In a recent edition of Food For Mzansi’s Gather To Grow session on Twitter, experts unpacked alternative energy sources and why precision agriculture and selling extra power back to the grid is the way to go.
According to one of the panellists, Jason Gifford, who has spent the better part of the last 15 years working on developing biogas-to-energy solutions and technology, allowing farms to sell extra power back to the grid within a controlled framework, would go a long way toward addressing electricity shortages in Mzansi.
In the episode, Gifford explains the benefits of biogas, as an electricity alternative, and how the energy in biogas can be used to provide heat and power cooling systems.
“The beautiful thing about anaerobic digestion (biogas) is that within, and on a farm-based system, you typically have inbuilt gas storage. So, gas is available for use on demand. And larger systems could get an instruction from the utility to generate power as and when the utility requires.”
Alternative techniques for farmers to use
Meanwhile, Nambwale Kalunga, a Netafim technical advisor from Zambia, suggests that precision irrigation, as well as energy conservation, are some of the many energy alternatives available to farmers.
He also touches on solar energy and how farmers are guaranteed to reap rewards. “With such practical alternatives to what energy you can provide for your irrigation system, this can actually benefit the farmer more.”
Kalunga also explains why farmers can be off-grid without it impacting their agricultural activities.
During the session, experts also cover the following:
- Methods for converting gas into power;
- Reasons why biogas must be cleaned before it can be used; and
- Estimated budget for farmers’ use of alternative energy sources
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