Novel fuels and powertrains
December 28, 2023
The speed of replacement of fossil fuels on farms will be greatly enhanced by more on-farm working demonstration sites often managed by ‘early adopters’.
The speed of replacement of fossil fuels on farms will be greatly enhanced by more on-farm working demonstration sites often managed by ‘early adopters’.
Such techniques can increase yields by as much as 20%. However, most autonomous systems currently remain driver supervised.
This section covers potential transformation of farming operations based on system such as controlled traffic farming, autonomous vehicles and robotics.
For a transition to succeed, accessible and reliable power supplies 24/7 will be a pre-requisite, either from the grid or from on-farm renewables.
It is essential to consider vehicle or infrastructure asset replacement cycles, given that many farm vehicles have working lives of 15 to 20 years.
If the rural economy is to play its part in the reduction of emissions, it needs to develop a pathway to replace diesel, with low and zero carbon fuels.
Recycling carbon rich by-products of rural, urban and industrial activities back to soil presents an opportunity to mitigate climate change.