Ontario Farming Energy Reduction

Cole Fleming

Biography

4th year Professional Communication student

 

Research Summary

This study was created as a means to analyze the rate and cost at which open-source farms, indoor greenhouses, and vertical grow houses use energy. The energy this proposal will focus on is hydro usage and electrical usage. The irrigation of crops and the running of the facility equipment accounts for almost all of farm utility bills. Often, farms will run deficits over the winter as the cost of the utilities to keep the produce healthy becomes exponentially more expensive. This proposals aim is to identify the point at which successful produce growth can be achieved while mitigating costs. This will be analyzed by examining key water usage times and at which points farms could purchase cheaper water. It will examine methods that do not require constant energy to function, for example vertical grow houses that obtain most of their necessary irrigation through rainwater. This will be accomplished through data collection at Barrie, Ontario farms as well as cross referencing this information with government statistics on energy costs, average household/farm usage in hydro and electric, as well as evaluating past yields of produce. Graphs will be made to illustrate a line of regression over the last growth cycle so inconsistencies and correlations can be established.

Tags

Farming; Agriculture; Energy Conservation; Cost Reduction

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