scholarly journals Energy Audit Application for Rice-Wheat Cropping System

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 209-218
Author(s):  
RAJESH U. MODI ◽  
MUDASIR ALI ◽  
RAGHUVIRSINH P. PARMAR ◽  
SHARAD KUMAR NAMDEV

This computer application deals with energy auditing for rice-wheat cropping system. Computing different input parameters for the crop production system in terms of energy requirement (MJ/ha) can be done by using this computer application. The developed application was found to be a simple, easy and user-friendly with appropriate output units. It works efficiently and gives the desired output in terms of energy consumption (MJ/ha). The advantage of this application is to decide the inputs on the basis of energy consumption before performing actual cultivation practice using the last season data. Moreover, using this package energy budget difference and comparison of subsequent production seasons can be achieved. The computer application was developed using Visual Basic, which allows the user to calculate total energy use efficiency, specific energy and different energy ratios in a particular cropping system.

2014 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 549-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. S. RATHORE ◽  
N. S. NATHAWAT ◽  
B. MEEL ◽  
B. M. YADAV ◽  
J. P. SINGH

SUMMARYThe choice of an appropriate cropping system is critical to maintaining or enhancing agricultural sustainability. Yield, profitability and water use efficiency are important factors for determining suitability of cropping systems in hot arid region. In a two-year field experiment (2009/10–2010/11) on loam sandy soils of Bikaner, India, the production potential, profitability and water use efficiency (WUE) of five cropping systems (groundnut–wheat, groundnut–isabgol, groundnut–chickpea, cluster bean–wheat and mung bean–wheat) each at six nutrient application rate (NAR) i.e. 0, 25, 50, 75, 100% recommended dose of N and P (NP) and 100% NP + S were evaluated. The cropping systems varied significantly in terms of productivity, profitability and WUEs. Averaged across nutrient application regimes, groundnut–wheat rotation gave 300–1620 kg ha−1 and 957–3365 kg ha−1 higher grain and biomass yields, respectively, than other cropping systems. The mean annual net returns were highest for the mung bean–wheat system, which returned 32–57% higher net return than other cropping systems. The mung bean–wheat and cluster bean–wheat systems had higher WUE in terms of yields than other cropping systems. The mung bean–wheat system recorded 35–63% higher WUE in monetary terms compared with other systems. Nutrients application improved yields, profit and WUEs of cropping systems. Averaged across years and cropping systems, the application of 100% NP improved grain yields, returns and WUE by 1.7, 3.9 and 1.6 times than no application of nutrients. The results suggest that the profitability and WUEs of crop production in this hot arid environment can be improved, compared with groundnut–wheat cropping, by substituting groundnut by mung bean and nutrients application.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalil Allali ◽  
Boubaker Dhehibi ◽  
Shinan N. Kassam ◽  
Aden Aw-Hassan

<p>Energy use efficiency is a key requirement for sustainability in agricultural production, but often overlooked. The aim of this study was to quantify the amount and efficiency of energy consumed in the production of onions and potatoes in El Hajeb province of Morocco. These estimates are of significant importance in informing contemporary policy discourse related to energy subsidy reform in Morocco, and more specifically within an ongoing national strategy for ‘modernizing’ the agricultural sector under the ‘Green Morocco Plan’. Data were collected through the administration of a direct questionnaire with 60 farmers and analyzed using PLANETE. Our results indicate that total energy consumption in onion production is 107483 MJ ha<sup>-1</sup> with butane (79.5%) as the main source of direct energy. Chemical fertilizers (61.53%) and water for irrigation (30%) were main sources of indirect energy. Energy indices related to energy efficiency ratios, energy profitability and energy productivity were estimated at 0.78, -0.22 and 0.54 kg MJ<sup>-1</sup>, respectively. Total energy consumption in potato production was estimated at 74,270 MJ ha<sup>-1</sup>, with direct energy consumption of 28,521 MJ ha<sup>-1</sup> stemming from butane (70%) and diesel (19.14%) as primary sources. Indirect energy consumption was estimated at 45749 MJ ha<sup>-1</sup> and generated principally through the use of fertilizers (60%). Energy indices (efficiency, profitability and productivity) were estimated at 1.54, 0.54, and 0.45 kg MJ<sup>-1</sup>, respectively. GHG emissions were found to be 3.47 t CO<sub>2eq</sub> ha<sup>-1</sup> in the production of onions and 3.63 t CO<sub>2eq</sub> ha<sup>-1</sup> for potatoes. We find that within the study area, increases in the size of production plots are not necessarily consistent with increases in energy use efficiency.</p>


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-140
Author(s):  
VK Choudhary ◽  
P Suresh Kumar

Low availability of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in acidic soil is a major constraint for crop production. Cowpea was grown under split-plot design with three levels of K and P (viz., 100%, 75% and 50% of recommended dose). Green pod and stover yield was 20.9 and 16.9% higher with 100% K over 50% K application. Similarly, 100% P had 20.2% higher green pod and 16.6% higher stover yield over 50% P. Production efficiency was found higher with 100% K and P (48.6 and 49.0 kg ha-1 day-1 respectively) followed by 75% K. The actual gain of N, P and K, and balance were higher with the increase of K and P levels but reverse in case of gross and net return, and BCR. The energy productivity and energy use efficiency were higher on 100% K and P. Cowpea on acid soil along with 100% recommended dose of 40 kg K and 60 kg P ha-1 showed highest yield along with soil fertility restoration as well as reduced the cost of inorganic fertilizer, higher BCR (1.89) and energy requirement. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/sja.v11i2.18408 SAARC J. Agri., 11(2): 129-140(2013)


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-231
Author(s):  
Wajid Ali Shahani ◽  
Feng Kaiwen ◽  
Aslam Memon

The crop productivity in Pakistan is very low as majority of the farmers are still practicing traditional farming techniques. The existing crop production technologies do not offer effective and efficient utilization of natural resources, particularly that of water. Moreover, a significant amount of irrigation water is wasted due to uneven fields and ditches. Unevenness of the soil surface also has a major impact on the germination, stand and yield of crops through nutrient water interaction and salt and soil moisture distribution pattern. Therefore, the water use efficiency along with yield per acre could be increase by adopting resource conservation technologies like laser leveling. A sample of 120 growers including 60 wheat growers and 60 cotton growers were selected from Mirpurkhas & Tando Allahyar districts of Sindh province of Pakistan. Study results revealed that about 21 percent irrigation water saved by the adoption of laser leveling technology and also obtained higher yield and profit margins comparatively. Study concluded that adoption of laser leveling technology helps in reducing the farm input costs, improve water use efficiency and enhance crop productivity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.R. Amjath ◽  
◽  
H. Chandanie ◽  
S.D.I.A. Amarasinghe ◽  
◽  
...  

It has been observed that inefficient buildings consume three to five times more energy than efficient buildings. Subsequently, improving the Energy Efficiency (EE) of existing buildings, which account for a significant portion of the energy consumption of the building sector, has become a top priority. Also, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and lighting systems typically account for three-quarters of a building's energy consumption. Hence, focus on the energy efficiency improvements associated with these subsystems is entailed to optimise the energy use of buildings in comparison to other energy consumers. Energy Retrofit (ER) is defined as the main approach in improving the energy efficiency of buildings to achieve energy reduction goals. Nevertheless, there is a general lack of awareness regarding ER. Thus, the purpose of this article is to bridge this research gap by critically reviewing the applicable literature on ER. The paper first analysed the role of retrofits in buildings concerning optimising energy performance. The paper also discusses the implementation process of ER, which includes five steps viz. pre-retrofit survey, energy auditing, and performance assessment, identification of suitable and feasible retrofit options, site implementation and commissioning, and validation and verification. Further, different types of ER applicable to HVAC and lighting systems are discussed. In their endeavor to enhance the EE of existing buildings, practitioners could apply the findings of this study, as a basis to understand the available ER types and as a measure to gauge the efficiency of existing buildings, which will facilitate effective decision-making.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 4468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Premaratne Samaranayake ◽  
Weiguang Liang ◽  
Zhong-Hua Chen ◽  
David Tissue ◽  
Yi-Chen Lan

Sustainable food production in protected cropping is increasing rapidly in response to global climate change and population growth. However, there are significant knowledge gaps regarding energy consumption while achieving optimum environmental conditions for greenhouse crop production. A capsicum crop cultivated in a high-tech greenhouse facility in Australia was analysed in terms of relationships between key environmental variables and the comparative analysis of energy consumption during different seasons. We showed that daily energy consumption varied due to the seasonal nature of the external environment and maintenance of optimal growing temperatures. Total power consumption reported throughout the entire crop cycle for heating (gas hot water system) and cooling (pad and fan) was 12,503 and 5183 kWh, respectively; hence, heating consumed ca. 70% of the total energy requirement over the 8-month growing period (early spring to late autumn) in the greenhouse facility. Regressions of daily energy consumption within each season, designated either predominantly for heating or cooling, indicated that energy consumption was 14.62 kWh per 1 °C heating and 2.23 kWh per 1 °C cooling. Therefore, changing the planting date to late spring is likely to significantly reduce heating energy costs for greenhouse capsicum growers in Australia. The findings will provide useful guidelines to maximise the greenhouse production of capsicum with better economic return by taking into consideration the potential optimal energy saving strategy during different external environment conditions and seasons.


2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-282
Author(s):  
J. A. Imbernon ◽  
X. Aldea ◽  
B. Usquin ◽  
D. Marin

The changing global energy environment which promotes efficiency in energy use and production as well as the use of renewable energies has led to the need for appropriate methodologies and tools in order to manage energy more efficiently. The objective of this paper is to describe the methodology and tools developed and implemented by Aqualogy (a subsidiary company of the AGBAR water utility company, specialised in technology) in order to improve energetic performance and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from water facilities. The methodology combines energy auditing with an energy consumption monitoring plan. Some tools have been developed in this field in order to support decision-making, such as those regarding tariff optimisation, and prediction of equipment anomalies that could lead to an increase in energy consumption. Using the tool CAFCA, a carbon footprint calculator specifically for the water cycle, it is possible to report greenhouse gases emissions and to quantify savings in CO2 emissions. By applying this methodology to 21.7% of AGBAR's facilities we have been able to observe a reduction of 3% audited energy, which means 6% of the facilities' energetic cost.


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