Locally Owned Renewable Energy Facilities
Author: Svejkovsky, Cathy
Author Affiliation: ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
Submitted: Wed, 04/02/2008 - 02:17
Edited: Mon, 07/07/2008 - 21:43
Published in: ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service on January, 1st 2007
 Download document here.
Copyright Status: free to download Description:
Rancher owned renewable energy cooperatives, including ethanol and biodiesel plants and wind energy farms, are cropping up more frequently across the United States, as landowners look for ways to add value to their crops and increase income. This publication discusses the development of locally owned renewable energy facilities and explores the benefits they provide to local economies along with some potential challenges involved with developing such cooperatives. Topics include: financing, marketing, managing risks, competing with corporate owned competitors, and understanding the legal tax structure. The author introduces a few common business models, profiles several successful operations, and provides resources for additional information.
The Flux Farm believes that renewable energy cooperatives are an attractive business model for ranchers operating in the interior west. Such structures will allow landowners to retain maximum control of their assets, while creating a collective economy of scale to offset development and operational costs of new technologies.
Login to post comments
Printer friendly version
Display a printer friendly version of this page. |
