Integration of Kouprey-Inspired Optimization Algorithms with Smart Energy Nodes for Sustainable Energy Management of Agricultural Orchards

Energy expenditures are now the main cost for two businesses that generate huge incomes each year for Thailand, which are agribusiness and community tourism. As entrepreneurs have to share a portion of their income as energy utility bills each month. This is a factor which results in them getting a low net return. Recognizing the need for energy management for sustainable use in agriculture focusing on durian cultivation in Kantharalak district and community tourism in Sisaket province, this research used a newly developed optimization algorithm called Kouprey-inspired optimization (KIO) to assist energy management in smart agriculture to support community-based tourism. This was initiated with a smart energy node to reduce the energy and labor costs for volcanic durian planting and accommodation in community-based tourist attractions in Sisaket province. The results showed that the combination of the KIO algorithm and smart energy node allowed for efficient management of the volcanic durian orchards and the use of clean energy in combination with traditional electric power for volcanic durian cultivation and community-based tourism. As the research area in Sisaket province had eight hours of solar power per day, this was sufficient for smart agriculture and community-based tourism in the daytime and in the evening. Furthermore, this allowed operators in both the agricultural and tourism sectors to reduce the labor costs of the durian orchard business and community-based tourism by about 30%, and in the energy sector, the costs could be reduced by 50%. As a consequence, this prototype would lead to the expansion and trial in durian orchards in the Eastern Economic Corridor area, which is an important economic area producing durian for export of the country.