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Solar Energy Advancements in Agriculture and Food Production Systems

1st Edition - June 21, 2022

Editors: Shiva Gorjian, Pietro Elia Campana

Paperback ISBN:

9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 8 9 8 6 6 - 9

eBook ISBN:

9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 8 8 6 2 5 - 3

Solar Energy Advancements in Agriculture and Food Production Systems aims to assist society and agricultural communities in different regions and scales to improve their… Read more

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Solar Energy Advancements in Agriculture and Food Production Systems aims to assist society and agricultural communities in different regions and scales to improve their productivity and sustainability. Solar energy, with its rapidly growing technologies and nascent market, has shown promise for integration into a variety of agricultural activities, providing an alternative, sustainable solution to current practices. To meet the future demands of modern sustainable agriculture, this book addresses the major existing problems by providing innovative, effective, and sustainable solutions using environment-friendly, advanced, energy-efficient, and cost-optimized solar energy technologies. This comprehensive book is intended to serve as a practical guide for scientists, engineers, policymakers, and stakeholders involved in agriculture and related primary industries, as well as sustainable energy development, and climate change mitigation projects. By including globally implemented solar-based agriculture projects in each chapter and highlighting the key associated challenges and benefits, it aims to bridge the knowledge gap between the market/real-world applications and research in the field.

Cover image
Title page
Table of Contents
Copyright
List of contributors
Chapter 1. Solar energy for sustainable food and agriculture: developments, barriers, and policies
Abstract
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Sustainable food and agriculture
1.3 Aims and framework of the book
Acknowledgment
References
Chapter 2. Solar energy conversion technologies: principles and advancements
Abstract
2.1 Sustainable energy technologies
2.2 Solar energy technologies
2.3 Solar energy technology subsystems
2.4 Applications of nanofluids in solar systems
2.5 Photovoltaic–thermal technology
2.6 Conclusions and prospects
References
Chapter 3. Advances in solar greenhouse systems for cultivation of agricultural products
Abstract
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Solar greenhouse technology
3.3 Modeling of solar greenhouses
3.4 Case studies and economics
3.5 Summary and prospects
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 4. Photovoltaic water pumping systems for irrigation: principles and advances
Abstract
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Photovoltaic water pumping systems
4.3 Photovoltaic water pumping systems for irrigation
4.4 Recent advances in photovoltaic water pumping systems for irrigation
4.5 Case studies
4.6 Economics, challenges, and prospects
4.7 Conclusions
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 5. Agrivoltaics: solar power generation and food production
Abstract
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Agricultural aspects
5.3 Typical systems and applications
5.4 Photovoltaic modules
5.5 Economics
5.6 The German preliminary standard DIN SPEC 91434
5.7 Case study: agrivoltaics and society
5.8 Agrivoltaic policies
5.9 Conclusion and prospects
References
Chapter 6. Aquavoltaics: dual use of natural and artificial water bodies for aquaculture and solar power generation
Abstract
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Aquaculture
6.3 Aquavoltaics
6.4 Conclusions and outlook
References
Chapter 7. Solar heating and cooling applications in agriculture and food processing systems
Abstract
7.1 Solar heating technologies
7.2 Applications of solar thermal technologies in agriculture and food processing systems
7.3 Conclusions and prospects
References
Chapter 8. Solar desalination technology to supply water for agricultural applications
Abstract
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Desalination and agriculture
8.3 Solar-powered desalination for agricultural applications
8.4 Case studies (implemented projects around the world)
8.5 Economics and environmental impacts
8.6 Conclusion and prospects
Acknowledgment
References
Chapter 9. Solar applications for drying of agricultural and marine products
Abstract
9.1 Principles of drying technology
9.2 Drying psychrometry
9.3 Solar drying technology
9.4 Optimal conditions for drying agriculture and marine products in solar dryers
9.5 Integration of solar dryers with photovoltaic and photovoltaic-thermal modules
9.6 Integration of dryers with solar thermal collectors
9.7 Integration of solar dryers with energy storage systems
9.8 Emerging solar drying technologies
9.9 Economics of solar dryers
9.10 Implemented projects
9.11 Conclusions and prospects
Acknowledgment
References
Chapter 10. Applications of robotic and solar energy in precision agriculture and smart farming
Abstract
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Precision agriculture
10.3 Robotic technology for precision agriculture
10.4 Solar-powered robots for agriculture
10.5 Conclusions
Acknowledgment
References
Chapter 11. Economics and environmental impacts of solar energy technologies
Abstract
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Overview and global progress in solar energy technologies
11.3 Political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental analysis of solar energy technologies
11.4 Potential economic and environmental impacts of solar energy technologies
11.5 Tools for modeling the techno-economic and environmental impacts of SETs
11.6 Conclusion
References
Chapter 12. Emerging applications of solar energy in agriculture and aquaculture systems
Abstract
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Solar crop production technologies
12.3 Solar-powered crop protection systems
12.4 Applications of solar technology in aquaculture systems
12.5 Solar-powered pasteurization systems
12.6 Conclusions and prospects
Acknowledgment
References
Index

Shiva Gorjian

Dr. Shiva Gorjian is an associate professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, and the Department of Renewable Energy, Faculty of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, at Tarbiat Modares University (TMU), Tehran, Iran. She received her PhD in mechanics of biosystems engineering from TMU in 2014. She is the editor of the book Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conversion: Technologies, Applications, and Environmental Impacts (Elsevier, 2020). Her main research area is renewable energy applications in agriculture (AgroRenewables). She has been the lead guest editor of a special issue on the same theme in the Journal of Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments (Elsevier) in 2021. Dr. Gorjian's research interests include solar photovoltaics, solar desalination technologies, hybrid PVT systems, energy and exergy analysis, and modeling and simulation of renewable energy systems.

Affiliations and expertise

Associate Professor, Department of Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, and the Department of Renewable Energy, Faculty of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Tarbiat Modares University (TMU), Tehran, Iran.

Pietro Elia Campana

Dr. Pietro Elia Campana is a senior lecturer and an associate professor (docent) in energy and environmental engineering at Mälardalen University. He is the subject editor for Applied Energy (Elsevier) and editor for the journal Energy Nexus (Elsevier) and Heliyon (Cell Press). He received his PhD in energy and environmental engineering from Mälardalen University in Sweden in 2015. From 2015 to 2021, he was a research assistant professor at Mälardalen University. Dr. Campana´s research interests include simulation and optimization of renewable energies and integrated energy systems, water-food-energy nexus, agrivoltaic systems, artificial intelligence, and Internet-of-Things techniques for renewable energy applications.

Affiliations and expertise

Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor (docent), Energy and Environmental Engineering, Mälardalen University.