Volume 3 Number 1 2025
Smart Renewable Energy Integration for Precision Agriculture in Off-Grid Areas
Ashok Kumar Chowdhury1*
Applied Agriculture Sciences 3(1) 1-6 https://doi.org/10.25163/agriculture.3110286
Submitted: 20 March 2025 Revised: 13 May 2025 Published: 14 May 2025
Abstract
The move to smart renewable energy systems in precision agriculture (PA) can and will potentially be a transformational solution to the interconnected global problems of food sovereignty, energy poverty, and environmental blight in mostly unserved and off-grid rural contexts. The global population is anticipated to increase substantially by 2050 (25%), and food production must increase more than 60% to provide for food. But agribusiness is a significant pressure on Earth's living natural systems as it uses approximately 70% of the global freshwater resources, and is responsible for about 24% of global GHG emissions. Data-based systems, sensors, and automation will have growth opportunities of 20-30% at least in alternative agricultural productivity, while reducing fertilizer application by -5 to15%, and water application -30 to -50%. RE systems, largely solar and wind, provide decentralized, cleaner sources of energy to assist PA. For example, solar irrigation systems can reduce energy use by as much as 60% over traditional fossil fuel, creating more efficient systems for farms. Research and policy around the integrated use of RE and PA indicate promise for resilience and sustainability of agricultural systems, particularly for smallholder producers who are operating off-grid. Smart integration of renewable energy with productive agriculture can help to increase efficiency and productivity, reduce input costs, and reduce emissions by as much as 25%. In this review we consider the state of RE-PA integration, the state of technology, use and deployment as well as perspectives, challenges, solutions, and future of RE-PA integration.
Keywords: Smart renewable energy, precision agriculture, off-grid areas, sustainable farming, renewable energy integration.
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