Farmers will have the opportunity to learn about generating energy from farm business waste in order to provide a new income stream or reduce running costs at the upcoming energy futures conference in Collie this week.
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development research officer Kim Brooksbank will deliver a presentation on the future of bioenergy at the Critical Horizons conference on Friday, June 8.
Dr Brooksbank said there was growing interest in the use of secondary agricultural products such as straw, animal manure and vegetable waste to make biofuel or biogas.
“While secondary agricultural products may have a higher value when used to improve soil to help regenerate farmland, where that isn’t feasible, bioenergy could represent the best value use of the products,” he said.
“Bioenergy provides a market for agricultural products that are already grown, is a carbon neutral energy source, and is a baseload power source that provides stable and renewable energy systems.
“Farmers currently produce about 10 million tonnes of straw, which is considered waste, across the Grainbelt each year.
“That’s enough to provide a third of the electricity used in WA or, if it was made into ethanol, more than enough fuel to replace all the unleaded petrol used in WA.
“If we seize bioenergy opportunities now, there could soon be an explosion of new industries being created out of materials that we recently considered to be waste.
Dr Brooksbank said bioenergy was already starting to be utilised in regional WA, with great success.
“Bioenergy installations already up and running ... include changing steam generation from gas powered to biomass powered at two abattoirs, and the building of a biodigester at a piggery near Kojonup that will provide all the business’s power needs from pig waste.” he said.
The South West Development Commission’s Critical Horizons – Powering the Future of WA conference will be held at the Harris River Estate on Friday, June 8.
For more information or to purchase tickets for the conference, visit www.criticalhorizons.com.au