Harvesting Renewable Energy:

Harvesting Renewable Energy

By Darcy Dougherty Maulsby

How Solar, Wind and Soybeans Power Iowa

It’s amazing how often the wind blows at Jason Russell’s farm, which is located on a high ridge near Monticello. Instead of viewing the wind as a nuisance, Russell decided to harness this power in 2011 with a 50-kilowatt wind turbine located at one of his hog barns.

“The turbine produces about two-thirds to three-fourths of our farm’s electric power,” says Russell, who has received the American Soybean Association’s Conservation Legacy award for his dedication to environmental stewardship. “This renewable energy worked so well that we installed solar panels at our other hog barn in 2014. The solar energy complements the wind power, because there’s plenty of solar power in the summer when the wind doesn’t blow as much.”

This renewable energy helps power Russell Brothers, LLC hog operation, which includes two, 7,200-head, wean-to-finish barns where young pigs grow to market weight. “Our hog barn consumes about 200,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, compared to 14,000 kilowatt hours that an average home consumes in a year,” says Russell, a sixth-generation farmer who also raises cattle and grows corn, soybeans and chickpeas with his wife Sarah and their family in Linn County. “With wind and solar energy, I don’t have an electric bill most months on my farm.”

Jason Russell is a sixth-generation farmer harnessing the power of renewable energy.

Wind, solar and cash crops like soybeans (soybean oil is used to make biodiesel) can provide farmers with sustainable solutions for renewable energy. Iowa is a national leader in renewable energy, notes Ray Gaesser, a corn and soybean farmer from Corning who chairs the Iowa Conservative Energy Forum.

“Iowa’s early diversification of our energy portfolio has kept energy rates below the national average and provided new revenue for Iowa communities. Wind and sun are free resources that can help power our electric needs,” he says.

Clean energy’s benefits extend beyond the farm, adds Gaesser, who wrote a guest editorial in the Cedar Rapids Gazette on this topic in the summer of 2021. “From construction jobs boosting local economies to property tax revenues for schools and infrastructure projects, renewable energy will help Linn County achieve its lofty environmental goals.”

Can Biodiesel Make Sense for You?

Many people rely on at least one diesel engine in their business or home, whether they have a diesel pickup truck or a generator. Did you know you have more options than ever when it comes to buying soy-based biodiesel? Many petroleum retailers now make biodiesel available at local filling stations.

Biodiesel blends of 20% and below work in any diesel engine, without the need for modifications, according to the National Biodiesel Board. If the blend has been properly treated by the petroleum company, it will work year-round, even in cold climates. B20 also provides similar horsepower, torque and mileage as diesel.

Can Biodiesel Reduce my Cancer Risk?

Yes! Using pure biodiesel can reduce cancer risks by 94%, notes the U.S. Department of Energy in its report “Biodiesel – Clean, Green Diesel Fuel.” Using B20, a blend of 20% biodiesel, will reduce that risk by as much as 27%.

Biodiesel Powers Trucking Industry

Biodiesel offers another form of renewable, homegrown energy that both farmers and nonfarmers across Iowa rely on. Made from an increasingly diverse mix of resources, including soybean oil, biodiesel is a renewable, clean-burning fuel that can be used in diesel-powered vehicles like trucks and tractors.

“Iowa is the No. 1 producer of biodiesel in America,” says Grant Kimberley, executive director of the Iowa Biodiesel Board and senior director of market development for the Iowa Soybean Association. Iowa boasts 11 biodiesel plants that produce a total of 400 million gallons of biodiesel each year. Things weren’t always this way, though. The growth of Iowa’s biodiesel industry grew out of the challenging years of the 1980s Farm Crisis.

“By the late 1980s, soybean production in the Midwest had grown a lot over the past few decades,” Kimberley says. “While the soybean meal went into livestock feed, there was so much soybean oil on the market that farmers were only getting pennies on the dollar for the oil.”

Entrepreneurs pointed out that the German inventor Rudolf Diesel had used peanut oil years before to power his diesel engine, which he invented in the 1890s. Why couldn’t another biobased material like soy oil be processed into fuel?

By 1992, the group that would become the National Biodiesel Board had formed and began promoting soy oil as an option for making diesel fuel. By 1998, American biodiesel plants were producing roughly 500,000 gallons of soy biodiesel a year, Kimberley says.

Grant Kimberley is executive director of the Iowa Biodiesel Board and farmer from Maxwell. (Photo courtesy of Joseph L. Murphy)

Within a few years, Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley helped pass the first biodiesel tax credit at the federal level. In 2007, the updated Renewable Fuel Standard (known as RFS2) carved out a place for 1 billion gallons of biodiesel a year in an effort to move the U.S. toward greater energy independence and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “The RFS is still in effect,” Kimberley says. “Today, nearly 3 billion gallons of biodiesel are produced in America per year. More than 50% of that fuel is still made from soy oil.”

Roughly one-third of all the soybean oil produced in America goes into biomassbased diesel fuel. “There are many benefits of soy-based biodiesel,” Kimberley says. Compared to regular diesel, soy biodiesel burns cleaner, which reduces particulate matter in the air. Studies have shown this can reduce people’s risk of cancer by reducing air toxins and cancer-causing compounds.

The trucking industry has become one of the biggest users of soy biodiesel in Iowa. “Approximately 61.5% of soybased diesel with a blend of 11% soy biodiesel or higher is used by the over-the-road trucking industry,” Kimberley says.

Off-road markets, from farms to construction companies, also provide another key market for soy biodiesel. In addition, the CyRide bus service in Ames and the Iowa Department of Transportation also use soy biodiesel. “Iowa has a good track record of producing high-quality biodiesel that serves a wide range of customers,” Kimberley says.

Renewable energy in all its forms, from biodiesel to wind to solar, is an investment in Iowa’s future, Gaesser adds. “It makes us energy-independent, saves Iowans money and creates opportunities for generations to come.”

Russell says federal and state incentives helped lower his risk of investing in wind and solar energy, which are paying off for his farm. “Renewable energy is one more step that keeps our family focused on the future.”

Does Biodiesel Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions?

Yes! Each year, soybeans that produce oils used for making biodiesel draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as the crop builds plant stems, leaves, seeds (which contain the oil) and roots. In addition, clean-burning biodiesel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 56% to 86%, according to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association.

Does Biodiesel Cut Air Pollution?

Yes! Compared to petroleum diesel, soybased biodiesel reduces nearly all forms of air pollution. In fact, biodiesel produces 78% less carbon dioxide than diesel fuel, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Where Can I Find More Information About Biodiesel in Iowa?

Visit www.iowabiodiesel.org for the latest biodiesel news and helpful links.