easy task. New Jerseyans rely heavily on their motor vehicles. One look at rush-hour traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike or Garden State Parkway, Interstate 80 or the Atlantic City Expressway is all that is needed to drive home that point. With so many cars on New Jersey’s roads, not to mention commercial trucks traveling to destinations in the state (and through the state to points north and south), controlling emissions will always be among the major challenges in maintaining a clean environment.
New Jersey is a major consumer of fossil fuels, while serving as a producer of almost none of the raw materials needed to create them. In terms of gallons used per day, the state ranks: 9th in the nation for total petroleum consumption (25.6 million gallons per day); 11th in gasoline consumption (11.1 million gallons per day); 13th in distillate fuel, including that used in diesel engines (4.1 million gallons per day); and 4th nationally in jet fuel consumption (3.3 million gallons per day).
Meanwhile, New Jersey is home to five refineries with a total capacity of 535,000 barrels per day, but has no crude oil production. However, New Jersey is a producer of the primary sources of biofuels currently produced in the United States, namely grain crops such as corn and soybeans and agricultural and food waste streams. In addition, the development of cellulosic biofuels holds great promise for using biomass not yet being turned into fuels. The state is projected to harvest 90,000 acres or field corn and 80,000 acres of soybeans in 2007. This production, combined with the large number of cars in the state and the fuel usage numbers cited above, together position New Jersey to be a leader in the production of biofuels in the Northeastern United States.
Fortunately, New Jersey’s diversity of landscapes, industries and academic expertise can help provide the answers to its environmental questions. Since the state is a unique combination of densely populated urban centers, bustling suburbs and wide-open agricultural spaces, the concentrations of pollution and the sources of solutions are in relative proximity to each other.
The state’s agricultural base can play its greatest role in this regard by providing the raw materials needed to develop alternative fuels that help reduce vehicle emissions while also avoiding further contamination of groundwater. In addition, the state’s farmers are leading the way by integrating renewable energy like solar and wind power into their operations.
Since June 2006, a group with representation from multiple agencies in state government has been meeting every other Friday at the Department of Agriculture to help create an environment in which companies pursuing the production of biofuels can thrive. With input from the Departments of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, Board of Public Utilities, Governor’s Office of Economic Growth, Commission on Commerce, Economic Growth and Tourism and Rutgers University, this “Biofuels Action Group” has worked to develop strategies to position New Jersey as a leader in biofuels production in the region.
This group also has provided input to the ongoing process, coordinated through the Governor’s Office, to create an Energy Master Plan for New Jersey, which will cover everything from electricity generation to biofuels to energy conservation measures. To learn more about the Energy Master Plan, please visit http://nj.gov/emp/.
As both consumers of energy and producers of the raw materials that can be used to produce renewable fuels, New Jersey’s farmers can take an important leadership role in shaping New Jersey’s energy future.
Green Energy Components
SUN: Energy from the sun can be harnessed to create electricity or to provide heat.
Installation of solar panels for converting the sun’s energy into electricity has greatly increased in New Jersey. Programs are now available to help agricultural producers take advantage of this technology.
U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/
Guide to Using the NJ Clean Energy Website to Determine if Solar Energy is Cost Effective For Your Farming Operation
www.nj.gov/agriculture/Solarenergyguide.pdf.
WIND: The power of a strong wind can be captured by a turbine
(windmill), then turned into electricity.While not all areas of the state have enough consistent wind to make an electricity-generating windmill viable, many coastal and Northwestern areas do. More efficient turbines are making this option more attractive as means of cutting energy costs on the farm. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy)
The New Jersey Wind Program Web page provides information resources for those interested in learning about terrestrial-sited wind generation and financial incentives offered through New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program. In addition, updates on the New Jersey Wind Working Group, formed to discuss and identify opportunities and barriers associated with small terrestrial wind development in the state, are available. Much of the work on this initiative, including a program to provide anemometers to gauge wind-energy viability is conducted through Rowan University. Visit www.Rowan.edu/cleanenergy.
The New Jersey Clean Energy Program wind initiatives
http://www.njcep.com/wind/index.html.
U.S.Department of Energy, National Wind Technology Center
www.nrel.gov/wind
Renewable Fuels
Ethanol: Made by distilling the starch and sugar from a variety of plants, ethanol is an alcohol blended into gasoline to stretch the supply or help clean the air.
New Jersey’s corn and grain farmers may be positioned to capitalize on the growing national movement toward ethanol-blended fuels. Ethanol is blended into 40 percent of the nation’s gasoline supply. As of mid-2006, more than 4.8 billion gallons of ethanol were being produced annually 115 plants in the United States.
This year, the U.S. ethanol industry will grow to provide more than 6 billion gallons of clean burning fuel for our country's supply. Ethanol can stretch the current oil supply, while offering a fuel “oxygenate” that does not contaminate groundwater. The use of 4 billion gallons of ethanol in 2005 reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 7.8 tons. the equivalent of taking 1.2 million cars off American roads.
American Coalition for Ethanol – Promoting ethanol production in the United States
www.ethanol.org
Renewable Fuels Association – A clearinghouse for biofuels information
www.ethanolrfa.org
Bio-Diesel: An alternative to diesel fuel from petroleum, bio-diesel can be 
made from the oils of soybeans or from a variety of used cooking oils and oils from other plants, such as canola.
Bio-diesel offers an alternative to petroleum diesel, which has come under increased scrutiny for sulfur emissions. Bio-diesel blends can be used in today’s diesel engines without modification, and significantly reduces the harmful fumes produced by pure petroleum diesel.
Official site of the National Biodiesel Board
www.biodiesel.org
USDA energy programs and initiatives
www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?navid=ENERGY&navtype=MS
U.S. Department of Energy Biomass Program
www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/
Biogas: Crops aren’t the only biomass from which energy can be derived. The process of "anaerobic digestion," a more complex version of your backyard compost pile, can turn a variety of wastes into methane or "biogas," which can be used as a fuel or converted into electrical power.
New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the nation, generates much waste that could be used in this process, including animal manures and food waste. Using this waste to create energy would provide the added benefit of reducing the amount of landfill space needed in the state. In addition, the process creates a byproduct of nutrient-rich fertilizer that could be used by farmers.
For more on Anaerobic Digestion, click here.
RUTGERS EcoComplex, RUTGERS University's Environmental Research and Extension Center
http://ecocomplex.rutgers.edu/program_areas_renewable_energy.php
Grant Programs
To encourage use of renewable energy sources, state and federal agencies offer the following grant programs:
New Jersey Clean Energy Program: Provides financial incentives (rebates of 30% - 70% of system costs) to owners who install qualifying clean energy generation systems such as fuel cells, photovoltaics (solar electricity), small wind and sustainable biomass equipment.
www.njcep.com/
Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program: This program currently funds grants and loan guarantees to agricultural producers and rural small business for assistance with purchasing renewable energy systems and making energy efficiency improvements. New for 2006, the program offers both grants and guaranteed loans for eligible projects. In addition, projects with total eligible costs under $200,000 can apply under a Simplified Application Process designed to streamline the application process for small projects.
www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/farmbill/index.html
Biomass Research and Development Initiative Grants: Up to $15 million is available through the United States Departments of Agriculture and Energy to support development of renewable energy and expand the economic prospects and environmental benefits of biomass. These grants are available to eligible entities to carry out research, development and demonstrations on biobased products, bioenergy, biofuels, biopower and related processes. This funding opportunity is intended to promote greater innovation and development related to biomass, and to support Federal policy calling for greater use of biomass-based products, feedstock production, and processing and conversion. The focus of this year’s grant program is on development and demonstration projects that lead to greater commercialization.
To apply: www.fedgrants.gov/Applicants/USDA/NRCS/2890/67-3A75-5 22/Attachments.html#upload4211
For more details: www.bioproducts-bioenergy.gov
Other Helpful Links
USDA Energy Page
USDA's comprehensive energy strategy to help farmers and ranchers mitigate the impact of high energy costs and develop long-term solutions.
www.usda.gov
USDA Renewable Energy Investments in Rural America
www.usda.gov
Sun Grant Initiative:
A concept to solve America's energy needs and revitalize rural communities with land-grant university research, education, and extension programs on renewable energy and biobased, non-food
industries. search for renewable energy sources and the most effective ways to use them
http://sdaes.sdstate.edu/sungrant/
Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas
www.peakoil.net
Environmental Protection Agency MTBE Information
www.epa.gov/mtbe/water.htm
Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Pricing
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/gdu/gasdiesel.asp
Green Building:
The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System® is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Members of the U.S. Green Building Council representing all segments of the building industry developed LEED and continue to contribute to its evolution.
www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19
The Willow School is situated in the New Jersey countryside on a 34-acre forested site. The school buildings incorporate many environmentally sensitive design features, allowing the school to seek a high level of certification from the United States Green Building Council in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
The Willow School: www.willowschool.org/campus/environment.htm
The Willow School: A LEED Registered Project: www.nesea.org/buildings/be/nj/The_Willow_School.pdf
New Jersey SmartStart Building:
Can be implemented when starting a commercial or industrial project from the ground up, renovating existing space, or upgrading equipment. SmartStart Buildings can provide a variety of free support to yield substantial savings in the short and long term. If an interested party contracts with an outside firm to implement a full-phase energy audit, the utility can pay up to 50 percent of the study cost with a maximum reimbursement of $10,000.
www.njsmartstartbuildings.com/main/program_over.html
Green Roofs
The LEED building principles can be augmented in community planning and design through the use of the “green roof” concept. The thin layer of plants covering a roof can reduce heating and cooling costs, absorb storm runoff and help in cutting air pollution. The Silvercup Studios building in New York City, where “The Sopranos” series is shot in part, has received attention for its use of the green roof concept.
www.greenroofs.org
www.greenroofs.com
www.greenroofplants.com
