Hitherto almost entirely unregulated (except for zoning ordinances and the effects of property taxes), environmental concerns are now beginning to impose restrictions on farms.
How renewable energy projects may be implemented and also on what rate of return electricity producers can obtain from utilities are key current topics.
"[13] Two prime areas for efficiency improvements are implementing the use of heat recovery systems and variable speed drives.
[16][17] Farms sometimes use accredited "resource auditors"[18] to analyze their operations and recommend improved efficiencies, typically at costs exceeding $1,000 per audit.
Some improvements are specific to dairy farms, such as using supplemental lighting with energy efficient lamps (which can increase milk production 5 to 16 percent) or relieving heat stress with a combination of sprinklers and fans to increase the cooling effect and improve energy use.
[5] Norswiss Farms of Rice Lake, Wisconsin, an 1100-cow dairy farm, expects to save over $70,000 per year (plus income from electricity sales) from its installation of an 848 kW Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system operating on anaerobic digesters gas from cow manure.
"It may be less expensive for governments to encourage efficiency and renewable energy options [in order to] delay or negate the need to upgrade and modernize rural grid infrastructure.