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On any given day, the solar energy falling on a typical oilfield in the Middle East is far greater than the energy contained in the oil extracted from it. However, while oil provides a highly concentrated source of power, solar energy is distributed over a wide area.


Collecting energy from a wide area is an activity usually associated with farming, and an agricultural, as opposed to an industrial, model should be used for the harvesting of renewable energy. Large areas of land will be used for energy generation over the next two decades, and this opens up opportunities for the agricultural sector and next generation energy producers.

Some farmers are already active in the energy market: either selling biomass for conversion into electricity or fuel or renting their land to wind turbine operators.

Wind energy, which in some cases is already profitable, expanding steadily and highlights the trial in Dakota of a hydrogen refuelling station powered by wind turbines as a potential application for energy farming in rural areas.

This report examines improvements in the equipment used to farm solar and companies that are likely to carve out a niche within this market and eventually drive down the cost of photovoltaic devices to the point where solar energy farms are self-financing. It discusses the potential of nanotechnology-based materials that extract hydrogen from water when exposed to sunlight which, when fully developed, are will provide a step change in the farmed energy market.

In the medium term large-scale energy farming trials – sites with effective areas up to 1km² - could be worth in excess of $600 million to manufacturers of thin film and polymer based photovoltaic technology.

Energy farming would see rural economies within countries empowered and global companies will move operations from Europe to countries within the solar belt, where they can take advantage of low cost renewable energy.

A key driver for the farmed renewable energy market is the next generation provider who is currently unable to enter the energy market. These entrepreneurs, who are seeking a model that will provide them with a strategic advantage over incumbent providers, will be attracted to the distributed nature of farmed renewable energy.

Who should purchase this report:-

Renewable energy technology vendors.
Investors in renewable energy.
Agriculture and energy sector policy makers.
Energy providers.
Organisations active in the renewable energy market.
Organisations with carbon reduction strategies.

Farming Renewable Energy

Overview

1 Introduction

2 The Consumer Will Remain King

3 Activating Renewable Energy

4 Why $30 Per Barrel?

5 Solar Power - Silicon Crystal Is Not The Answer

5.1 The Price Barrier
5.2 Technical Barriers
5.3 Third Generation Polymer Based Cells

6 Wind Energy

7 Market Drivers

7.1 Seeking A New Model For Energy Production
7.2 Other, Short Term, Market Drivers
7.2.1 Green Consumers
7.2.2 Energy Security
7.2.3 The Climate Change Lobby
7.2.4 Penetration Of Hydrogen

8 Farmers Doing It For Themselves

9 Political And Economic Impact

9.1 The Impact On Oil Producing Countries
9.2 Impact On Non Oil Producing Countries
9.3 Countries In The Middle
9.4 Geopolitical Impact

10 Market Inhibitors

10.1 Competition Begins At Home
10.2 Land Use

11 Market Growth

11.1 Solar Energy
11.2 Wind Energy
11.3 The End Of Funding

12 Conclusions

Vendor Profiles
BP Solar
Hydrogenics
Proven Energy
Konarka
Nanosolar