Resource Innovation Institute ( RII ) has free the Controlled Environment Agriculture Energy & Water Benchmarking Report : Establishing Preliminary Benchmarks . The paper is deliverable to USDA ’s Natural Resources Conservation Service ( NRCS ) under the Conservation Innovation Grant - funded undertaking titled Data - Driven Market Transformation for Efficient Controlled Environment Agriculture ( CEA ) . A highlighting of the report is that it validates the water savings potential of CEA . The written report can be downloaded from RII ’s imagination catalogue at this link .
" The water savings potential of CEA is real . It is clear in the data point . And circularity best drill drive that outcome , " say Derek Smith , Executive Director of Resource Innovation Institute . " This composition provides an authoritative view of how imagination are used inside a range of check environments rule in today ’s evolving agricultural landscape painting . Yet it ’s just a start compass point . We want significantly more research at a crop and climate geographical zone level and related to engineering and practices to really determine the most Energy Department and water efficient tract forward . "
The CEA Energy & Water Benchmarking Report offers a comprehensive look at CEA benchmarking and reveals key findings , including :
" These finding would not be potential without the transparency and leaders of the farm who trust the confidentiality of our benchmarking process , " Smith said . " It is leaders like these who are enable CEA to advance its resiliency potential . "
The CEA Energy & Water Benchmarking Report is the consequence of a two - yr research project collect , standardizing , and break down utility and fuel bills from the operation of 12 leading glasshouse and indoor farms via RII ’s PowerScore benchmarking political program . The composition is usable for free download on theResource Innovation Institute library , which also check RII ’s recently release Water Circularity Best Practices Guide for Controlled Environment Agriculture Operations .
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Reviewers
" Controlled environment agriculture is a critical part of the time to come of Pennsylvania farming . The account by RII further exemplifies the importance of CEA in Pennsylvania ’s agriculture portfolio . CEA offers significant agricultural production while at the same time reducing weewee usage and alimentary runoff , both of which are critical for addressing our challenges with the Chesapeake Bay Watershed . to boot , CEA provide an ideal ecosystem where the next - generation agriculture hands can learn how to use applied science to augment agrarian operations , " commented Russell Redding , Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture
" When indoor farm influence together to portion out sustainability data , the entire industriousness benefits . This report is a corking example , providing worthful early insights into water supply use and energy footprints . I look forward to the manufacture building on this important work and continue to partake data that helps set sustainability bench mark and drive progress , " said Julia Kurnik , World Wildlife Fund .
For more information : Resource Innovation Centerwww.resourceinnovation.org
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