Energy Efficiency in Powering Agriculture
Overview
The global potential for energy savings is enormous, reaching up to 50% in developing countries and transition economies.
Basics of Energy Efficiency
Energy conersions always imply energy losses. Converting energy from one from into another is necessary for utilising energy. For instance, in lift irrigation: A diesel engine converts chemical energy of oil into mechanical energy for powering the shaft of a pump. This pump then converts shaft power into potential energy of water by bringing the water to a higher height. Energy conversion is also necessary for energy generation: A solar PV cell generates energy by converting radiation energy into electricity. Within the conversion a share of energy is lost. This leads to the concept of energey effifiency.[1]
The efficiency of an energy converter (e.g. solar cell, turbine, motor) is defined as the quantity of energy in the desired form (the output energy) divided by the quantity of energy put in for conversion (the input energy).[2]
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is an integral part of sustainable energy management in order to reduce energy consumption and decouple it from economic growth.
Energy efficiency can lead to ecological and economic win-win situations. Lower costs for industry increase both competitiveness and job security. Also private households benefit, an impact that particularly benefits the poorer segments of a community, who frequently spend a disproportionately large portion of their income on energy. Further, everyone benefits from the positive effects on the climate and environment that result from lower greenhouse gas emissions and the reduced consumption of natural resources (GIZ, Energy Efficiency).
Energy efficiency measures must target areas where energy is actually “consumed”: energy production, transmission and distribution, buildings, industry, private households, municipal facilities, and the transport sector. One key sector is the agriculture and food sector, which consumes about 30% of the global energy[3]. This page shall serve as an overview page of articles relating to energy efficiency within the agriculture and food sector.
Project Examples
Further Information
References
- ↑ GIZ, Energy Efficiency. http://www.giz.de/expertise/html/13356.html
- ↑ FAO, 1991. Energy for sustainable rural development Projects.
- ↑ FAO, 2011: “Energy-smart” food for people and climate – Issue Paper: http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/i2454e/i2454e00.pdf
