Renewable Energy Application for Organic Agriculture: A Review

Abstract

Agriculture is still the occupation of the majority of Thai people, despite the share of industry and services rising constantly. In terms of agricultural lands, Thailand is also one of the largest countries in the world, especially in Asia. Fruits and field crops make up for the most of vegetable products, rice being the leading crop. Currently, the market demand for organic food is increasing mainly due to consumer perceptions of quality and safety of these products. The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people. Organic agriculture is expected that this requirement will continue to grow in the near future. On the other hand, energy is used in many organic agricultural inputs, including irrigation, mechanization and fertilizer. Both organic and conventional farming systems are mainly dependent on fossil energy, which is particularly crucial given rapidly growing energy costs. However, renewable resources are abundant. Many commercial technologies are available to connect these resources, and with suitable support, additional technologies could be brought to market. The aim of this research review is to investigate the utility of renewable energies for organic agricultural activities. In this concept, solar energy, biomass energy, wind energy, geothermal energy and hydropower are discussed by application. There is significant potential for organic agricultural involvement in the production and consumption of solar, wind, geothermal and biomass energy.