Sustainable food security - RES4LIVE
Introduction
Energy Smart Livestock Farming towards Zero Fossil Fuel Consumption (101000785)
This European research project is performed by 18 different partners under the coordination of GEOPONIKO PANEPISTIMION ATHINON, the agricultural university of Athens. Within the consortium knowledge providers, technology providers business advisors end users and associations are combined.
This project has started on October 1st 2020 and will end after 48 months.
Project description
The adaptation of RES technologies and machinery and their demonstration at a large-scale on farm level, require supporting measures with respect to spatial planning, infrastructure, different business models and market organization, trends that are not all under control from a farmers’ perspective. RES4LIVE project will fill these gaps ensuring a wider adoption of RES and energy efficiency technologies, machinery and techniques in livestock farms towards a zero-fossil fuel consumption. A great part of RES4LIVE technical work deals with the adaptation of specific technologies for both renewable energy and biofuels so that to perfectly fit livestock farming and becoming attractive in terms of cost effectiveness, operational flexibility and with low maintenance. The key technologies include PVT systems, modular heat pumps, biogas upgrading to biomethane, and tractors retrofitting to be fueled by biomethane. Except these technologies, standard RES and other solutions are included in the integrated energy system, such as the use of PV panels, geothermal energy, and electrification of on-farm machinery. The RES4LIVE project emphasizes on the demonstration of the selected technologies in 4 pilot farms in Belgium, Italy, Germany and Greece, for a duration of at least 12 months, to serve as the means of de-fossilizing evidence and impact generation. The aim is to totally replace the fossil fuel consumption of certain needs in the pilot farms, proving that fossil free energy farming is possible to be achieved with a sustainable way. At the same time, the replicability potential is another key activity so that to prepare the commercialization process of the solutions. The overall objective is to provide advanced and cost-effective technologies to the livestock sector that ensure the sustainability of the farms’ operation, and the superior thermal comfort of the animals for increased productivity with minimum climate change impact.
Objectives
These are the objectives of RES4LIVE:
- RES and machinery adaptation, and other technologies selection: Adaptation of (1) promising key RES technologies highly suitable for livestock farms, and (2) machinery. Selection of commercial RES and energy efficiency technologies, solutions and measures that can be directly integrated in livestock farms.
- Pilot systems design, installation and testing: RES-based energy systems and combined solutions will follow optimisation methodologies with smart energy control to conclude to their design, installation and eventually pilot testing in 4 selected farms of 3 different species. RES4LIVE emphasises on the long-term testing to confidently evaluate performance, indoor thermal comfort, durability, de-fossilising target set and end-user acceptance.
- Multi-level Assessment: Assessment of the innovative RES-based systems applied on farms, in terms of technical, economic, social and environmental indicators.
- Replicability and impact generation: RES4LIVE will implement case studies in a large variety of EU farms, and will cluster with relative projects and networks to achieve maximum stakeholders’ engagement.
Role of Ghent University
UGENT is the WP2 leader and will lead the tasks related to thermal systems and processes optimization of heat pumps design, in close collaboration with EV ILVO and AUA. In addition, UGENT will assist on the realization of the implementation phase in the EV ILVO experimental farm. Using its expertise in engineering, UGENT will also be active in the technical, socio-economic and environmental assessment, related to the EV ILVO farm application. Finally, UGENT will participate actively in the clustering activities and the co-creation with stakeholders and in dissemination and communication activities.
Website
Contact
Prof. Steven Lecompte
Department of Electromechanical, systems and metal engineering
Research group STFES (Sustainable Thermo-Fluid Energy Systems)
Phone number: 09/264 33 50
E-mail