{"id":201923,"date":"2019-05-23T20:46:49","date_gmt":"2019-05-23T15:16:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=201923"},"modified":"2019-05-27T12:54:57","modified_gmt":"2019-05-27T07:24:57","slug":"rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Rebooting Agriculture To Provide Clean, Practical\u00a0 Solutions To\u00a0Sri Lanka&#8217;s Energy Crisis &#8211; II"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s=Chandre+Dharmawardana\">Chandre Dharmawardana<\/a> &#8211;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_171829\" style=\"width: 160px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Chandre-Dharmawardana.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-171829\" class=\"size-full wp-image-171829\" src=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Chandre-Dharmawardana.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Chandre-Dharmawardana.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Chandre-Dharmawardana-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-171829\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Chandre Dharmawardana<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Newspaper<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>reports mention how the minister of Power and Energy<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>and the CEB engineers are trying to meet a systemic power shortage looming over Sri Lanka. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s=Easter+Sunday\"><strong>Easter Sunday carnage<\/strong><\/a> made everyone forget about the garve systemic problems facing Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka seems to lurch from one emergency to another in every sector, like a ship gone adrift. A May 20<sup>th<\/sup> report in the Island states that \u201cCEB engineers warn of power cuts &#8230;&#8221; This is a result of not staying course with<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>long-range power production plans when governments and their favourite financiers changed. Furthermore, the CEB<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>plans were<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>inconsistent with rising concerns on<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>pollution and global warming. The potential of solar &#8211;<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>and biomass energy<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>was considered<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>to be unimportant when the CEB energy plans were<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>made decades ago.<\/p>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis\/\"><strong>a previous article labeled part-I<\/strong><\/a><span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>that appeared in the Colombo Telegraph\u00a0we examined how Solar power can provide a large part of the needed power by using floating solar panels in reservoirs already equipped with hydro-turbines and how they can be deployed to provide FIRM<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>POWER<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>without batteries or alternators.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>The proposal is to store<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>solar electricity (or wind generated electricity)<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>by using the alternative energy source (be it wind or solar) for re-pumping<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>water back into the reservoirs. Then nearly the<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>equivalent amount of electricity can then be re-generated in the usual manner by the hydro-turbines.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>Biomass energy offers an even bigger inexpensive<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>source of firm energy<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>that can be made available at will.<\/p>\n<p>Ailing agricultural sectors can be re-booted inexpensively<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>to become vibrant bio-energy industries. The potential can meet Sri Lanka&#8217;s needs for decades to come, and even to sell to the Indian continent using a cable link, breaking the isolation of Sri Lanka&#8217;s power grid.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>There are mind boggling possibilities. Scientists<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>can engineer, within the decade, whole forests<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>with genetically modified<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>plants that store lots more carbon than plants available today. The relevant genes are already known. Such plants can fight climate change and<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>also greatly increase the efficiency of<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>bio-energy plants<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>A Really Available Bio-Energy Source\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Bio-energy<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>has been talked of<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>for decades, but with its implementation. There are, as yet<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>no turn-key solutions or commission-carrying businessmen. The simplest approach is to burn any kind of fast-growing wood, bamboo, bagasse<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>etc., in high-efficiency furnaces and<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>run<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>generators.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>This process is \u201ccarbon-neutral\u201d as the CO2 released is that absorbed by the plants during<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>growth. The flue gases are relatively free of the toxic<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>nitrous and sulphurous fumes found in coal-fire or diesel emissions. There is<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>sub-micron fly ash, although minimal compared to coal.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>While the logistics of collecting the<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>biomass is<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>big, private companies like GreenWatt in Moneragala<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>have set up 10 MW power plants using fast-growing Gliriicidia. CEB engineers consider these as \u201csmall potatoes\u201d, but thousands of such plants can be set up easily in the plantation sector.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>There are several inexpensive and<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>efficient processes for generating energy for Sri Lankan needs for ever. Here we<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>discuss just ONE eminently practical solution that simultaneously reboots the ailing coconut sector.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Coconut Industry As An Energy Giant\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The industry concentrates on the coconut kernel as copra and desiccated coconut. The local householder buys coconuts for cooking. The milk is hand-squeezed inefficiently. The water,<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>the spent kernel (&#8216;polkudu&#8217;),<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>the shell and the husk are wasted or used in primitive highly polluting industries (e.g., making coir, rugs) with only a<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>minimal value addition, while the demand is unsteady.<\/p>\n<p>Coconut shells are indeed used as fuel or for making activated carbon.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>According to Paddon and Parker (1979) the husk<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>has some 6700 kilo Joules per nut, i.e., almost<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>5 KWh of energy per kilo of husk! So the energy from ten husks is roughly<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>the same as from one litre of petrol! Only part of the<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>heat can be converted into electricity because of<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>the Carnot-Rankin loss to entropy.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The water, kernel and the shells already have a good market value. So we use the husk and all waste for the energy sector. Sri Lanka produces approximately 2.5 billion nuts\/year, a drop from its better days with<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>3 billion.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>Using the dry weight (following FAO data) of the husks, the<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>2.5 billion husks<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>are equivalent of about 2 million GWh per year, i.e.,<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>some 5.3 billion liters of petrol\/year.<\/p>\n<p>If even 20% of the husks were collected, and if the heat-to-electricity conversion\u00a0efficiency is<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>30%, an energy yield of 0.3 billion liters of petrol,<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>or about<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>150,000<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>GWh from the husk alone is possible. Taking the total annual power need of the country<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>to be about<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>15,000 GWh, the coconut sector can readily supply ten times the energy needs of the country right now!<\/p>\n<p>Sri Lanka&#8217;s ailing coir industry and allied industries<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>like<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>husk chips,<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>coir pith (&#8216;kohubath&#8217;) for soil remediation,&#8217;kohu&#8217;-panels, etc are<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>simply methods of discarding valuable energy. Just as Sri Lanka throws away the coconut water, \u201ckurumba<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Komba\u201d (used coconut),<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>the<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>potential of the husk too is wasted when used<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>in traditional agriculture or rural industries.<\/p>\n<p>The coconut husks are traditionally dumped in pits<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>or submerged in cages near waterways<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>for &#8216;retting&#8217;,<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>prior to the fiber extraction by primitive methods dangerous to workers.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>The water<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>become polluted and emits bad odors;<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>oxygen depleted effluent full of organic matter deadly to aquatic biota are a byproduct of this industry.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Recognizing the energy potential in coconut, a different industry model must be legislated.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>Whole nuts should only be<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>sparingly available in the market. Just as paddy is processed and only hulled rice is marketed, coconuts<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>should be processed to market the kernel and shell, while the coconut water should be canned and sold.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>The husk is the fuel for high-efficiency burners whose heat<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>generates electricity. The sale of individual coconuts rather than the transformed products should be highly taxed. Only those who grow coconut in their home gardens for private use can have the luxury of consuming coconuts in the traditional way. A higher price for husks will tempt everyone to sell their husks to the power company. The present<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>&#8216;waste tariff&#8217;<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>on husks must be lifted and the power industry be given a 20-year tax credit. There can be power hundreds of companies in large coconut estates.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>So we have no need for coal or liquified gas or<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>ransoming Sri Lanka&#8217;s sovereignty to foreign vendors, or destroying the environment, in order<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>to be self-sufficient in energy. Similarly, mini-hydro companies should be banned as they render little and<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>cause<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>much ecological damage. No oil or gas exploration in the neighbouring seas should be allowed as it is intensely environmentally damaging. It will further threaten the nation&#8217;s sovereignty as has happened to many small oil-rich nations now in the grip of powerful consortia. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The coconut<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>acreage need not increase (i.e., no habitat loss) as the current<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>husk supply far exceeds the needs for energy production which can start within<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>months<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>rather than years.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>Those working in the ailing coir and allied industries should be absorbed into the energy sector. The ash from burning coconut husk is rich in potassium, phosphorous and other minerals.<\/p>\n<p>Husk ash<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>mixed with optimal amounts of<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>humus and urea makes a good fertilizer. However, controls on metal toxins against<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>bio-accumulation are needed just as with organic fertilizers. The<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>ash is useful in the construction industry, e.g., for sand mixes, making bricks or paving stones.<\/p>\n<p><b>Using Gene Technology In Agriculture For Carbon Capture And Reuse<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Coconut production itself can be increased<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>using modern cultivars instead of traditional varieties, <b>without<\/b> incurring habitat loss and in fact aiming to return currently cultivated land back to nature. Proper fertilizer application, irrigation, and restoring the right of the coconut grower to use herbicides like glyphosate that are least harmful to the environment will increase nut production without increasing the land under cultivation. The use of<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>so-called \u201corganic\u201d methods based on unscientific and outdated myths that rejects the use of plant genetics etc., should be discouraged.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>Use of herbicides enables a drastic reduction in soil erosion and reduces<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>manual labour.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>It is interesting to note that many anti-rational ideologically motivated programs have contain in them an attack on genetics.The \u201cMarxist\u201d agriculture of Lysenko in the<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>Soviet Union, and the so-called \u201corganic farming\u201d movements of today which also lean on a nostalgic throw-back to \u201ctraditional agriculture\u201d are examples of such anti-rational movements. Instead, plant genetics and biotechnology should be harvested to increase yields, be it in the output of nuts husks or any other desirable product, while decreasing the area under cultivation, thus <i>reducing the<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>habitat encroachment by human activity. <\/i>The catastrophic decline in pollinating species, and in biodiversity in general are mostly due to habitat loss and deforestation caused by humans.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Any tree that is grown for production of energy for<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>biomass can be genetically engineered and optimized for increased carbon capture as well as rapid growth. For instance, mangroves have developed root systems which contain various types of high-carbon<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>cellulose. Mangroves should be preserved on their own ecological value and<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>should NOT<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>be exploited for their bio-mass. But we can learn from the genetic makeup of plants like Mangroves. That is,<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>genes relevant to high carbon capture by plants that make, say, <i>Subarin<\/i>,<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>can be transferred to many other plants using gene technology. Many young Sri lankan scientists have now acquired the scientific know how needed in biotechnology and genetic engineering. Coconut plants re-designed to make Subarin in the husk would further increase the high energy content of husks, and also add to temporary carbon storage. Such innovative solutions are needed if we are to meet to the current ecological crisis by reducing global warming, and by aggressively returning cultivated land back to nature to preserve bio-diversity, while getting ready for 11 billion humans by the end of the century.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We have shown that effectively unlimited amounts of power are available from the waste bio-mass<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>of the coconut industry.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>A similar analysis will be presented in a future article,<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>showing<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>that<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Rubber, Paddy, or maize<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>etc.,<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>can become<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>lucrative energy giants. Genetically engineered carbon-rich plants can boost the energy harvest enormously, while also scavenging out<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>green-house gases.<\/p>\n<p><em>*The Author was a past-Professor of Chemistry and a Vice-Chancellor of the SJP University in the 1970s. He is currently a Professor of Physics in Canada<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":155,"featured_media":198731,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,46,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-201923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombotelegraph","category-constitutional-reforms","category-editorial"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Rebooting Agriculture To Provide Clean, Practical\u00a0 Solutions To\u00a0Sri Lanka&#039;s Energy Crisis - II - Colombo Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rebooting Agriculture To Provide Clean, Practical\u00a0 Solutions To\u00a0Sri Lanka&#039;s Energy Crisis - II - Colombo Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Colombo Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-05-23T15:16:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-05-27T07:24:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Agriculture-Pic-by-Dr.-Chamila-Perera.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chandre Dharmawardana\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Chandre Dharmawardana\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/\",\"name\":\"Rebooting Agriculture To Provide Clean, Practical\u00a0 Solutions To\u00a0Sri Lanka's Energy Crisis - II - Colombo Telegraph\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Agriculture-Pic-by-Dr.-Chamila-Perera.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-05-23T15:16:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-05-27T07:24:57+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7a6891384d777e17c45780d9a25aa5c0\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Agriculture-Pic-by-Dr.-Chamila-Perera.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Agriculture-Pic-by-Dr.-Chamila-Perera.jpg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":600},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Rebooting Agriculture To Provide Clean, Practical\u00a0 Solutions To\u00a0Sri Lanka&#8217;s Energy Crisis &#8211; II\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/\",\"name\":\"Colombo Telegraph\",\"description\":\"In journalism truth is a process\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7a6891384d777e17c45780d9a25aa5c0\",\"name\":\"Chandre Dharmawardana\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bb2f5afd652b124abe1284383e6a98ad050a6412f31c081f800333669d1bb1c2?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bb2f5afd652b124abe1284383e6a98ad050a6412f31c081f800333669d1bb1c2?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Chandre Dharmawardana\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/author\/chandred\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Rebooting Agriculture To Provide Clean, Practical\u00a0 Solutions To\u00a0Sri Lanka's Energy Crisis - II - Colombo Telegraph","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Rebooting Agriculture To Provide Clean, Practical\u00a0 Solutions To\u00a0Sri Lanka's Energy Crisis - II - Colombo Telegraph","og_description":"[&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/","og_site_name":"Colombo Telegraph","article_published_time":"2019-05-23T15:16:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-05-27T07:24:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Agriculture-Pic-by-Dr.-Chamila-Perera.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Chandre Dharmawardana","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Chandre Dharmawardana","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/","name":"Rebooting Agriculture To Provide Clean, Practical\u00a0 Solutions To\u00a0Sri Lanka's Energy Crisis - II - Colombo Telegraph","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Agriculture-Pic-by-Dr.-Chamila-Perera.jpg","datePublished":"2019-05-23T15:16:49+00:00","dateModified":"2019-05-27T07:24:57+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7a6891384d777e17c45780d9a25aa5c0"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Agriculture-Pic-by-Dr.-Chamila-Perera.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Agriculture-Pic-by-Dr.-Chamila-Perera.jpg","width":900,"height":600},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rebooting Agriculture To Provide Clean, Practical\u00a0 Solutions To\u00a0Sri Lanka&#8217;s Energy Crisis &#8211; II"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/","name":"Colombo Telegraph","description":"In journalism truth is a process","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7a6891384d777e17c45780d9a25aa5c0","name":"Chandre Dharmawardana","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bb2f5afd652b124abe1284383e6a98ad050a6412f31c081f800333669d1bb1c2?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bb2f5afd652b124abe1284383e6a98ad050a6412f31c081f800333669d1bb1c2?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Chandre Dharmawardana"},"url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/author\/chandred\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Agriculture-Pic-by-Dr.-Chamila-Perera.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/155"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201923"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201923\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":202001,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201923\/revisions\/202001"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/198731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}