Agriculture as a Producer & Consumer of Energy

Recent concerns about energy security in the developed world have drawn greater attention to agriculture's role as a producer and consumer of energy. Agriculturally derived energy sources such as ethanol, biodiesel, biomass, and windpower presently supply between 0.3% and 0.5% of the energy consumed in the U.S. While modest, the production of these energy sources has been increasing rapidly. Likewise, the agricultural sector is a modest consumer of energy (less than 2% of U.S. consumption), but comprises approximately 13% of farm expenditures. Organized into two parts, the first section of this book examines agriculture's role as a producer and consumer of energy, the integration of biomass energy into energy systems, a policy overview, and outlooks for energy production and consumption. The second section is a compendium of current research including: the economic viability of ethanol and biodiesel; energy conservation and efficiency in agriculture; new methods and technologies; and environmental impacts and considerations.