This report found that it could be affordable to use waste hull and shell to produce energy for almond production, but only when the energy solution is tailored to each production site by taking into account site-specific factors such as energy efficiency, energy demand, and the value placed on energy production by-products.
Report extract
The almond industry is rapidly growing its output at a time where the Australian economy is becoming increasingly “carbon” constrained.
This means that input prices related to energy and pumping costs are rising and consumer expectations about sustainability are changing.
Agriculture is well placed though to take advantage of opportunities under the Clean Energy Future Plan in relation to renewable energy and possibly energy efficiency and carbon farming.
The objectives of this project were to:
- establish current energy demand and carbon footprint (from Scope 1 and 2 emissions)1 across almond industry producers, processors and packers;
- assess technological options for energy production; and
- conduct a preliminary economic analysis of the commercial viability of energy production.
