Report Synopsis

Gate to grid, a responsible model for integrated energy production.

With the race on for net zero by 2050, agriculture must realise the potential of implementing renewable technologies if it is to stay relevant and operational. Modern society now relies heavily on readily available energy to eat, heat and power our day-to-day life. As a result, securing new green generation to feed this cycle is key to reaching future sustainability goals. We as farmers, mangers, and landowners are already in the business of energy production. We convert the elements of wind, sunlight and moisture into a calorie harvest such as grains, fruit, pulses, roots, and animal protein.

Historically, horses were the solar powered engines. The oats and hay we grew using the sun’s energy was converted by Shire and Clydesdale horses to power machinery and work the lands. With increasing reliance on outsourced inputs, we have lost touch with this circular economy of farming and we need to re-envision this cycle for a sustainable farming future. The production of a KW is similarly a conversion of the elements into a unit of energy.

The calorie output on farm is no different to the potential KW output on farm. Farmers are therefore ideally placed to lead innovation in this field; to not only feed the world but meet its power demands as well. I believe with the right industry leaders and governmental support; agriculture has huge potential to capitalise on the route to net zero. We need not just a five-to-ten-year plan but a one- hundred-to-two-hundred-year plan, with achievable and ambitious solutions to drive the industry forward to the 2050 targets set in the Paris Climate Agreement (UNCCC 2015).

It is the objective of this report to investigate solutions that will bring benefit to the agricultural industry, highlighting benefits to farming systems across biodiversity, technology and profitability. For instance, looking into business risk mitigation linked to environmental changes will hopefully highlight sustainable solutions to help address climate goals. Countries such as Australia balance on the edge of changing weather patterns. Extreme weather has become more frequent with high temperatures causing bushfires, increasing flood events and crop failures. It has therefore become essential for farmers to de risk their business against changing climates. The review of emerging technologies across Europe has proved valuable in highlighting opportunities to mitigate climate risk in business.

In particular, on farm electricity production can stabilise the price and supply of energy. Where looking at Agrivoltaics (AV), shading and subsequent moisture retention can be utilised in farming systems to safeguard from future changes in climate. The upgrade of the countryside’s connectivity and electrification will allow monitoring technologies and robotics to develop and become more common place. Farmers must therefore integrate energy assets on a per hectare basis allowing these new technologies to flourish. In the future, finding the correct balance of food, power and biodiversity will create the right environment for technologies to be embraced, enabling a leap forward in farming production and opening the gates for the next agricultural revolution.