Technology for future farmers

A hydrogen fuel cell uses the chemical energy of hydrogen to produce electricity. It is a clean form of energy with electricity, heat and water being the only products and by-products. Fuel cells offer a variety of applications, from transportation to emergency back-up power, and can power systems as large as a power plant or as small as a laptop.

Fuel cells provide advantages over traditional combustion-based technologies, including greater efficiencies and lower emissions. Since hydrogen fuel cells only emit water, there are no carbon dioxide emissions or other pollutants released into the atmosphere. Fuel cells are also quiet during operation as they have fewer moving parts than combustion technologies.

In a greenhouse, sunlight enters, and heat is retained. The greenhouse effect describes a similar phenomenon on a planetary scale but, instead of the glass of a greenhouse,  certain gases are increasingly raising global temperatures.

The surface of the Earth absorbs just under half of the sun’s energy, while the atmosphere absorbs 23 per cent, and the rest is reflected back into space. Natural processes ensure that the amount of incoming and outgoing energy is equal, keeping the planet’s temperature stable.

However, human activity is resulting in the increased emission of so-called greenhouse gases (GHGs) which, unlike other atmospheric gases such as oxygen and nitrogen, becomes trapped in the atmosphere, unable to escape the planet. This energy returns to the surface, where it is reabsorbed. Because more energy enters than exits the planet, surface temperatures increase until a new balance is achieved. 

 Water molecules (H2O) contain hydrogen (H). The H2 is separated from the O in a process called the electrolysis of water. Electrolysis is THE technique used to produce hydrogen that consists of “breaking” the water molecules using an electric current in an electrolyzer in order to extract the dihydrogen H2. The electricity must itself be carbon-free in order to consider this hydrogen as green or renewable. 

 People have always underestimated how much farmers are technologically savvy. Bill Gates wasn’t sure farmers would use a computer, and now he is one of the biggest agricultural landowners in North America. Farmers picked up on technology like autosteering and telemetry quickly. They're looking for technology to help them build out the resiliency of their farm. With the right amount of innovation and support, farmers are going to be some of the most technologically advanced people operating in the business world. Technology is a huge advantage for farmers. 

 British farmers create a countryside that works for everyone, providing the raw ingredients for a food and farming sector worth over £120 billion and employing over 4 million people. It provides a secure food system within our shores, feeding the nation and delivering a wide range of environmental and rural community benefits all of which are enjoyed far beyond the farm gates. Food comes from the farming and fishing industries  and from nowhere else.