This document discusses renewable energy resources and their application in sustainable agriculture. It provides an overview of Tarbiat Modares University in Iran and its Renewable Energy Research Institute. Various renewable technologies are then described in detail, including solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, and biomass. The role of renewable energy in mitigating climate change through agriculture is also examined. The conclusion emphasizes that renewable energy systems can reduce fossil fuel consumption in agriculture while promoting a sustainable balance of environmental and economic goals.

1. Renewable Energy for Sustainable
Agriculture and Food Security
Renewable Energy for Sustainable
Agriculture and Food Security
Dr. Shiva Gorjian,
Assistant Professor,
Biosystems Eng. Dep. Tarbiat Modares University (TMU),
Tehran, Iran. Gorjian@Modares.ac.ir
http://www.modares.ac.ir/en/

2. Tarbiat Modares University (TMU)
• Tarbiat Modares University ("Professor Training University")
is an exclusively graduate university with its main campus
in Tehran, Iran. It was founded in 1982 and is consistently
ranked among top universities in Iran.
• Tarbiat Modares University (TMU) is the only exclusively
graduate university in Iran and was founded to train
university professors. Admission is through national level
university exams and in most programs is limited to top
performers.
• TMU includes 15 faculties: Agriculture, Arts and Architecture,
Basic Sciences, Biological Sciences, Mechanical Engineering,
Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Electrical & Computer Engineering, Engineering, Humanities,
Law, Management & Economics, Mathematical Sciences,
Natural Resources & Marine Sciences and Medical Sciences.
2

3. Renewable Energy Research Institute (RERI)
3
Renewable Energy Research Center
Research Unit Administrative and financial unitResearch Groups
Research Affairs
Library and Information Center
Biomass & Bioenergy
Development of Clean Energy
Technologies
Flexible Fuels Systems

4. Global Climate Change
• Identifiable change in the climate of Earth as a whole that lasts for an
extended period of time (decades or longer).
• When due to natural processes, it is usually referred to as global
climate variability.
• Usually refers to changes forced by human activities that change the
atmosphere.
• Human activities:
– Any activity that releases “greenhouse gases” into the
atmosphere.
4

5. Primary Goals of Sustainable Agriculture
• Providing a more profitable farm income;
• Promoting environmental stewardship, including:
o Protecting and improving soil quality;
o Reducing dependence on non-renewable resources, such as
fuel and synthetic fertilizers and pesticides;
o Minimizing adverse impacts on safety, wildlife, water quality
and other environmental resources;
• Promoting stable, prosperous farm families and communities.
5

6. Climate-Friendly Agriculture and Renewable Energy
• Worldwide, agriculture contributes between 14 and 30 percent of human-
caused greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions because of its heavy land, water,
and energy use.
• Livestock production alone contributes around 18 percent of global
emissions, including 9 percent of carbon dioxide, 35 percent of methane,
and 65 percent of nitrous oxide.
• Activities like running fuel-powered farm equipment, pumping water for
irrigation, raising dense populations of livestock in indoor facilities, and
applying nitrogen-rich fertilizers all contribute to agriculture’s high GHG
footprint.
6

7. Introduction to Renewable Energy Resources
• There is thus an urgent need to develop energy sources with lower
environmental impact, and attention is focused on renewable energy
sources.
• The various renewable energy technologies and energy sources can be
expected to be developed further and implemented at increasing
scales in the future.
• The sustainable energy approach promotes renewable energy in the
agriculture sector, especially in remote or rural areas all over the world
where solar energy is available in abundance.
7

8. Renewable Energy Sources
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) applies the
following definition:
o Renewable energy is any form of energy from solar, geophysical,
or biological sources that is replenished by natural processes at a
rate that equals or exceeds its rate of use.
o Renewable energy is obtained from the continuing or repetitive
flows of energy occurring in the natural environment and includes
low-carbon technologies.
8

9. Renewable Energy Technologies
• The various renewable energy technologies and energy sources
can be expected to be developed further and implemented at
increasing scales in the future.
• Solar energy
• Wind energy
• Hydropower
• Biomass
• Ocean energy
• Geothermal energy
• Waste to energy
9

10. Solar Energy
• The sun was the first energy source; it has been around for 4.5 billion
years, as long as anything else we are familiar with.
• Solar energy is one of the best renewable energy sources available
because it is one the cleanest sources of energy.
• Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity either directly by
using photovoltaics or concentrated solar power.
10
Linear Fresnel Reflectors Solar TowerSolar Parabolic Dish
Solar Parabolic Through

11. Solar Photovoltaics
• Photovoltaic technology makes use
of the abundant energy in the sun
by employing a semiconductor
material-traditionally silicon but,
increasingly, other materials as well-
to convert sunlight directly into
electricity.
• A simple wafer of silicon with wires
attached to the layers. Current is
produced based on types of silicon
used for the layers.
• Battery is needed as storage. No
moving parts, but because they are
exposed to the weather, their
lifespan is about 20 years.
11

12. Wind Power
• The terms wind energy and wind power
describe the process by which the wind is
used to generate mechanical power or
electricity.
• Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy
in the wind into mechanical power.
• This mechanical power can be used for
specific tasks or a generator can convert
this mechanical power into electricity.
• The blades of a wind turbine spin like
aircraft propeller blades.
• Wind turns the blades, which in turn spin
a shaft connected to a generator to
produce electricity.
12

13. Wind Turbines, On-shore and Off-shore Wind Power Plants
13

14. Geothermal Energy
• Geothermal heat is the only renewable energy source created naturally
by the Earth itself.
• Approximately 6400 km below the Earth’s surface is the core, where
temperatures can reach 5000°C.
• These reservoirs can be tapped for a variety of uses, such as to generate
electricity or to heat buildings.
• Hot springs have been used for bathing since Paleolithic times or earlier,
and the early Romans used hot springs to supply public baths and for
underfloor heating systems.
14

15. Geothermal Energy Conversion
• Geothermal energy conversion refers to the power-plant technology
that converts the hot geothermal fluids into electric power.
• Each geothermal site has its own unique set of characteristics and
operating conditions that must be taken into account.
15

16. Hydropower
• Hydropower or water power is the power derived from the energy of
falling water or fast running water, which may be harnessed for useful
purposes.
• Flowing water creates energy that can be captured and turned into
electricity. This is called hydroelectric power or hydropower.
• The most common type of hydroelectric power plant uses a dam on a
river to store water in a reservoir.
16

17. Hydropower Plants
• Hydropower plants are of three types:
o Impoundment,
o Diversion,
o Pumped storage.
• Hydropower plants range in size from small systems for a home or
village to large projects producing electricity for utilities.
17

18. Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy
• Marine and hydrokinetic energy systems, a new generation of
water power technologies offers the possibility of generating
electricity from water without the need for dams and diversions.
• The ocean can produce two types of energy:
o Thermal energy from the sun’s heat.
o Mechanical energy from the tides and waves.
• The three most well-known generating technologies for deriving
electrical power from the ocean are:
 Tidal power
 Wave power
 Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC).
18

19. 19

20. Biomass and bioenergy
• One of the promising sources of renewable energy is biomass.
• Biomass is the feedstock used to produce bioenergy.
• Bioenergy is a general term for energy derived from materials
such as straw, wood, or animal wastes (i.e., biomass).
• Such materials can be burned directly to produce heat or
power, and also can be converted into liquid biofuels.
20

21. Types of Biomass
21
“On average, biomass is made of 75% carbohydrates
and 25% lignin”.

22. Biomass Power Generation Technologies
• In order to analyze the use of biomass
for power generation, it is important to
consider three critical components of
the process:
• Biomass feed-stocks: These come in a
variety of forms and have different
properties that impact their use for
power generation.
• Biomass conversion: This is the process
by which biomass feed-stocks are
transformed into the energy form that
will be used to generate heat and/or
electricity.
• Power generation technologies: There is
a wide range of commercially proven
power generation technologies available
that can use biomass as a fuel input.
22

23. • Biomass can be converted into power through thermo-chemical, bio-
chemical and physico-chemical process.
23

24. Conclusion
• The concept of sustainable agriculture is predicated on a delicate balance of
maximizing crop productivity and maintaining economic stability, while
minimizing the utilization of finite natural resources and detrimental
environmental impacts.
• The management of energy consumption in agriculture is a worldwide concern
because of the adverse effects of CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, which are
generally used as an energy source for various applications in agriculture such as
water heating, irrigation, etc.
• Renewable energy technologies are promoted in many parts of the world for
various agriculture applications for mitigating CO2 emissions associated with
fossil fuels. The renewable energy system plays an important role in the
agriculture sector for reducing fossil fuel consumption for various applications.
• The cost comparison of various technologies for agriculture showed that
renewable energy technologies are suitable for any location in the world with the
additional benefit of earning carbon credits as compared with conventional fossil
fuel-based technologies for agriculture applications.
24

25. 25