Empowering agriculture : energy options for horticulture

The guide provides data on technology acquisition costs, energy consumption, capacity, and effectiveness of technical options. Costs continue to evolve, and petroleum fuel prices are especially volatile as of this writing. For this reason, cost comparisons and cost-benefit calculations should be done each time a horticultural producer or marketer makes a decision about which technologies to use. The guide is organized by stages of horticultural production, covering irrigation and harvesting and post-harvesting operations. A separate section on biomass-based fuels looks at the opportunities to reduce fossil fuel requirements by utilizing renewable fuels. Each section identifies the general types of technologies and energy inputs, together with information about cost, energy requirements, capacity, and limitations. Technology Selection Criteria Tables associate types of technologies with the different types of horticultural operations as distinguished by size and capacity, economic resources available, location in relation to power sources and markets, and other factors. The detailed information in the tables clarifies technology options and the anticipated energy use and conservation results. (Author abstract, modified)