Ohio Energy Profiles

Author : Daniel J. Sanders
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 114 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (52 download)

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Download or read book Ohio Consumers' Profiles, Willingness to Pay, and Attitudes Regarding Anaerobic Digestion on Dairy Farms written by Daniel J. Sanders and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: The continuing trend toward fewer, larger dairy production facilities has led to increasing concerns about issues such as odor and water quality degradation, exacerbated by growing rural-urban pressures. These issues, along with an increasing U.S. desire for renewable energy sources, have a potential solution in anaerobic digestion. This thesis examines consumers' attitudes towards anaerobic digestion as a means of determining sectors of support. Consumers were contacted as part of a larger Ohio-wide survey of households regarding food, agricultural, and environmental issues. Specific to this project, consumers were asked about their attitudes towards anaerobic digestion, reasons for supporting renewable energy premiums, and willingness to pay for digester outputs. In the balance of the survey, consumers were asked about personal and household energy use and conservation, food purchases, and socio-demographic factors. The results were analyzed using logistic regression and partitional cluster analysis. Four core clusters emerged from the analysis. They were (1) older, less educated, lower income consumers; (2) well-educated, well-paid consumers; (3) politically liberal, environmentally proactive consumers, and (4) younger consumers. The politically liberal, environmentally proactive consumers were the most supportive of backing anaerobic digestion through premiums on their utility bills. These consumers also cited reducing greenhouse gases as the most important reason to purchase renewable energy. For the other clusters, reducing foreign oil dependence was the strongest reason by far. Consumers who indicated that they would not purchase renewable energy for any reason were, as a whole, older, less educated, and had lower incomes. Regarding knowledge of emerging renewable energy sources, most consumers thought that they possessed less than median level knowledge of renewable energy sources. Those consumers who thought they had more than median level knowledge were, on average, better educated, had higher incomes, and were more environmentally proactive.