The 2010 ASHS Annual Conference

Objective(s):
Objective: In this workshop participants will discuss the current status of energy use in Controlled Environment Agriculture Systems and explore alternative energy options for use in commercial systems. The emphasis will be on open discussion of current and alternative energy sources with the hope of developing strong teams that will be successful in solving future energy problems facing horticultural industries.

Four speakers will present 1-3 Powerpoint slides each on a selected topic related to energy use in Controlled Environment Agriculture Systems.  These topics may include Geothermal, bio-fuel, solar and other alternatives to current energy sources.  Speakers will be limited to 5 minutes to present a topic that will then be open to group discussion of status, efficiency, feasibility (from an energy perspective) and economic practicality.  In addition to the six speakers, all interested participants are encouraged to submit 1-3 slides on an energy related subject or system of their choice. These topic slides should be emailed to the moderator (carlsams@utk.edu) by July 25, 2010.  Up to six of these submissions will also be included in the workshop as discussion points.  The moderator will organize the submitted discussion points into groups and email the discussion leaders as to the order of the discussion by July 30, 2010. At least half of the workshop time will be committed to active discussion among all participants. The intent is to: 1) familiarize participants with the breadth of alternative energy sources currently being evaluated; 2) to encourage working group members to build relationships that will foster research, education and extension team-building  for future cooperative projects; and 3) develop timely topics to be presented in detail in a future Colloquia on alternative energy systems for Controlled Environment Agriculture.