Over 30% of the world's carbon emissions are produced by
agricultural applications according to a recent study published in Nature. This portion
of greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed primarily to energy consumption
for running processes such as irrigation, lighting, heating, and other
electrical and mechanical operations. For many years, the only option available
for providing energy on the scales needed for mass agriculture was the usage of
fossil fuels. However, with the improvement of renewable energy technologies
from biomass to solar-powered irrigation, AgriTech firms are encouraging the use of renewable energy technologies for many
operations as it offers a cost-saving alternative to fossil fuels.
Understanding Renewable Energy
The depletion of Earth’s natural resources in the past 150
years has encouraged innovators to search for more efficient means of producing
energy. As such, many different methods for converting energy from
non-depletable sources have been developed. The idea of using energy from
sunlight, wind, water or other natural sources is simple, but the execution has
historically been complicated on a large scale. However, with modern
technology, renewable energy is not relegated to obscure laboratories; it is
now a practical energy source and solution for agribusinesses seeking to reduce costs and
decrease consumption of fossil fuel-derived energy sources.
Popular Renewable Energy Solutions in Agriculture
Renewable energy is a great innovation in the modern world –
natural resources like sunlight, wind, geothermal energy, or the movement of
water can be used to provide inexhaustible sources of energy. When coupled with
agricultural operations, renewable energy sources can provide a cost-saving,
environmentally friendly means of increasing the efficiency and self-sustainability
of the land. Here is a quick overview of some of the most popular renewable
energy sources used in agribusinesses:
- Biomass: Biomass describes any biological material
produced by agricultural applications, which can be burned for energy or
converted into fuel sources. Common biomass sources include manure,
fast-growing grasses, trees, and excess crops and agricultural residue. Biomass
energy can be produced through organic digestion of the material which produces
methane gas that can be burned, or by directly burning biomass in the case of
trees and some agricultural residues according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
- Wind: the use of wind to turn windmills is not a new
practice, and it has been used for hundreds of years to turn grist mills.
However, modern windmills are used to generate electrical energy by turning a
rotor within a generator to create electricity. The electricity from wind
operations can be used to power large agricultural applications in windy areas
with the local power grid only providing a backup in case of days without wind.
- Solar: Solar power is one of the most popular renewable
energy sources because it is easy to implement and well-researched. According
to experts in AgriTech, solar power can
provide nearly all the energy required for agricultural operations.
Additionally, the benefit of solar is that it can be installed alongside
agriculture in many cases, which ensures that the land is being used to its
maximum potential. A popular use of solar power is in running irrigation
systems.
Growing a Greener World
While there are countless applications for renewable energy,
agriculture is one of the most amenable industries to the implementation of
these alternative methods of powering equipment and services such as irrigation
and lighting. Consulting with experts in agribusiness
is one of the best ways to determine which renewable energies would be helpful
for a given agricultural application because customizing an effective solution
depends on the location, scale and demands of the particular operation.
