Solar Panel installation of the Plantation Industry – planting/energy coexisting
Rightly or wrongly, the oil palm plantation of South East Asia has been accused of flagrant violation of the environment in their quest of opening up the forest to plant oil palm. Especially of noted concern is the EU where most of the land had been open up decades ago for the planting of oil crop and ever facing with competition from the palm oil. And then there is the US lobby that has to handle the cries from its soya oil producers. But truth be told – palm oil is the most efficient form of food production. As the competition becomes ugly, dirty sanctions were mooted by the losers just to be able to survive from the palm oil onslaught but would they succeed? Not if the oil palm industry were to try a new tactic – that is to install solar panels on its land to create green energy.
When we refer to the plantation industry, we would normally visualize a large stretch of land planted with cash crops relevant to the particular region, thus it would be normal to visualize the bountiful harvest that we can produce from it. Looking from a different perspective, what would then be the view if we were to also plant long vertical post among the plants? It would be ugly to say the lest – however it would not only be the long vertical post but a post that have a cascading series of solar panels mounted on it as well! That in short is what we meant by ‘solar panel installation of the plantation industry’. It is not like you raze down the crops and plant it with solar panels! Although it is known that the vegetation industry have used lowly mounted solar panels over their food crops as a food/energy integrated system (agrivoltaic), there is no example of a highly mounted solar array onto plantations, especially the taller food crops like the oil palm. But let us figure out the benefits of solar panel installation on the plantations – why would we not incorporate energy generation together with the harvesting of oil crops and not having the crops being cut down? There is indeed a new industry – that of totally using the land for the benefit of the human race. Plantation together with energy production is the game in town – it will become a game changer no doubt. We are also aware that there is a risk in planting any crop, as the price for the produce fluctuates greatly according to the weather and demand. Wars and changing of regimes also will affect the price. Then there are floods and drought which will cause the price to increase.
Ultimately, we will need to find a way to address these problems. One of the best solutions is to solarize it by putting up solar panels to generate electricity provided we do not also cut down the crops. The agriculture sector is beginning to toil with agrivoltaic where solar panels are put up to partially cover the vegetable crops. The results so far are encouraging but more will be needed to be done – rearing of cows, goats, sheep and chicken among the space can help boost the income of the farmers while also harvesting energy at the same time. Indeed what we can do with agrivoltaic is truly encouraging but we need to do more. Farmers are really worried that their patch of land will be surrendered to the commercial sectors to solar energy generation. Fears of their crops being cut down are real so much so that farmers are organizing street protests to help preserve their way of living. But there is a win solution for the farmers and the commercial sectors that are championing green energy production. Installing solar panels of food cropping is the way – through this way, the food crops does not need to be cut down. Food crop coexisting with solar panels will be the best solution for everyone – but why did experts not thought about it? However for the idea to work, a specially designed mounting structure will need to be provided – this to mount the solar panels at the top of the tall tree. There will be investment of funds involved and it is not going to be cheap but as we scaled it up, it will become viable. And not only viable, we have to do it before large swath of food crop land disappears from this earth for the sake of cutting down our carbon footprint! The United Nations will need to take note of this endeavor.
This time we should tackle the problems of tall tree crops like oil palm and rubber. In particular we have the problem with tall trees as it is very difficult to harvest when the food or fruits are lying at a great height. Apples and oranges does not pose much of the problem as there are harvesting machines that does a great job but oil palm pose a very serious problem made worse because no one want to work in this back breaking job of cutting the fruit bunch from a great height. Installing solar panels on the plantation will now be described with the following drawings which depict the oil palm plantation in South East Asia but may also apply to other food crops.
Main reasons for the investment
1. Cost of solar panels is getting cheaper all the time
2. Cost of infrastructure is low
3. Maintenance fee is low
4. Newer models of solar energy is at the forefront – increase efficiency
5. To make oil palm industry really sustainable
Installing solar panels on plantations is a multi-faceted endeavor.
1. It helps to generate electricity.
2. It also helps to promote easier harvesting
3. It initiates the path towards automation.
4. It generates energy for own use thus starting new industry on site.
5. It will assist the oil palm industry to wean away from foreign curtailment.
6. The oil palm industry will experience a sense of resurgence.
7. Oil palm industry will begin to toil with green hydrogen generation.
8. Oil palm industry will reduce the migration to cities to get jobs.
9. Palm oil industry being the mainstay of Malaysian industry.
10. Countries go to war to obtain energy but Malaysia stay put to generate enough energy without the need to go to war (over the south china sea for example), and may even be able to export energy to her neighbors – in short, energy producers.
11. If there is such a thing like a Reverse IR 4.0, then the oil palm industry will be in the position as the main driver.
12. The oil palm industry will be Oil Palm Industrial Revolution 2.0
13. Oil Palm Industrial Revolution 2.0 – means food and energy security.
14. It will spur new industries like advance batteries, fuel cells and electrolysis.
15. Will help spur the hydrogen economy.
16. Will help spur fruit and fish/vegetable industry (aquaponics).
17. It will also open to the deployment of wind turbines.
18. It will also open new ways to plant oil palm – with automation in mind.
19. It will lead the way to plant forever height oil palm tree.
20. It will open up entry of more advance agrivoltaics (integrated vegetable and animal farming)
21. Most of all it will lead to the land worth ten times more.
The future
Let us all expect a better future for the oil palm industry by looking at ways to improve the marketability in view of the many sanctions by the western entities due to stiff competitions at their home grown oil crops. Let us all here also look at oil palm industry from a different perspective so that we can sense the other opportunities offered by the golden oil that was brought to our country many decades ago. Perhaps we should belief that the goose that laid the golden egg never dies but stay to bring it to another golden level. The future is Oil Palm Industry – we may have to look at full automation which in the eyes of the learned a fully achievable agenda.
One of the methods of installing solar panels on Oil Palm Estate
Another method of installing solar in Oil Palm Estate
How much power generated per tower?
One single tower will produce 2k W/day
140 towers from one hectare will produce 280 kW per day (8 hours of sunshine)
10 hectares will produce 280 kW per day which can operate a small factory.
It is stipulated that a system of storage battery be used (cheap refurbished lead acid car battery) to store power. There is also another aspect where solar panels have increased efficiency or made from new material.
This proposal is strategized and created by PatentAgentip for the plantation industry. Patent right applied for the framework and methodology.
Contact : terry@patentagentip.com © patentagentip 2024
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