In much of the West, pumping water to keep alfalfa growing in the desert through the hot season is an extremely wasteful endeavor. Kate Galbraith writes about an energy conservation initiative in Idaho that pays irrigators to turn off the pumps during peak demand.
Saving Energy by Managing Irrigation New York Times blog
Doing more with less ~ conservation, efficiency ~ is almost always a cheaper proposition than the alternative, and there’s so much potential to reduce energy consumption.