The Department of Energy just announced a major funding opportunity for the development of technologies designed to measure feedstock-related emissions in the field.
The Department of Energy’s Systems for Monitoring and Analytics for Renewable Transportation Fuels from Agricultural Resource and Management – or “SMARTFARM” – aims to develop better monitoring technologies for feedstock-related emissions as well as provide market incentives for better efficiency and carbon management. Methane emissions from agriculture are becoming an increasingly significant issue in climate change, and the potential direct capture of agricultural gasses offers key potential for alternative fuel production.
"Biofuel production is a key U.S. energy asset, and new technologies to increase the monitoring capabilities of our nation’s agriculture industry will continue to position us as a leader in this space,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette. “SMARTFARM will enhance the monitoring technologies that feedstock producers need to participate in future carbon management programs, laying the groundwork for cleaner, more efficient biofuel production.”