Study with reference to Punjab.

Energies is open to submissions for a Special Issue on “Renewable Energy Production from Energy Crops and Agricultural Residues”. Biomass represents an important source of renewable and sustainable energy production. Its increasing consumption is mainly related to the increase in global energy demand and fossil fuel prices, but also to a lower environmental impact compared to non-renewable fuels. These factors take RED II directives into consideration. In the past, forestry interventions were the main supply source of biomass, but in recent decades two others sources have entered the international scene. These are dedicated energy crops and agricultural residues, which are important sources of biomass for biofuel and bioenergy. Below, we consider four main value chains: • Oil crops: Oil production from non-food oilseed crops (such as camelina, Crambe, safflower, castor, cuphea, cardoon, etc.), oil extraction, and oil utilization for fuel production. • Lignocellulosic crops: Biomass production from perennial grasses (miscanthus, giant reed, switchgrass, reed canary grass, etc.), woody crops (willow, poplar, Robinia, eucalyptus, etc.), and agricultural residues (pruning, maize cob, maize stalks, wheat chaff, sugar cane straw, etc.), considering two main transformation systems: 1. Electricity/heat production 2. Second-generation ethanol production • Carbohydrate crops (cereals, sweet sorghum, sugar beets, sugar cane, etc.) for ethanol production. • Fermentable crops (maize, barley, triticale, Sudan grass, sorghum, etc.) and agricultural residues (chaff, maize stalks and cob, fruit and vegetable waste, etc.) for production of biogas and/or biomethane.

The agri-food chain consumes about one third of the world’s energy production with about 12% of it for crop production and nearly 80% for processing, distribution, retail, preparation and cooking. The agri-food chain also accounts for 80-90% of total global freshwater use where 70% alone is for irrigation. Additionally, on a global scale, freshwater production consumes nearly 15% of the entire energy production. It can therefore be argued that making agriculture and the agri-food supply chain independent from fossil fuel use has a huge potential to contribute to global food security and climate protection not only for the next decades but also for the coming century. Provision of secure, accessible and environmentally sustainable supplies of water, energy and food must thus be a priority. One of the major objectives of the world’s scientists, farmers, decisions makers and industrialists is to overcome the present dependence on fossil fuels in the agro-food sector. This dependency increases the volatility of food prices and affects economic access to sustenance. This book provides a critical review of recent developments in solar, wind and geothermal energy applications in agriculture and the agro-food sector such as processing, distribution, retail, preparation and cooking.

The future of energy production, operation and management in a changing world was the focus of the 5th International Conference on Energy Production and Management. Papers presented at the meeting form this volume. A focus is placed on the comparison of conventional energy sources, particularly hydrocarbons, with a number of other ways of producing energy, emphasising new technological developments, based on renewable resources such as solar, hydro, wind and geothermal. Key to sustainability is the need to convert new sustainable sources of energy into useful forms (electricity, heat, fuel), while finding efficient ways of storage and distribution. In many cases, the challenges lie as much with the production of such renewable energy at an acceptable cost, including damage to the environment, as with the integration of those resources into the existing infrastructure. The changes required to progress from an economy based mainly on hydrocarbons to one taking advantage of sustainable energy resources are massive and require considerable scientific research as well as the development of advanced engineering systems. Such progress demands close collaboration between different disciplines in order to arrive at optimum solutions. Also discussed is the energy use of industrial processes, including the embedded energy contents of materials, such as those in the built environment. Energy production, operation, distribution and usage, result in environmental risks that need to be better understood. They are part of energy economics and relate to human environmental health as well as ecosystems behaviour. An emphasis is placed on the ways in which more efficient use can be made of conventional as well as new energy sources. This relates to savings in energy consumption, reduction of energy losses, as well as the implementation of smart devices and the design of intelligent distribution networks.

Systems Analysis and Modeling in Food and Agriculture is a component of Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Engineering and Technology Resources in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. Systems analysis and modeling is being used increasingly in understanding and solving problems in food and agriculture. The purpose of systems analysis is to support decisions by emphasizing the interactions of processes and components within a system. Frequently investigated systems level questions in agriculture and food are relevant to the 6 E's: Environment, Energy, Ecology, Economics, Education, and Efficiency. The theme on Systems Analysis and Modeling in Food and Agriculture with contributions from distinguished experts in the field provides information on key topics related to food and agricultural system. The coverage include an overview of food system; system level aspects related to energy, environment, and social/policy issues; knowledge bases and decision support; computer models for crops, food processing, water resources, and agricultural meteorology; collection and analysis methods for data from field experiments; use of models and information systems. This volume is aimed at the following a wide spectrum of audiences from the merely curious to those seeking in-depth knowledge: University and College students Educators, Professional practitioners, Research personnel and Policy analysts, managers, and decision makers and NGOs.

Interactions: Food, Agriculture And Environment is a component of Encyclopedia of Environmental and Ecological Sciences, Engineering and Technology Resources in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. The Theme on Interactions: Food, Agriculture and Environment focuses on methods to ensure the development of agriculture and food production to be in dialectic unity with the surrounding natural environment. In every country of the world agriculture always faces complex problems: how to significantly increase production of agricultural products to supply the population with sufficient food, and industry with sufficient raw materials, and how to satisfy the permanently growing demand. The acuteness of this task has always been linked with the demographic factor and the need to guarantee the population with a high living standard free of starvation and poverty. These two volumes are aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College students Educators, Professional practitioners, Research personnel and Policy analysts, managers, and decision makers and NGOs.