NYSERDA's Agriculture Initiatives: Market Evaluation Results

Strategic Insights -

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has developed three major initiatives to aid the agricultural industry: Advancing Agriculture Energy Technologies (AAET), Agriculture Technical Services (ATS), and Greenhouse Lighting and Systems Engineering (GLASE) Consortium. This report presents the methodology and results from the baseline year (2018-2019) market evaluation of NYSERDA's Agriculture Initiatives.

Key Takeaways:

  • The AAET initiative aims to demonstrate advanced, underused, or emerging technologies or processes to illustrate and document the value proposition of technologies for targeted energy use on farms.
  • The ATS initiative includes two components: Agriculture Energy Audits, which provide comprehensive audits to farmers, and Best Practices, which provide information, tools, and resources to agriculture market.
  • The GLASE Consortium targets energy-related improvements in greenhouse system operations by optimizing energy efficiency, crop yield, and quality.
  • The Market Evaluation Team conducted surveys with non-participant farms, agriculture energy audit participants, non-participant lighting manufacturers, and other market actors to assess the testable hypotheses and goals prior to exit for each initiative.
  • The survey data was collected through primary data collection activities, including surveys with non-participant farms and agriculture energy audit participants, and secondary research, including review of 17 sources to provide additional insight on the research questions.
  • The market evaluation aims to estimate the indirect impacts from the initiatives, which refer to energy savings and other benefits resulting from measure adoption associated with indirect program influence.
  • The initiatives' goals prior to exit and testable hypotheses were assessed by measuring related indicators, including the number of farmers confident energy efficiency measures will produce promised benefits.
  • The GLASE Consortium decided to no longer include grocery retailers as a focus market actor, realizing that the current benefits of the consortium were greater to other groups than to grocery retailers.

Statistics:

  • 7 pre-tests were completed for the non-participant grocery retailers survey before it was closed due to the GLASE Consortium's decision.
  • The survey instrument was drafted and identified a sample frame for the non-participant grocery retailers survey.
  • The Market Evaluation Team developed a summary Excel table to create survey questions for the indicators, which was reviewed and approved by NYSERDA and GLASE Consortium staff prior to implementing the surveys.
  • 17 sources were reviewed to provide additional insight on the research questions through secondary research.

Sources:

  • NYSERDA, "Appendix C. Indirect Benefits Evaluation Framework"
  • NYSERDA, "Appendix F. Primary Data Collection Activities"
  • NYSERDA, "Appendix G. Secondary Research"
  • NYSERDA, "Appendix H. Indirect Impacts Methodology"
  • NYSERDA, "Clean Energy Fund Investment Plan: Agriculture. Portfolio: Market Development. Matter Number 16-00681, In the Matter of the Clean Energy Fund Investment Plan. Revised November 1, 2017."
  • NYSERDA, "Clean Energy Fund Investment Plan: Multi-Sector Solutions Chapter. Portfolio: Market Development. Matter Number 16-00681, In the Matter of the Clean Energy Fund Investment Plan. Revised November 1, 2017."
  • NYSERDA, "Clean Energy Fund Investment Plan: Agriculture. Portfolio: Market Development. Matter Number 16-00681, In the Matter of the Clean Energy Fund Investment Plan. Revised November 1, 2017."
  • NYSERDA, "Clean Energy for Agriculture Task Force Strategic Plan"
  • NYSERDA, "Clean Energy Fund"