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

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About NCAT
National non-profit organization, founded in
1976. Main offices Butte, MT, Fayetteville, AR,
Davis, CA Programs 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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Montana Climate and Crops

• 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.

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Irrigation Methods

• 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.

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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 856 Alfalfa
hay 315 Corn 296 All hay 278 Barley
193 Wheat 190 Oats 151
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Average Irrigation Energy Cost as a Percentage of
Crop Value
Potatoes 0.7 Sugar beets 2.7 Alfalfa
hay 7.4 Corn 7.9 All hay 8.4 Barley
12.1 Wheat 12.3 Oats 15.5
Its 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 Conservation

• 1. 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 Montanas
  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
  Irrigators 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