California Climate & Energy Collaborative

NYSERDA invests $19 million in energy-efficient farm operations

Sarina Soor
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“The New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) is making $19 million available for technologies that make farm operations in the state more energy efficient. These technologies include anaerobic digester systems that use waste materials as fuel for generating electricity. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s office said that the use of “clean energy technologies…

How farms can tend to the energy-water nexus, reduce costs and help their communities

Sarina Soor
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“Across the country, farmers face unrelenting pressure to conserve both water and energy. From California to Texas, recent droughts and declining groundwater levels require more pumping to provide irrigation water for crops. Pumping water takes energy, as do many other precision agriculture tasks involved in running a successful farm today. This symbiotic relationship between water…

Scientists determine new strategies for next-generation biofuel

Sarina Soor
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“Conventional insights offered by research on biofuels convey that efficiency of carbon is the most effective strategy for producing better biofuel. According to scientists, the production efficiency is directly proportional to number of carbon from crops which get utilized for making biofuel. But getting more carbon in biofuel may not be the defining point. According…

California dairies becoming increasingly energy efficient

Sarina Soor
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“As California continues to implement regulations aimed at lowering emissions and conserving energy, the state’s dairy industry is becoming increasingly energy efficient. Proactive approaches from dairy farm families in their implantation of conservation practices and clean-energy technologies are having a significant impact.” Click here to read more from AgNet West.

Study indicates that climate change will wreak havoc on California agriculture

Sarina Soor
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“The California we know is the breadbasket of the nation, producing more than two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts, including almonds, pistachios, oranges, apricots, nectarines and prunes, and more than a third of its vegetables, including artichokes, broccoli, spinach and carrots. It’s all valued at more than $50 billion a year. That’s the assessment…

Keeping Cows Cool With Less Water and Energy

Sarina Soor
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Standard livestock cooling methods, such as fans and sprinkling cows with water, require significant amounts of electricity and water. The new technologies, being tested at UC Davis by the Western Cooling Efficiency Center and the Department of Animal Science, are designed to reduce water by up to 86 percent and electricity by up to 38…