Optimization of agricultural and ecosystem productivity under renewable energy installations
Abstract
The renewable energy transition requires large-scale solar photovoltaic and wind electrical generation combined with battery technology to provide a stable electrical supply. An important part of these developments should be energy demand management, either through explicit feedback to energy consumers, or perhaps better, development of microprocessor based grid interactions that regulate electrical feed to individual users. Microprocessors can interact with the electric grid and change local electricity feed to users with local battery storage. But substantial concerns around foods security, and sustainable agricultural and ecosystem production need to be addressed when siting renewable energy projects. We are integrating a high-resolution agrometeorology model with a model for optimizing hybrid renewable energy systems. The goals of this research includes: (i) stable regional electrical supplies from renewable electric installations; (ii) sustainable, perhaps enhanced, agriculture and ecosystem productivity within and under renewable energy projects; and, (iii) sequestration of greenhouse gases by agricultural practices and ecosystem conservation. This work is a continuation and integration of a series of eleven recent refereed publications originating from three University of Lethbridge PhD dissertations (MacDonald 2013; Mirmasoudi 2019; Mansouri Kouhestani 2019) and a cooperation with Agricultural and AgriFood Canada (2016; 2012).
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFMGC32A..06B
- Keywords:
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- 0402 Agricultural systems;
- BIOGEOSCIENCES;
- 1630 Impacts of global change;
- GLOBAL CHANGE;
- 1878 Water/energy interactions;
- HYDROLOGY;
- 6344 System operation and management;
- POLICY SCIENCES & PUBLIC ISSUES