Clean Energy Advocacy

Internship with Vermont Law School's Institute for Energy and the Environment (IEE)

What is IEE?

The Institute for Energy and the Environment (IEE) is a center at Vermont Law School that consists of graduate research on national and world energy policy. It consists of an Energy Clinic composed of staff attorneys and students that work on legal and business models of community renewable energy development.

Source: https://learn.vermontlaw.edu/pluginfile.php/2/course/section/373/frontanim.gif

Clean Energy Advocacy Internship

I was one of three Clean Energy Advocacy Undergraduate Interns for the summer of 2020. Through this position I worked on renewable energy projects for the institute and participated in weekly Energy Clinic meetings and a Clean Transportation Law and Policy course.


Overview: My Projects

IEE logo

  • Healthy Soils Policy Inventory
  • Definitions of Soil Health: The Importance of Language
  • Energy Use in US Agriculture: An Overview
  • Biogas Policy Development

Healthy Soils Policy Inventory

A look into state-level soil health policies


Definitions of Soil Health: The Importance of Language

An analysis of how governmental organizations, state policies, institutes, and scientists define "soil health"


As displayed by the various definitions in the chart above, there are many potential ways to interpret “soil health.” The definition may vary by project, organization, or the context in which it is used. While it may serve organizations well to alter a definition to better fit their goals or purposes, it may also cause some communication and comprehension issues. When it comes to creating a healthier environment, language can serve as an important tool for scientists and policymakers to establish plans of action. However, if there are inconsistencies within definitions for certain terms it may cause confusion and miscommunication. Understanding language is crucial for enacting environmental programs and change heading forward. 

Why is this important?

Establishing a concrete definition for a concept that may be subjective and constantly evolving can pose a challenge. The definitions may depend on the type of organization and what its goals are, for example, which is why when cross-searching definitions one may find conflicting results. Even within organizations there can be conflicting definitions, or more than one statement provided, as shown in the first figure with North Health Regional Soil Nexus having web pages with different definitions and the NRCS having one definition on their “Soil Health” web page and a slightly different definition in an educational flyer that they created. While these definitions may seem like they mean the same thing, this research has shown how very similar definitions or terms can be interpreted differently. Ultimately, the variety of interpretations offers as much opportunity as it does confusion. Certainly, it may lead to confusion when a concrete definition provides the clarity that would best serve scientific and legislative needs. However, having multiple definitions may also provide opportunities for growing and expanding the interpretations, as well as potentially considering contributing factors to soil health that have not been expressed in prior definitions. If there was just one established universal definition, it may limit further research into soil health factors, but the complexity of having a variety of definitions illuminates the pathway towards deeper understanding of soil health. As the natural world changes and evolves, the terms and ways that we define it must evolve as well to provide the most accurate understanding that ultimately leads to better science and policy. 


Energy Use in U.S. Agriculture: An Overview

An analysis on direct and indirect energy use in agriculture

Source: https://www.worldatlas.com/upload/3a/c4/c1/shutterstock-653708227.jpg

Energy use in agriculture is classified as either direct or indirect energy use.

Direct energy use is the consumption and use of fuels on the farm. These are very clearly seen on farms at the time of production and include most commonly propane, natural gas, electricity, and distillate fuels (diesel).[1]

Indirect energy use is the use of fuels to make products that will later be used on farms. This use of energy is much less obvious as a contribution to agricultural energy consumption since it is not directly consumed on the farm. However, because the agricultural process includes any aspect that plays a role in bringing the finished product to market, an accurate assessment of energy use in agriculture will include indirect energy use.[2]

[1] U.S. Energy Information Admin., Glossary, https://www.eia.gov/tools/glossary/index.php?id=distillate.

[2] Susan Hicks, U.S. Energy Information Admin., Energy For Growing And Harvesting Crops is a Large Component of Farm Operating Costs, https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=18431.

Direct Energy Use

Direct energy use can be from any type of renewable or non-renewable energy. However, the majority of energy used on U.S. farms is non-renewable energy such as diesel, electricity liquefied petroleum, natural gas and gasoline.[1]

Crops vs. Livestock farms

Crops use an average $8,511 per farm on fuel and livestock spend an average of $3,906 per farm. Crops on average spend $9,139 on tractors/self-propelled farm machinery and $4,227 on other farm machinery. Livestock farms spend more money on trucks and automobiles than crops at an average of $2,696 per farm.[2]

Crop farms derive more energy overall than livestock farms do. On a crop farm the energy use that occurs beginning in the beginning of production occurs in the form of field work using some type of large operating equipment such as mowers, tractors, plow and combines. Different types of equipment are needed to manage the soil like weeding, harvesting, tillage, fertilizer and seed distribution. 

Livestock farms use mostly direct energy to care for its animals such as: powering the building with lights, heat and ventilation just to make the building safe for workers and animals. The use of the livestock does not alter the need for large refrigeration. Refrigeration derives electricity twenty-four hours a day without being shut off in order to conserve products until they leave the farm. Almost every aspect of livestock production requires some form of direct energy fuel.[3]

Indirect Energy Use

While direct energy in agriculture focuses on the activities on the farm, thus making them “direct,” indirect energy can include the activities that happen during pre-production and post-production that take place off the farm. Most of the research about indirect energy use in agriculture focuses on fertilizer and pesticides because the production of these two substances accounts for a large portion of the indirect energy. 

About 70-80% of the energy used to produce fertilizers comes from natural gas, due in part to the high volume of nitrogen fertilizer production.[4] Nitrogen fertilizer is used more than the other two, potash and phosphate.[5] Nitrogen fertilizer production utilizes greater than 75% of all the energy use attributable to total fertilizer production with a consumption of about 25,000 BTUs per pound of nitrogen. Therefore, not only is nitrogen fertilizer used more frequently, but it is also more energy intensive to produce than the other two.[6]

Other indirect energy uses may be: pesticides, transportation, processing, packaging, storage

Citations

[1] Direct and Indirect Energy Consumption by Source, FenRIAM 1 (July 18, 2020), www.fenriam.eu/direct-and-indirect-energy-consumption-by-source.html.

[2] Nat’l Agric. Statistics Serv., U.S. Dep’t of Agric, 2017 Census of Agriculture (2019).

[3] Susan Hicks, U.S. Energy Information Admin., Energy For Growing And Harvesting Crops is a Large Component of Farm Operating Costs, https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=18431.

[4] Clark Gellings et al., Energy Efficiency in Fertilizer Production and Use (2009).

[5] Econ. Research Service, Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators (2019), https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/93026/eib-208.pdf?v=4419.7.

[6] U.S. Dep’t of Agric., Cooperative Extension Serv., Energy-Efficient Use of Fertilizer and Other Nutrients in Agriculture (2019), https://farm-energy.extension.org/energy-efficient-use-of-fertilizer-and-other-nutrients-in-agriculture/.


Biogas Policy Development

Research regarding policy incentives for anaerobic digesters

What is an anaerobic digester?

An anaerobic digestion is a process where organic waste is broken down by bacteria and therefore produces biogas which can be a source of energy. Biogas contains mostly methane and carbon dioxide and can produce heat and electricity, or it can be upgraded into renewable natural gas. Biogas can reduce greenhouse gas emissions when used in place of fossil fuels. Anaerobic digesters can be used with livestock waste, landfill waste, food waste, crop residues and wastewater treatment.[1]

[1] Environmental and Energy Study Institute, “Biogas: Converting Waste to Energy,” 2017,  https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-biogasconverting-waste-to-energy 

How does this relate to policy?

While anaerobic digesters provide a renewable energy source and a sustainable waste solution, there is still a need for policy incentives to make this practice accessible to consumers.

My research investigated policy options for biogas and their evolutions over time, from net metering policies and feed-in-tariffs, to more recent successor policies such as the New York Value of Distributed Energy Resources Tariff that provides a more in-depth value system for biogas compensation.

The New York Value of Distributed Energy Resources Tariff

Motivation of the New York Public Service Commission to switch to the Value of Distributed Energy Resources tariff program is to give value to distributed energy resources in a more accurate way, taking multiple factors into consideration.[1] These factors that determine the value of distributed energy resources are energy value, capacity value, environmental value, demand reduction value, and location system relief value, and community credit for community distributed generation projects.[2]

This program is an important step in allowing for energy consumers to have easier access to incentives for various renewable energy systems. The value-oriented compensation acknowledges that renewable energy systems have different benefits and should therefore be compensated accordingly.

[1] DSIRE, Net Metering (NC State University, 2019)  https://programs.dsireusa.org/system/program/detail/453 

[2] The Value Stack Compensation for Distributed Energy Resources (NYSERDA, 2019)


Personal Reflection

I am very grateful to have had this opportunity at the IEE of Vermont Law School. I was able to further develop skills that I've practiced throughout my time at DePauw and I was able to focus on new areas of environmental law and policy. This experience was critical in allowing me to envision a future career in environmental law while also granting me the practice of working in a law clinic and taking a law school class. I am also very grateful to the IEE staff members who were incredibly welcoming and served as great mentors, which is something very appreciated, especially while working remotely.


Anaerobic Digester Slideshow Photo 1: Photo 1: https://www.biocycle.net/anaerobic-digestion-in-the-northwest/

Photo 2: https://salmanzafar.me/biogas-digester/

Source: https://learn.vermontlaw.edu/pluginfile.php/2/course/section/373/frontanim.gif

IEE logo

Source: https://www.worldatlas.com/upload/3a/c4/c1/shutterstock-653708227.jpg