Integration of Precision Agriculture and SmartGrid technologies for sustainable development

Abstract

In this paper the integration of Precision Agriculture (PA) and Smart grid technologies is proposed as an avenue for increasing the volume of sustainable energy supply. Agriculture constitutes a large load to accomplish tasks such as irrigation, crop collection and processing. Furthermore, it has an untapped potential for generation of energy from agricultural residue and waste. PA involves exacting and precise measurements of different variables of interest, be it related to consumption or generation of energy. This provides information that can increase the accuracy of energy demand and supply forecasting, the basis of better load management in Smart grid. Such integration has the potential to benefit agricultural systems through reduced costs of input including costs of waste disposal. Furthermore it may also positively benefit the environment through consumption of carbon neutral fuels. In addition, if the better energy management is utilized to give some excess power to the villages around smart farms, it can form the basis for power generation for remote communities.