The New Energy Economy: Extending the Benefits to American and Canadian Farmers and Rural Communities

Hosted by the MLC Midwest-Canada Energy Subcommittee and MLC Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee

Gerard Reid, one of the leading global experts in energy, discussed longer-term projections for the energy sector. He also provided information on what policymakers need to know to position their states and provinces to be leaders in the changing energy world.

In Germany, the agriculture sector has profited from the country’s energy transition, and we had several speakers from Germany who talked about how and why that has happened and provided examples of successful projects.  German farmers own 11 percent of the renewable electricity generation facilities, while energy cooperatives play a leading role in renewable energy development, with local producers driving community energy independence at the local level.  Solar and anaerobic digestion technologies increase farmers’ annual income in Germany by reducing energy costs and providing new revenue streams.