Another good early power source are the furnace-generators.
With a forestry tree farm (which takes a tiny bit of automation setting up) you can get lots and lots of charcoal. (and it's quiet early game, just right after the thermionic-machine to make circuits)
*mumbles* Of course culinary generator with forestry farm is even better, since alot of automation (making charcoal, making dirt out of saplings and such) are not needed there
Just in case you don't know: "manual farm: orchard" is he circuit you want to use when using agricraft on forestry farms