![GrainGrowers advocacy and rural affairs manager Sean Cole says the path to clean energy in the grains sector is complex. Photo supplied. GrainGrowers advocacy and rural affairs manager Sean Cole says the path to clean energy in the grains sector is complex. Photo supplied.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/5Q2j7ezUfQBfUJsaqK3gfB/411c79fc-c5a1-49b7-a3a0-9ba50a9e966d.JPG/r0_0_4608_3456_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The grains industry will have to look at a range of solutions in its quest to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels according to a report from GrainGrowers.
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The Fuels, Inputs of the Future, report found that farmers would have to carefully balance economic viability with the push for a greener and more sustainable energy future.
GrainGrowers advocacy and rural affairs manager Sean Cole said it was likely the transition would require multiple phases, with interim technologies, such as biofuel, required before long-term low energy solutions such as hydrogen would be economically viable.
The grains sector, with its reliance on high horsepower farm machinery, is notoriously reliant on diesel for its energy needs, with a lack of alternatives on the market.
Grain freight is another high-energy part of the business with a large majority of road freight operators still utilising fossil fuels.
![Hydrogen costs are far higher than fossil fuel at present but are projected to come down under GrainGrowers modelling. Hydrogen costs are far higher than fossil fuel at present but are projected to come down under GrainGrowers modelling.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/5Q2j7ezUfQBfUJsaqK3gfB/dba30695-30cd-4578-b9b4-1cc5170bce64.jpg/r0_0_2051_1272_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Mr Cole said over 85 per cent of on-farm energy was still provided by diesel.
He said the time frames for hydrogen technology to progress meant biodiesel needed to be consider in the interim.
According to GrainGrowers modelling the cost of hydrogen power would not drop significantly until 2030 and reaching parity with diesel would not occur until around 2040.
"If we look at the difference between current fossil-based energy sources and hydrogen, there is a large cost divergence," Mr Cole said.
"However, work is being undertaken in various countries to achieve low-cost green hydrogen production and to make its costs competitive with fossil fuels."
At present, he said battery and electric technology was a cheaper option than hydrogen, however there were challenges to recharging for the long periods of time required for sowing and harvest.
Mr Cole said if the government wanted to assist the ag sector it needed to implement policy that removed barriers to non-traditional technologies to ensure no disadvantage to ag in the transition period.
"As the government moves towards a greener, secure energy future, it is critical that there is a coordinated and strategic approach for agriculture over this transition period."
"Government ambition must be aligned with practical availability and affordability of emerging technologies to avoid burdening growers with excessive financial costs," he said.
Mr Cole also advocated a clear, coordinated road map for the future so grain growers could plan accordingly.
He said there would be a number of challenges for the grains sector in moving away from combustion engines.
The industry is centred on isolated rural areas, with long operational cycles and requires machinery with high torque.
Mr Cole said it was not a matter of one easy answer.
"There is no simple solution, and the answer lies in a shift toward a combination of renewable fuels such as biofuels, green hydrogen and renewable electric power, taking into account availability, costs, infrastructure and technological advancements over time."
One potential development that could aid in the transition process are so-called 'fuel agnostic' engines.
The report said that engine giant Cummins was leading the way on this front, manufacturing motors that could run on hydrogen, natural gas and diesel, allowing farmers to utilise whatever energy type was most practical.
While biofuels are generally seen as a bridging technology, Mr Cole said there were interesting works progressing that would see grain by-products, rather than the grain itself such as canola or corn, being used.
Using waste products via acid / base or enzymatic catalyst technologies would greatly reduce carbon footprints, but at this stage the technologies are not economically viable, due to a costly pre-treatment required in the acid-base system and the costs of the enzymes with the enzymatic catalyst method.
However, even conventional biodiesel could play a role in the transition process.
"Although biofuel has a higher running cost base than fossil fuel diesel, it would deliver benefits through reduced exhaust emissions."
"Another advantage is that, unlike other technologies, minimal modifications are required to run existing farm or transport machinery on renewable biofuels."
Mr Cole said other concepts being investigated include localised on-farm hydrogen prototypes and battery electric vehicles.