Project Objectives

Objectives of the Agricultural and Agri-food Renewable
Energy Feasibility Studies

Individual producers who partake in the studies

  1. A private site-specific assessment of:
    1. The technical feasibility, financial viability, costs and benefits of integrating a specific renewable energy technology into their agriculture or agri-food operation; and
    2. The circumstances (technical, economic and/or regulatory) under which the renewable energy technology would be feasible/viable if it is not currently.
  2. Implementation plan to follow should they decide to install the renewable energy technology being examined at their operation.

Agricultural and agri-food sector

  1. Publicly available site-specific assessments covering the technical feasibility, financial viability, costs and benefits of integrating renewable energy technologies into specific agricultural operations across a representative sample of B.C.'s agricultural and agri-food sectors.
  2. Renewable energy technology-specific fact sheets that enable agricultural producers to quickly assess which technologies are most suitable for integration into their operation.
  3. Industry benchmarks (geographic, economic, logistic and technical) that provide an indication of the type, location and size of agricultural operation in B.C. at which integration of different types of renewable energy technologies are feasibility/viability.
  4. Self-assessment tools that enable agriculture and agri-food producers in B.C. to:
    1. Conduct a 'high-level', preliminary feasibility assessment for adoption of specific renewable energy technologies; and
    2. Compare 'high-level', preliminary feasibility assessments across renewable energy technologies (enabling producers to select the most feasible technology from a possible list).
  5. Sample implementation plans to provide a guide for integrating renewable energy technologies into agricultural operations in B.C., including technology selection, regulatory and permitting approval, financing, etc.

Government

  1. A clear understanding of the near, medium and long-term technical feasibility, financial viability, costs and benefits of commercially available renewable energy technologies across different agricultural and agri-food operations in B.C.
  2. A clear understanding of current barriers and opportunities to encourage renewable energy technology adoption throughout B.C.'s agricultural and agri-food sectors through regulations, policies, and programs, such as the Environmental Farm Plan.