Because the strain on the agricultural sector continues, good useful resource administration and in search of sustainable vitality options may help farmers meet international meals calls for
Agriculture has at all times been the spine of civilisation, however now, as with most different sectors, it faces unprecedented challenges. From feeding a rising international inhabitants in quickly altering climate circumstances, to jostling for most suitable option of land use, the sector is more and more below strain to change into not simply meals producers, however vitality suppliers as nicely. This problem should push us to rethink how we work together with our surroundings and use area and know-how in new and progressive methods.
The important thing to overcoming these challenges is cleverly utilizing every part round us, with out sacrificing meals for gas. Collectively, we have to consider every kind of latest methods to seize all of the ‘free’ vitality we are able to. Can we use cell photo voltaic panels, simply after we want them? Can we flip a parked-up machine right into a cell wind turbine? Can we retailer the rainwater excessive up and run it via a turbine after we want the electrical energy?
“The important thing to overcoming these challenges is cleverly utilizing every part round us, with out sacrificing meals for gas”
Renewable vitality
It’s fairly profound, however the largest ‘battery’ within the UK is water, pumped up mountains into massive reservoirs utilizing extra electrical energy. When there’s a spike in demand, the water is launched via generators, and rapidly generates gigawatts of electrical energy. One factor we’re blessed (and cursed) with within the UK is rain; think about if we may handle rainwater on farms to each generate electrical energy and irrigate crops.
Equally within the UK one factor they aren’t making extra of is land, which is why it’s essential that we use it in probably the most smart means. On-shore wind gives the chance to co-locate vitality manufacturing with meals manufacturing – utilizing minimal land to create most output, whereas retaining the agricultural footprint for crops.
After all, to the entrepreneurial farmer, none of that is new – the ida of maximising the output of the assets offered is a each day incidence. Whether or not that’s via elevated crop yields or by utilizing equipment within the optimum solution to cut back gas consumed. In actual fact, many farmers as we speak will not be solely meals producers however vitality producers too, benefiting from wind generators and photo voltaic panels.
The challenges and potential of hydrogen
It’s this similar spirit that we try to embody at JCB – to make use of what we now have round us in probably the most smart means, to create actual change sooner or later. Take the JCB hydrogen engine – it’s utilising recognized elements, present manufacturing and engineering know-how and turning it on its head to create one thing brand-new, with actually world- altering potential. What we want now’s for a similar spirit to be turned to hydrogen manufacturing and storage – figuring out new and inventive methods of manufacturing hydrogen domestically, at low value, and utilizing what we have already got round us.
We should not underestimate the challenges we now face with a rising inhabitants. Eight billion folks on the planet means extra mouths to feed and extra vitality demanded. However eight billion folks on the planet additionally means eight billion brains to give you progressive and inventive options – our international capability for altering the world round us is immense.
Agriculture has harnessed water, wind and solar to feed the world, now let’s assist farmers use water, wind and solar to energy the world as nicely.
This text first appeared within the October problem of iVT.
