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12
Agriculture
Abstract
There are significant issues associated with agriculture and its relationships
with greenhouse gas emissions and air quality. Just as in other areas, energy
is needed for farming, and transitioning to renewable energy in agriculture
is an important goal. Because farms are large in area, the electrical grid has
higher costs of transmission and distribution in rural parts of the world. There
are many places where there is no electrical grid serving farm populations.
The decreases in the costs of wind- and solar-generated electricity and the
progress in battery development are very beneficial for agriculture and offgrid electrical systems. Sustainable development in agriculture is a high
priority and has great value for society. Nutritious food is one of the most
important needs for good health and well-being. Food security for all people
is one of the Sustainable Development Goals. The United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization is providing leadership for sustainable agriculture.
12.1 Introduction
There are many topics related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions that
are associated with agriculture in particular. Agriculture connects closely
with sustainability issues having to do with land use, water use, and food
security/ world hunger issues. At the same time, there are other issues,
already discussed more generally, that are relevant for agriculture as
well: Renewable energy generation, electrification of transportation (here
including farm machinery), and a smarter infrastructure.
The generation of electricity using wind and solar energy for farming
with electric tractors has a bright future. The cost of solar panels continues
to decrease, and battery storage of renewable electricity has become competitive with other alternatives (see Chapter 8). The progress in battery
developments is very important for agriculture because battery purchase
prices below $50/ kWh, combined with decreasing costs for electricity from
wind and solar energy, will bring low energy prices to agriculture.
109
12
Agriculture
Abstract
There are significant issues associated with agriculture and its relationships
with greenhouse gas emissions and air quality. Just as in other areas, energy
is needed for farming, and transitioning to renewable energy in agriculture
is an important goal. Because farms are large in area, the electrical grid has
higher costs of transmission and distribution in rural parts of the world. There
are many places where there is no electrical grid serving farm populations.
The decreases in the costs of wind- and solar-generated electricity and the
progress in battery development are very beneficial for agriculture and offgrid electrical systems. Sustainable development in agriculture is a high
priority and has great value for society. Nutritious food is one of the most
important needs for good health and well-being. Food security for all people
is one of the Sustainable Development Goals. The United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization is providing leadership for sustainable agriculture.
12.1 Introduction
There are many topics related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions that
are associated with agriculture in particular. Agriculture connects closely
with sustainability issues having to do with land use, water use, and food
security/ world hunger issues. At the same time, there are other issues,
already discussed more generally, that are relevant for agriculture as
well: Renewable energy generation, electrification of transportation (here
including farm machinery), and a smarter infrastructure.
The generation of electricity using wind and solar energy for farming
with electric tractors has a bright future. The cost of solar panels continues
to decrease, and battery storage of renewable electricity has become competitive with other alternatives (see Chapter 8). The progress in battery
developments is very important for agriculture because battery purchase
prices below $50/ kWh, combined with decreasing costs for electricity from
wind and solar energy, will bring low energy prices to agriculture.