Because the strain on the agricultural sector continues, sensible useful resource administration and in search of sustainable vitality options may also 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 situations, to jostling for most suitable option of land use, the sector is more and more below strain to turn into not simply meals producers, however vitality suppliers as nicely. This problem should push us to rethink how we work together with the environment and use house and know-how in new and progressive methods.
The important thing to overcoming these challenges is cleverly utilizing all the things round us, with out sacrificing meals for gasoline. Collectively, we have to consider all types of latest methods to seize all of the ‘free’ vitality we will. Can we use cellular photo voltaic panels, simply after we want them? Can we flip a parked-up machine right into a cellular wind turbine? Can we retailer the rainwater excessive up and run it by way of a turbine after we want the electrical energy?
“The important thing to overcoming these challenges is cleverly utilizing all the things round us, with out sacrificing meals for gasoline”
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 by way of 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 might 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 wise method. On-shore wind supplies the chance to co-locate vitality manufacturing with meals manufacturing – utilizing minimal land to create most output, whereas retaining the agricultural footprint for crops.
In fact, to the entrepreneurial farmer, none of that is new – the ida of maximising the output of the assets supplied is a each day incidence. Whether or not that’s by way of elevated crop yields or by utilizing equipment within the optimum solution to cut back gasoline consumed. In reality, many farmers immediately should not solely meals producers however vitality producers too, benefiting from wind generators and photo voltaic panels.
The challenges and potential of hydrogen
It’s this identical spirit that we attempt to embody at JCB – to make use of what we’ve round us in probably the most wise method, to create actual change sooner or later. Take the JCB hydrogen engine – it’s utilising recognized parts, current manufacturing and engineering know-how and turning it on its head to create one thing brand-new, with really world- altering potential. What we’d like now’s for a similar spirit to be turned to hydrogen manufacturing and storage – understanding new and inventive methods of manufacturing hydrogen regionally, at low price, and utilizing what we have already got round us.
We should not underestimate the challenges we now face with a rising inhabitants. Eight billion individuals on the planet means extra mouths to feed and extra vitality demanded. However eight billion individuals on the planet additionally means eight billion brains to provide you with 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 challenge of iVT.
