irrigation as if people mattered: energy conservation lessons from montana
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Irrigation as if People Mattered: Energy Conservation Lessons from Montana. Mike Morris, Ph.D. Energy Program Project Leader National Center for Appropriate Technology. About NCAT. National non-profit organization, founded in 1976. Main offices: Butte, MT, Fayetteville, AR, Davis, CA - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Irrigation as if People Mattered:
Energy Conservation Lessons from Montana
Mike Morris, Ph.D.Energy Program Project LeaderNational Center for Appropriate
Technology
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About NCAT
National non-profit organization, founded in 1976. Main offices: Butte, MT, Fayetteville, AR, Davis, CAPrograms: Sustainable Agriculture, Energy, Communities
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This talk will
•Describe how Montana irrigators use energy.
•Offer lessons learned from five approaches to energy conservation.
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Main Conclusions
•Irrigation efficiency is not just a technical problem, but has intrinsic human and social dimensions.
•Irrigators welcome energy conservation but usually view it as a secondary consideration.
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•10-20” rain and 100-150 frost-free days in most areas.
•Top five crops by cash receipts: wheat, barley, sugar beets, hay,
potatoes.•Half of irrigated acreage is hay, ¾ of
hay acreage is alfalfa.
Montana Climate and Crops
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• Only 5% of farmland (2 million acres) is irrigated.• Of irrigated acreage, only 1/3 is sprinkler-irrigated.• Half of sprinkler-irrigated acreage under pivots.• 93% of irrigated acreage irrigated by surface water.• 92% of irrigation pumps electric-powered.
Irrigation Methods
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Water Availability
•Most irrigators pay nothing for water.•Chronic water shortages the rule, not the
exception.•Water law limits opportunities for
conservation.•Informal arrangements, peer pressure often
more important than legal constraints.
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Energy Costs
•Electric rates low by national standards, but sharp increases in recent years.
•Average $14.68 - $23.41 per pump-irrigated acre.
•NorthWestern Energy 2003-4 irrigation rates: $8.03 per kW peak demand and $.043 per kWh.
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2002 Crop Values per Acre
Potatoes$2,928 Sugar beets $856Alfalfa hay$315 Corn $296All hay $278 Barley $193Wheat $190 Oats $151
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Average Irrigation Energy Cost as a Percentage of Crop Value
Potatoes 0.7% Sugar beets2.7%Alfalfa hay7.4% Corn
7.9%All hay 8.4% Barley 12.1%Wheat 12.3% Oats 15.5%
“It’s the crop, stupid.”
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Labor Cost and Availability
Average pivot irrigation project cost $67,264, with energy savings of $1,271 per year.
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Five Approaches to Energy Conservation1. Energy Audits
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NCAT Experience•Over 400 irrigation energy audits since
1988.•Currently offering no-cost energy audits to
NorthWestern Energy irrigation customers.•Measure pressure, flow rate, electrical
power output; calculate pumping plant efficiency.
•Customer receives report with recommendations, payback, power bill analysis, incentive offers.
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Most Common Energy-Saving Recommendations
from Audits• Replace worn nozzles• Repair leaks• Correct motor overloading problems• Rebuild pump and/or motor• Replace pump and/or motor• Correct discharge problems• Correct suction problems
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Lessons Learned•Audits are highly appreciated,
sometimes desperately needed.•Labor intensive (average cost $672 per
audit).•Only about half of participants
completed recommended improvements within 1 year.
•Equipment improvements do not necessarily lead to energy savings.
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2. Direct Financial Incentives
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NCAT Experience• Administering cost-sharing program for
NorthWestern Energy irrigation customers.
Most common customer project proposals in 2003: • Replace hand or wheel lines with pivots (15)• Replace high-pressure pivot w/low-pressure (8)• Use gravity to reduce horsepower requirements
(3)• Replace oversized or inefficient pumps (2)• Install variable frequency drives (2)
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Lessons Learned•Dollar for dollar, direct incentives save
more energy than audits.•Evaluation criteria need to be carefully
designed for consistency and fairness.•Working closely with local equipment
dealers a key to success.•Gravity conversion is probably the biggest
energy conservation opportunity remaining in Montana’s irrigation sector.
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3. Soil Moisture Monitoring
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The M. K. Hansen AM400 Soil Moisture Data Logger
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NCAT has helped install over 120 soil moisture monitoring systems since 2000.
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Lessons Learned•Pivot systems offer the best opportunities
for conservation through improved management.
•Poor management is common, but gross overwatering is less frequent than expected. Only 3-6 of 43 study fields clearly exceeded annual alfalfa water requirements.
•Better water management should be promoted primarily in terms of crop yield and crop health.
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4. Educational Publications•In 2003 NCAT revised and reprinted the
Montana Irrigator’s Pocket Guide.•NCAT has contracted with NRCS to
produce a national edition.
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5. Collaboration with Local Watershed Groups
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NCAT Experience• Working with local groups in river valleys with
chronic water shortages: Big Hole, Blackfoot , Boulder, Jefferson, Ruby, and Shields.
• Goal is to help each group organize and run its own irrigation efficiency program.
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Lessons Learned•Learning in rural communities takes place
by imitation and word of mouth.•Groups vary widely.•Progress on irrigation management is most
likely to come from locally-based projects that enable irrigators to experiment on their own and learn from each other.
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For More Information•NCAT: www.ncat.org 1-800-ASK-NCAT•National Sustainable Agriculture Information
Service: www.attra.ncat.org 1-800-346-9140