1st Edition

Geothermal, Wind and Solar Energy Applications in Agriculture and Aquaculture

    406 Pages
    by CRC Press

    406 Pages
    by CRC Press

    The agri-food chain consumes about one third of the world’s energy production with about 12% of it for crop production and nearly 80% for processing, distribution, retail, preparation and cooking. The agri-food chain also accounts for 80-90% of total global freshwater use where 70% alone is for irrigation. Additionally, on a global scale, freshwater production consumes nearly 15% of the entire energy production. It can therefore be argued that making agriculture and the agri-food supply chain independent from fossil fuel use has a huge potential to contribute to global food security and climate protection not only for the next decades but also for the coming century. Provision of secure, accessible and environmentally sustainable supplies of water, energy and food must thus be a priority.
    One of the major objectives of the world’s scientists, farmers, decisions makers and industrialists is to overcome the present dependence on fossil fuels in the agro-food sector. This dependency increases the volatility of food prices and affects economic access to sustenance.
    This book provides a critical review of recent developments in solar, wind and geothermal energy applications in agriculture and the agro-food sector such as processing, distribution, retail, preparation and cooking.



    1. Solar, wind and geothermal energy applications in agriculture: back to future?


    2. Agriculture sector modernization and renewable energy development: perspectives from developing countries


    3. Linking food and nutrition security, urban and peri-urban agriculture, and sustainable energy use: experiences from South America


    4. Renewable energy use in remote central Australia


    5. Opportunities of adopting renewable energy for the nursery industry in Australia


    6. Fundamentals of solar energy


    7. Renewable energies for greenhouses in semi-arid climates


    8. Solar photocatalytic disinfection of water for reuse in irrigation


    9. Solar PV for water pumping and irrigation


    10. Solar drying


    11. Small-scale power wind energy systems for use in agricultural farms and in similar application


    12. Wind mills for water pumping, irrigation and drainage


    13. Lakes as the heat source of heat pumps – a model study to determine the ecological impact of summer heat transfer

    Biography

    Jochen Bundschuh, Guangnan Chen, D. Chandrasekharam, Janusz Piechocki